I Hate The 2004r!!!

3

300kGN

Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2006
I've been gifted with the opportunity to bitch about these POS trannies again. How do they hold up in anything but an '86 Vista Cruiser?

Am I mistaken in believing other people are running sub 12.0 1/4's with these?

I really believed this one would hold up better, billet this, extra clutch that, fancy brand frictions....

What do I get? An engine kissing 6000rpm when the intermediate band decides to crap the bed and head for the border:eek:

I haven't torn it down yet, but I think the int. band would cause the extreme slipping in 2nd. 2nd is still there, just can't handle anything over 1/4 throttle. The previous run I noticed the 1-2 shift was a little sloppy, but it never was crisp.
Chris K., if I find the band is burned and replacing it will get me going again, how can I get the shifts to rattle the windshield under WOT? Or will that lead to more problems? This is a CK unit w/billet input, OD, etc. Also, I've noticed a whining noise from the trans when in OD on decel, is this normal for the billet OD carrier assy? If I manually shift to D the noise goes away.
 
my daughters 9 sec GN got prob 12k on hers anyway.. hasn't missed a beat.. has a lock up converter that she locks up (138+ mph) :cool:
 
Got 6400 on my 200 with several passes and 15 psi T-brake launches. Works like the day I put it in.

Mid-eleven second passes.
 
If you have a real loose converter the 1/2 accumulator can be blocked for a firmer shift.Loosing the band after how many months,years,passes,miles?We lost about 10 alto bands about 2 years ago due to the lining coming unglued.This could be your problem too.The 1/2 shift is not really a problem in a 2004r.
 
Now thats what I thought!

I figure lots of people do it.
Is there such a thing as a trany hex?:biggrin: The car is on it 9th, I've had it out 4 times, this will be #5. This one made it maybe 200 miles, 130 of which I know was 1 round trip to work the rest was about a 1/2 mile at a time:D
Bought trans in early 07, broke OD carrier late summer 07, bought billet input/OD 11/07. About 75 passes.
 
depends on how fast it was caught.I havent had any issues with the alto band over the last year ans =d a have,but have seen the clutches fall apart recently.we dont use any alto frictions anymore.i am not the only one seeing this either.i have been contacted by many builders with this problem.
 
I've found the best solution to a problematic 200R4 is to replace it with a TH400. :D

I'm actually gonna try to sell my 200R4 and 9.5" converter BEFORE I break it... that way it will at least be worth something towards a TH400. ;)

I did the conversion on my last GN and never looked back.

Believe me, I'd love to keep the OD box... but just cannot afford to rebuild or fix it every season.
 
Bison Quote from an old thread

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/transmission-talk/277385-does-your-200-4r-bark-tires-1-2-shift.html
bison
What is Kentucky Jelly 4? Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Balls deep in CT!
Trader Rating: (24)
Posts: 5,640

"No bark but the shift occurs in under .07 seconds based on the data logs."

I don't know if he's serious, but for curiosity's sake I checked some of my logs from when this trans was new. Looking at RPM in the scope mode and timing the down slope, the 1-2 shift had been taking about .6-.7 seconds. Measuring from the point when I moved the shifter from 1-2 to when 2nd fully engaged is about 1 second.
I'd like to hear what you guys are experiencing as far as actual shift event time span.
 
i love the tr2004r!. right now im prooving a point in my country overhere in europe. it would not last wel i test the crap out of it...
 
For the better part of a year I did nothing but worry about my 200-4R. It was always having problems with the 2-3 shift flaring when I ran it hard. Burned up the clutches about 3 times doing that, even after adding a deep sump pan. Then Bison turned me on to Chris's new KC valve body combo with all of the neat little tricks in it that my trans guy just did not know about yet. Now the trans is rock solid and holds each shift perfectly. For part throttle it still has the accumulator in it to keep it soft and smooth, but at WOT it's magic. This is in a mid 10 sec car that runs the same boost and tune on the street as it does at the track, so the trans is always working hard. Getting the 200 trans "dialed in" was just as much time and effort as getting the engine to work properly so hang in there! It can be done.
 
BEATAV8 said:
For the better part of a year I did nothing but worry about my 200-4R. It was always having problems with the 2-3 shift flaring when I ran it hard. Burned up the clutches about 3 times doing that, even after adding a deep sump pan. Then Bison turned me on to Chris's new KC valve body combo with all of the neat little tricks in it that my trans guy just did not know about yet. Now the trans is rock solid and holds each shift perfectly. For part throttle it still has the accumulator in it to keep it soft and smooth, but at WOT it's magic. This is in a mid 10 sec car that runs the same boost and tune on the street as it does at the track, so the trans is always working hard. Getting the 200 trans "dialed in" was just as much time and effort as getting the engine to work properly so hang in there! It can be done.
Click to expand...

I had my trans done by the same guy. Except I do not have the new "tricks" But my trans has not missed a beat in 3 seasons. I think the slowest pass I made was 120MPH. Every shift is crisp. I could not be happier with it. It can be done.
 
i love the 200 for several reasons , but they are a little touchy , once you get them right they are a great trans. just look at all the guys running 9's & 10's with them. my monte only runs 13.50's but the 200-4r has 210,000 miles and over 1000 drag strip passes on it with only a shift kit & hardened stator support. the 200-4r has good gear ratio's for racing and good od for the steet and yes it will chirp the tires!
 
So what exactly do you do about the clutches slipping because mine is slipping in 3rd gear? I just put a new turbo, dp, headers, and 16 inch street slicks on my car.:confused:
 
I've never abused, been to the track, or raced my car. Tranny worked perfect before I put the new parts on and changed the rims/tires.
 
BEATAV8 said:
For the better part of a year I did nothing but worry about my 200-4R. It was always having problems with the 2-3 shift flaring when I ran it hard. Burned up the clutches about 3 times doing that, even after adding a deep sump pan. Then Bison turned me on to Chris's new KC valve body combo with all of the neat little tricks in it that my trans guy just did not know about yet. Now the trans is rock solid and holds each shift perfectly. For part throttle it still has the accumulator in it to keep it soft and smooth, but at WOT it's magic. This is in a mid 10 sec car that runs the same boost and tune on the street as it does at the track, so the trans is always working hard. Getting the 200 trans "dialed in" was just as much time and effort as getting the engine to work properly so hang in there! It can be done.
Click to expand...

I got this latest unit directly from the source you mentioned. Broken twice in under 200 miles. I know others are successful with the 200, which makes my dismal experiences with it all the more frustrating. Still trying to figure out why D1/D2 pressures are almost 100 psi low.
 
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