1995 K1500 automatic transmission, 145,000 miles
So I was cruising at about 65mph and all of the sudden
I heard a poping sound and my rpm's dropped to idle and
I coasted to a stop. I tried shifting it into 4 hi, 4 low, Reverse, Drive, 3,2,1... nothing.
the only gear that does work is Park. a friend was undernieth the truck
watching the linkage as I shifted through R,D,3,2,1, 4 hi, 4 low and everything
was shifting perfectly under the truck, but no response - no driveshaft movement, nothing.
when I gassed it the rpm's just shot up.
And yes you read correctly, even in 4WD I could not drive it off of the front axel.
Tranny has always shifted through gears nice and smooth, no slippage
or delay in shifting so I know my tranny is not the issue, it has to be
like a.................. IDK, codder pin, or some kinda linkage connecting the
driveshaft to the tranny, or something connecting the shifting rod to the tranny.
transmission fluid is full, nothing is leaking.
My friend pulled it with a chain with his Scottsdale to his house a few miles away where it sits.
All transmission shops are closed til the monday after Christmas.
Any thoughts?

 

Could it be a vacuum line that plugs into the transmission that coulda come unplugged?
I am gonna check it out tomorrow

 

something for a shop to look at my friend, i would never recomend digging into a transmission (most wont even touch the job if your have been in there)

 

That transmission has been beat up for some time I bet. I d say that when you were driving at 65mph you were actually doing so in 2nd Gear and the popping sound you heard was your Torque Converter impeller imploding inside the the Torque Converter. No torque converter = no viable way of transferring the flywheel energy to the tranny input shaft. You are in for a rebuild my friend. An expensive one because its a 4wd, so it has a different case than the 2wd. It being 4wd, the problem is that the labor charge is about an extra 3-4 hours to remove/reinstall the transfer case. So you can shift into all the gear ranges(even 4wd) and get no movement.

And post 1993 all the transmission are electronic, no vacuum lines.

 

Damn
Well thanks for the input, it is gonna be sitting until Monday when a shop opens.

 

Can anybody recommend a good brand torque converter?
I called NAPA and Kragen and NAPA says they have 1 that is "top of the line"
For $200 and Kragen says they have 1 for the same price that is a step up from OEM with like 32 teeth or whatever.

 

Who cares how many teeth it has? You need a torque converter with an appropriate stall speed for a 4 speed automatic. To tell you the truth, a new converter is worthless if you put it in that case. You need a rebuild. So do that thing you have at the bottom of your post and read the VIN and determine if you have the 4L60E or the 4L80E and then shop around, maybe a junkyard has a unit you can get for a few hundred dollars?

 

everdrive.com has good prices for trannies plus free shipping. I am very satisfied with the one i got there. Very competitve price.

 

If it is the torque converter "imploding" or disintegrating the insides, all those bits and pieces are now distributed throughout the tranny.
Maybe you will get lucky and find it to be the flexplate broke at the crankshaft flange. Or even at the torque converter to flexplate bolts.
That pop, pop, pop sound makes me think maybe either gave up and the sounds were made until the interfering material was cleared out of the way.
Does your tranny have a plastic shield at the bottom of the flywheel housing you can drop and look?

Does it make strange noises when it is in drive?

Loosen the tranny cooling lines at the rad and see if it will pump out tranny fluid when in park and then in drive.

 

I doubt the oil will come out of the cooling lines at the radiator. The torque converter drives the oil pump in the case. And the car has no oil pressure.

I dont think you understand what I mean when I say the TC imploded. The TC is 3 parts, the stator, the turbine and the impeller(and in Cadillac they add a viscous clutch instead of or in addition to the impeller). Torque multiplication is achieved by the impeller blades changing in pitch in relation to engine rpm. That in turns the input shaft which is centered around the oil pump. All of this created internal pressure which pushes the oil against various ports in the valve body to push clutch packs in their respective drums or apply pistons or servos to give you the desired gear(based on throttle position and engine speed). When there develops a pressure problem in the transmission(usually due to neglect, abuse, or damaged linkage) the clutches dont engage at the determined time and burn up. The burned clutched lose their friction material which clogs the ports in the valve body, servos or solenoids. Additionally springs or seals can break on apply pistons. Bands can break. All of this changes the pressure dynamics inside the transmission. You as the operator dont notice it until it is too late. You are on the highway at 65mph and you lose all forward motion.

The torque converter is a welded brazed component. I suppose it can disintegrate but normally it just cant keep up with the pressure requirements internally when the operator is driving at high speeds.

It happened to me also, in a Grand Marquis I had. When we took out the trans. you could see how the TC had ballooned as the impeller blades pushed against the stator side(the flat side that mounts to the flexplate). Man, the fluid was gooey black and most of the clutches were bare on one side.