swap 1.9 for a 2.2

[GTJIM]

If you keep driving with a slipping auto you will do irreparable damge to vital components inside the trans - stop!

A Master Rebuild Kit is available for the Opel TH180 trans for about $110 - $240 - any halfway competent trans mechanic should be able to instal it following a Factory Service Manual - the 1969 one is very detailed as the trans was a new type then. Probably for a LOT less than $1,200 - $1,400

Try: Transmission Parts Trans Online Automatic Transmission Parts Transmission Kits

OR:http://www.drivetrain.com/parts_cata...AllModelsTH180

They both list Opels with TH180 trans.

OR: your local auto trans supply shop.

[jayhawkjesse33]

Thanks for that link...I actually noticed the 4L30E auto trans when I clicked on the Opel link. The guy at the transmission shop said that the 4L30 is a newer version of the TH180. Can this be swapped out in a GT?? It has an overdrive I believe...

And I have only driven the car to the trans shop (4 miles away) and to the exhaust shop (15 miles away)...and have babied it big time.

[GTJIM]

The 'E' on the end of the designation means that the later model trans is computer controlled - lots of mods needed ... and it does not directly bolt onto the Opel motor.

You can adapt anything to anything - just takes time, knowledge ... and MONEY!

Better to just fit the TH180 you have - or get a spare GT trans (Kadetts & Mantas are different) rebuild it and swap over.

I am in the process of fitting an Isuzu Piazza trans - Aisin-Warner 4-speed OD but that is quite a challenge even though the torque converter bolts up to an Opel 6-cylinder flex plate and that flex plate bolts to the 4-cyl crankshaft. Still a few problems to iron out.

Stick to the TH180!

[jayhawkjesse33]

Oh I definitely plan on sticking with what I have...I have enough money in my car over the past month with the new motor and everything else I've bought to go with it that I'm just trying to get what I have on the road again. And hopefully with as little more money spent in the process...

[opelnut10]

Originally Posted by jayhawkjesse33 Oh I definitely plan on sticking with what I have...I have enough money in my car over the past month with the new motor and everything else I've bought to go with it that I'm just trying to get what I have on the road again. And hopefully with as little more money spent in the process...

The TH180 is one tough transmission behind the Opel CIH engine, very few problems. If the engine has been out you might want to check the detent (kickdown) cable, if it is not hooked up or out of adjustment it can cause the type problem you are discribing.

[Viny Charb]

Really disappointing to hear about all these problems ( i.e electrical, tranny, etc.)...... I was really hoping you'd have success with your engine swap, but I guess the story doesn't always end with "...and he drove it happily ever after".

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by jayhawkjesse33 Thanks for that link...I actually noticed the 4L30E auto trans when I clicked on the Opel link. The guy at the transmission shop said that the 4L30 is a newer version of the TH180. Can this be swapped out in a GT?? It has an overdrive I believe... And I have only driven the car to the trans shop (4 miles away) and to the exhaust shop (15 miles away)...and have babied it big time.

I would not try to use some of the "E" style trans unless you have a full computer aboard. If you need a good used Auto tranny at the right price let me know.

[jayhawkjesse33]

I just read my Owners Workshop Manual and it has a troubleshooting section and what I am experiencing seems to point to the kickdown cable, either being out of adjustment, bent or not hooked up properly. I mean the trans was working fine before I took it out of the car, just hasn't been right since it went back in. The guy at the exhaust shop yesterday did some looking around the car for me yesterday when it was on the lift and he asked me if the car had a TV/detent cable...because he couldn't see/find it. Where is the kickdown cable located? I wouldn't mind trying to figure that out today...its 65 and cloudy in July...which is totally nuts, so its an inside day for me today...plus I'd love to get this figured out

[tekenaar]

Originally Posted by jayhawkjesse33 Originally Posted by jayhawkjesse33 So we got the engine swapped out on Saturday and got it running late that night. . . . Worked on fine tuning it yesterday and went out for the first drive . . . the transmission is now acting up. I have an automatic, and it doesn't want to shift out of first gear...when it feels like it should shift in to 2nd, the engine just revs real high and it doesn't go anywhere. If I start out from a stop, I can manually put it in low gear and give it gas then shift it manually in to 2nd when it feels like it should and it works fine. 3rd gear however still feels like its slipping a bit. And when its in 3rd gear and I punch it, it will just rev high rpms but not downshift. Pretty frustrating seeing how I wasn't having this problem before.... . . . It was a long, long weekend and still have some stuff to get fixed.... So I just thought I'd provide an update to what's goin on with the 2.2. The motor is fantastic, but the car as a whole is having a few issues. 1.) The transmission. I have an automatic and it is slipping like crazy! If I give it any gas at all it revs really high in 1st gear and doesn't wanna go in to 2nd. I can bump it from 1st to 2nd manually, however 3rd gear just doesn't feel right...especially if I give it any gas at all. I took it to a transmission shop yesterday and they gave me the "we drove it and somethings not right. We can do an overhaul for you. Cost ya about 12-1400 bucks". Needless to say I left without any plans. I actually had the car at an exhaust shop today to have the exhaust overhauled and had the guy check out the vacuum lines....and all was good. He said he couldn't see the kickdown cable attached anywhere though. 2.) The hood. . . . rattling, but its annoying. 3.) The alternator. This is currently being covered in another thread (see 'smoke and sparks from alternator'). But I don't have any charging going on and my amp gauge is in the negative and the light is always on. I did have a wire meltdown (fuseable links at the red wire from alternator to the fuse panel, the wire from the solenoid to the fuse panel and from the voltage regulator to the blue and white wire going to the fuse panel) due to a short in the alternator. Not sure what my problem is... I did have the exhaust done today.... and really sounds great when I give it some gas (as little as that can be right now with the trans issue) Once I finally get these things taken care of, I think I'm really gonna love driving my car even more than I already did...which was a helluva lot to begin with

1. Have you checked that the VM (Vacuum Modulator) vacuum line holds vacuum (doesn't leak), remove and check at the intake manifold? The VM is the primary shift controller for the A/T and you changed the vacuum source (engine) on which it depends!

That said, and especially since you said it was working normally before you changed engines, I had the same problem when I changed from a stock Solex to my dual carb sprint intake on an otherwise stock 1.9 engine!

Even though my original VM checked out "GOOD", it would no longer shift my TH-180 properly with pretty much the same symptoms you describe and noted in my referenced post. I swapped mine out for a new one, PIONEER P/N 747025 from O'Reilly (tell them, Chevy Vega/Chevette A/T) for about $25 and tranny shifts completely normal now!

3. Alternator not charging - do you have a ground wire between the alternator case and the engine block? If so, remove and re-insert lower, 3-prong regulator connector at the alternator lower rear several times to ensure good connection there. If still problem, swap regulator with "known good"/new one. If still problem, it's alternator itself . . . likely worn brushes, not much else goes wrong usually!

[tekenaar]

Originally Posted by tekenaar 1. Have you checked . . . 3. Alternator not charging - do you have a ground wire between the alternator case and the engine block? If so, remove and re-insert lower, 3-prong regulator connector at the alternator lower rear several times to ensure good connection there. If still problem, swap regulator with "known good"/new one. If still problem, it's alternator itself . . . likely worn brushes, not much else goes wrong usually!

. . . for example . . .

[jayhawkjesse33]

Dad and I got a chance to work on the car today....and the hope was to get the transmission issue figured out and get the car running smoothly again. And by running smooth, I mean shifting like it should...the motor is money!

After reading my workshop manual and getting tips from you all, I thought that the kickdown cable was going to be the culprit. Well, it looks like it still might be. We took it off and cleaned it up, but the rubber coating is off in the middle of it (leaking fluid like crazy) but we cleaned and tape/sealed that up. We have the cable moving rather freely...but after hooking it back up, it didnt help a thing. We're kind of wondering that when the motor and tranny came out a couple of weeks ago, if the top of the cable was still hooked to the throttle and it got pulled too hard....especially in the transmission itself where the cable goes in. I'm curious if that's really the culprit. Because at near idle speeds, the transmission shifts itself in to the gears, but with any gas at all, no such luck. Vacuum is great, so that's not a problem. I ordered a new kickdown cable today and hope to have it by Thursday. I am still contemplating taking the transmission out and taking it to a shop to overhaul it. Its MUCH cheaper taking just the transmission to them instead of taking in my whole car....the labor of getting the tranny out and back in just scares them to death...and so does the price tag for me. Really hoping to have it taken care of on Friday, but we'll see.

[jayhawkjesse33]

I got a new kickdown cable today, and can't believe the difference in movement between the new one and my old one. No wonder the transmission isn't working right! Plus, the pin where the cable connects to the transmission is pulled out an stuck...which also contributes greatly to my problem. I found a shop that has been around FOREVER and they seem very knowledgeable about the 180 and I am taking my car there on Monday to have my problems fixed and the nice old guy that owns the shop gave me a quote of between 60-80 bucks to do the work. You gotta love that!

I also thought I'd post a couple of before and after pics of my engine bay...its still a bit of a work in progress but you get the idea...

[jayhawkjesse33]

one more that didn't attach...

[jayhawkjesse33]

that wasn't what i was looking for...but since I posted the pic I wanted to in another thread http://http://www.opelgt.com/forums/1a-starting-charging-system/21619-smoke-sparks-alternator-3.html#post198427, it wouldn't let me upload it in this as well. Oh well...you get the idea...