Question and hopefully help

[L7465SS]

Hi first of all. My name is Jason. Gearhead for about 30 years and have built many cars. Don't have a Buick at the moment but was hoping to maybe get some help from the people who know th200-4r trannys the best. You turbo Buick guys.

I have a 1968 Pontiac Lemans that I just installed the correct 350 in it and a 200-4r that I purchased as a package deal from a guy who had this setup in his 69 Firebird.

I just got it up and running, adjusted the tv cable and went for a ride. Shifts fine except i didn't get to a place I could go fast enough to get into overdrive. So I dont know about 4th yet.

Anyway once it got hot and driven a few miles, if I would put it drive or reverse from park, the car will stall. It will not do this until it is driven a while and hot. Say about 15 mins of driving.

Ok, so I researched that and alot of people said the tcc solenoid was sticking and subsequently it was staying locked up. Ok so easy fix. NOT!

So I take the pan off and to my surprise there is no wiring or tcc solenoid in the tranny at all!

So I guess my question is since it shifted fine, is it safe to say, or how could I tell if it was converted to non-lockup
and why would it stall putting it in gear? I would guess without a solenoid it cant lockup so it can't stick so not the converter? Maybe just the idle too low?

Can I identify the converter by sight between lockup and non-lockup. All I can see is the converter has the number 6 stamped all the way around it. Can I identify the date and what the tranny came out of?

Like I said, I know it's not a Buick but I am at my wits end and have searched Google on this subject until my eyes were bleeding. ANY information is much appreciated and thanks in advance for your time.

 

[Dave Dunbar]

If it is a locking converter, and there was a problem in the pump it can still lock up even without the other components. I would say once the oil it hot it could be bleeding into a tcc circuit in the pump. If the converter has no paint on it then its probably a locking unit.

 

[L7465SS]

Thanks for the reply Dave. I was wondering if something like that could happen, because it is only when hot. The converter has no paint on it.

 

[mikestertwo]

Is it possible you have an early 200-4R? They didn't have lockup solenoids. They had a shuttle valve in the valvebody to lock the converter.

 

[L7465SS]

Thanks Mike. I really don't know if early or not. Is there a way to tell or a date stamped on the tranny? It looks like there is a place for a tcc solenoid right in front of the valve body. It has two threaded bolt holes and what would seem to me the solenoid hole in the center. Were the early ones cast the same? And it does have the 4 pin connector on the side, albeit no wiring inside or out, just pins on the connector.

 

[TexasT]

Post up a pic of the tail tag on the rear pass side of your trans. It might shead some light on the year and such.

 

[L7465SS]

TexasT, there isn't any tail tag. If it had one, someone took it off.

I had a very good and long chat last night with David from turbobuickperformance.com
We pretty much have come to the conclusion that I have a lockup system and some moron took off the tcc solenoid and all the wiring for some reason. I am going to call the guy I got it from to see if he knows why. He said he drove it like this for 3 years. Kinda hard to believe. But I do appreciate all the replies & info thanks especially to David for taking time to help me for hours, albeit someone he has never met. Very cool. Excellent site and I just might sell this car and get me a Turbo!

 

[TexasT]

David is a great vendor. He will get you straightened out.