Yup, I buggered it up! The shift kit went in A-OK, but I fought that boost valve kit for 3 hours and finally got it wedged up in there! On top of that, Bruce was out of the shop all day Friday, busy moving from one location to another, just my luck...
First problem - the small valve (with spring) "valve pressure regulator" needed to go way up in further than was obvious (thanks Andy!), then after finally placing that valve correctly, it would not stay in place (damned gravity!) and kept slipping down. Half a tub of Vaseline solved that! Next, the "reverse boost valve and bushing" went in OK.
Second problem - The "TV boost valve and bushing" kept wanting to get cocked in the bore. It would only go in flush with the pump case by hand. Definitely not far enough to get the snap ring in place. So I used a small bottle jack and a 1/4" socket extension to "preload" the piston up far enough to get the ring in (and I only pumped it by hand - no lever). Now I *think* the snap ring is in, it's hard to tell because by now my glasses are coated with ATF and everthing is blurry. Which brings us to problem #3...
Third problem - now that everything is "in place", the TV boost valve is still 1/16" or so above the snap ring and will not drop into place. Because the pump body is round, it's hard to tell if the TV valve is cocked or not.
We buttoned it up and ran it through the gears - all OK. Road-tested today and it shifts very loose, not even as firm as mom's Roadmaster. So, I'm ASSuming I'll need to pull the tranny, toss the pump and start over again? Is it safe to drive as long as I stay off the throttle? What happens if the TV valve breaks loose, and knocks the snap ring out, and the whole mess falls out into the pan?
UPDATE: Just talked to a local guy who does trannies, and he said if the valve was still jammed up, the line pressure would be way high (no gauge, but by "seat-of-pants" this is not the case). Also mentioned that if the snap ring didn't hold allowing the valve parts to fall out, pressure would go to "0" and that hasn't (yet) happened. He recommended I try messing with the TV cable and see what happens... Any other ideas?
I love trannies, I HATE pumps!
First problem - the small valve (with spring) "valve pressure regulator" needed to go way up in further than was obvious (thanks Andy!), then after finally placing that valve correctly, it would not stay in place (damned gravity!) and kept slipping down. Half a tub of Vaseline solved that! Next, the "reverse boost valve and bushing" went in OK.
Second problem - The "TV boost valve and bushing" kept wanting to get cocked in the bore. It would only go in flush with the pump case by hand. Definitely not far enough to get the snap ring in place. So I used a small bottle jack and a 1/4" socket extension to "preload" the piston up far enough to get the ring in (and I only pumped it by hand - no lever). Now I *think* the snap ring is in, it's hard to tell because by now my glasses are coated with ATF and everthing is blurry. Which brings us to problem #3...
Third problem - now that everything is "in place", the TV boost valve is still 1/16" or so above the snap ring and will not drop into place. Because the pump body is round, it's hard to tell if the TV valve is cocked or not.
We buttoned it up and ran it through the gears - all OK. Road-tested today and it shifts very loose, not even as firm as mom's Roadmaster. So, I'm ASSuming I'll need to pull the tranny, toss the pump and start over again? Is it safe to drive as long as I stay off the throttle? What happens if the TV valve breaks loose, and knocks the snap ring out, and the whole mess falls out into the pan?
UPDATE: Just talked to a local guy who does trannies, and he said if the valve was still jammed up, the line pressure would be way high (no gauge, but by "seat-of-pants" this is not the case). Also mentioned that if the snap ring didn't hold allowing the valve parts to fall out, pressure would go to "0" and that hasn't (yet) happened. He recommended I try messing with the TV cable and see what happens... Any other ideas?
I love trannies, I HATE pumps!
Wow, talk about service! 
