Off Topic/ Buick transmission

[BUICK11]

While we have two Cadillacs. I wanted to share my recent experience with a Jasper remanfactured transmission in my 1989 Buick Riviera. My Buick dealer installed a transmission two weeks ago. It was defective so technical services at Jasper worked with the Dealer technican to diagose. The Jasper people wanted the dealer Tech to add something to the transmission but he refused. They sent out another Transmission that was installed last week and agreed to pay the dealer for diagnostic and re install. Well the SECOND transmission has a similar problem. So next week the Dealer will once again try and work with Jasper to resolve the issue.

While this is not a Cadillac issue I wanted to share my experience with this forum and ask if any members on this board have had any experiences Positive or negative with Jasper products?

Thanks

[Cadillac Jim]

I have a Jasper Northstar and I'm fine with it, and with Jasper. I have NOT bought a transmission from them but if and when the time comes I will look at Jasper first. From your narrative, the dealer isn't working with Jasper. If Jasper recommended an additive to solve a problem and the dealer refused, as you say with the first transmission, that's not cooperating. Perhaps GM has issues with what they will do with their transmissions and their warranty, and perhaps the GM Goodwrench warranty is in play here. However, it's Jasper's transmission and Jasper's warranty, so the financial picture to the dealer in terms of backing the transmission is complicated a bit. A Jasper installer that is an independent garage (look for the large Jasper Installer sign) provides a direct and simple warranty situation.

I looked up your car and you have a 4T60 transmission (early models called the THM 440-T4 but the same transmission). This transmission was used in the 1985-1990 Cadillacs including the Allante until it was replaced by an electronically controlled version, the 4T60E, for the 1991 model year. It's a good transmission and was used on lots of cars. I suspect that two or thee final drive ratios are available depending on the make, model, year, and options of the car. I would order one only if I was using the VIN of the vehicle or the transmission numbers to make sure that I got the right transmission. It is an excellent transmission

For our information, just exactly was the problem that the transmission had? What did Jasper want the tech to add to the transmission? If the same thing happened with two remanufactured transmissions, the problem may be caused by the installer.

[BUICK11]

I think the Jasper people wanted them to add a"friction emusalifier" really not sure. I could find nothing negative about Jasper products. I cannot see adding anything to a good rebuilt transmission. Now that it has been raised to Jasper's senior management they agree that something went wrong with their Quality control. They are taking the first transmission back for bread down and inspection and repair and return to be replaced as the THIRD transmission. They agree that nothing should have been added to the transmission as well. They are paying the dealer the warranty rate to remove and repair these transmissions.

The problem with both transmissions is a loud banging noise when put in drive on the first one and reverse on the second one. GM has discontinued rebuilding this transmission under their SERTA program thus I had limited choice. The installer is a very experienced Technican who use to rebuild transmissions. He worked with Technical services to check line pressure and transmission temperature before Jasper gave up on the FIRST transmission. He is also the only Technican that has worked on this car since I took delivery in 1989 This should have been a easy swap as not much to hook up on these transmissions. Their is a local Jasper installer locally who I spoke to BUT I like to limit the number of people who work on my cars. We got the number off the transmission and oprdered the correct transmission. The one with the 2:84 axle ratio.

I have use Jasper products in my 1974 Coupe De Ville with excellent results. This time I guess I just got TWO bad ones.

Thanks for your comments just trying to share information NOT bash Jasper. They are very concerened and doing everything they can to correct ASAP. The dealer knows that I garage my cars and will place it in the showroom area until the THIRD transmission arrives.

[Cadillac Jim]

A loud banging noise in low or reverse could be any of several things, such as the torque converter not being full of fluid, the sprag slipping, the band slipping, or one of the shift solenoids sticking. I suspect that since two of them had the problem, it's a shelf-life issue, thus I would predict that it is most likely a sticking shift solenoid that leaves a band partly engaged. Transmissions are usually stored and shipped dry to avoid classifying them as hazardous material, so if one had sat on the shelf for, say, 10 years, it's possible that some fluid had oxidized, thus a sticking solenoid. If this, or something similar, is the problem, then the solution is for the remanufacturer to fill and test the transmission, and flush it as necessary before draining and shipping it.

This should be a heads-up for all of us that buy remanufactured transmissions for older cars.

[BUICK11]

Jim, once again I appreciate your comments. I just spoke to the technical Rep at Jasper and they are shipping the FIRST defective Transmission tonight from their Philadelphia PA office directly to Jasper Indiana where it will be placed on the Dyno for analysis. They assured me it will be corrected BUT they want to know what the problem is so they can correct the issue. Not just build another transmission.

The shelf life issue may be something to consider.

They were very nice and really very concerned that everyone had to be inconvienced by this problem. I was very impressed with their technical services dept.

Although I am upset I am pleased with the way they are responding to me and my dealer.

I will post the results so that others may learn from this experience.

This may not be the place to say this BUT I would rather drive my OLD cars rather than the 2008 STS or 2001 DTS!

[Cadillac Jim]

Yeah, I would rather drive my 1966 427 Corvette or my 1969 Chevrolet station wagon with the 427, or even my 1964 Chevrolet station wagon with its tricked-out 327, but I would never tolerate their maintenance, both routine and major planned. My 1997 ETC has a 0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 16.1 seconds (Car & Driver, 1997) while my Corvette had a quarter mile time of 13.4 seconds, but my Cadillac got its first brake job at 130,000 miles and still has the original shocks and struts, with no codes on the RSS or Stabilitrak (or anything else) at 140,000 miles and excellent control in my daily enter-the-driveway maneuver: about 10 mph at a 45-degree angle, with the driveway camber rising about 8 inches in two feet, enough to high-center just about any car that takes it straight on. And, its combination of performance, emissions, economy, and reliability is unmatched by any of my earlier cars, even my similarly-designed 1990 Pontiac Grand Am with its Quad 4 HO. If I were younger and still did my own oil changes and under-car maintenance, it might well be different for the truly exceptional older cars.

[BUICK11]

Wow nice stable of cars. To bad we got to get old. The one I really remember is the 427 in a Chevy station wagon. I think Chevrolet made a VERY small number of these cars to compete in "A" stock. I use to race at Atco in south Jersey and use to have a Mopar 1967 GTX 440 Torqueflite. 12.98 with just a borrowed pair of M & H slicks. That was when Chrysler knew how to make a automatic transmission!

The 1966 Corvette was quite a car also. Sounds like you have some limited production models all away around.

Enjoy your rides and thanks for the thoughts on my Jasper transmission issue

[BUICK11]

Getting back to the defective transmission. Jasper Tech services called and advised they expect to have the FIRST defective transmission back tomorrow. I did ask about the BUILD date and the indicated it was built on Mat 1st 2009, so it is not a stale transmission. Once they get it on the Dyno they will let me know what they have found. They could not have been more concerned and will be sure dealer is paid for time and material.

Will advise

[Cadillac Jim]

I found out years after I sold the 1969 station wagon with the 427 from its engine number, TO227LE, that it was a 400 hp and that only about 400 engines with the 427 cid were made for passenger cars of all types for 1969. I think that more were made for the 1966 Corvette. The VIN for the Corvette was 193736S111802. Last I heard of it, a doctor drove it to Chicago in 1967.

I don't know what to think about the 4T60 with a remanufacture build date of March. I'll be watching for what Jasper finds out. At this point my money is on an installation issue, like large bubbles coming in from the cooling lines and tank in the radiator causing a temporary line pressure issue. But, we'll know for sure soon enough.

[BUICK11]

Jim, if I remember correctly Chevy stuck that 427 400hp (I thought 425HP) in the wagon to compete with the Mopar Street Hemi. Which one was faster was mostly a matter of drivers whoever got the hole shot was most likely the winner. Englishtown NJ and Atco NJ was always a nice place to have some fun!

Last time I was at the dragstrip the cars were older than the drivers. You would be suprised how many 60's era Mopar's chevy's and Fords are still run on Sunday.

I will provide the conclusion on the Jasper transmission on this board. So far they get a AAA Plus for effort and concern.

[BUICK11]

As information Jasper is installing new Bands in the FIRST Transmission and sending back I should be back on the road next week. Hopefully they will pay dealer labor for all the work.

Will advise conclusion to the Jasper Saga!

[Cadillac Jim]

As I recall the Jasper warranty for remanufactured engines, they pay labor for removing and reinstalling the engines, based on "reasonable and customary" costs. It should be at no cost to you.

I got the 427 Chevrolet at over 90,000 miles in 1974. It had a dead cylinder that we tracked to a lifter with a hole in the bottom, and I put a new cam and lifters in it. It had a 396 carburetor and air cleaner, which was a Rochester spreadbore. The iron high-rise intake manifold was quite heavy, which I found out later when I put a Holley on it. The exhaust was a shade-tree mechanic single with a Sears Muzzler on it. The heat riser and carburetor were full of peanut butter. I cleaned everything out and put a new Holley 4175 on it and found that it was in amazing mechanical shape. You could idle it down to 150 rpm and it would just sit and chug evenly -- while the exhaust put out about 10% NO2 that would bleach damp concrete; we set the idle to 550 rpm for that clean. fresh smell instead. And, every time the secondaries would open, it would blow off the Sears Muzzler and I would have to pull over and push it back on the exhaust pipe. I put a dual 2.5" system, all the way to the outlets, which were just behind the rear tires. It had four turbo mufflers, two on each side. Then, when the secondaries opened, good things happened. Really good things.

All the seven years that I had that car I thought that the engine was a 335 hp, which was a de-tuned 390 hp (milder cam). Only after I was well into my next car did I find from an old Chilton that the LE at the end of the engine number meant that it was a 400 hp. As you know, the 400 hp was a 390 hp with three two-barrel carburetors.

The kickdown solenoid on the THM-400 routinely stuck because I so rarely hit the kickdown switch. Once a year, when I tuned it up, I would repeatedly short the switch until the solenoid freed up, and it would kick down for about three months and stick again. This allowed me the luxury of a low-end pull-off in 2nd gear, letting it shift to 2nd at low throttle and then gently flooring it, which resulted in good acceleration up to 3500 rpm, when the cam and breathing kicked in.

That 427 9-passenger station wagon got 19 mpg overall for just about all the seven years that it was my daily driver. And, 3rd gear through the power band was an amazing experience all that time, albeit one that I rarely saw fit to enjoy out of prudence and safety considerations. I rarely even di d the 2nd gear low-end-pull-off either. One day when I had some errands to run out of town, I put a tune-up tach on it. Even on the Seattle hills or 55 mph on the freeway it never got over 2200 rpm all day.

The main problem I had with that car over all that time, other than not being able to get parts and service at the end which forced me to go to another car, was the wheels. I put 7-inch rims in it with Michelin street tires, and a parts man talked me into 1977 Monte Carlo wheels because they were the same bolt circle, rim width, and offset as the 1977 Corvette wheels that I asked for. The car handled OK but the Monte Carlo wheels weren't built like the Corvette wheels and it would throw a hub cap occasionally on hard cornering. That's expensive, and new hub caps get hard to find for old cars.

[BUICK11]

I do not have to pay anything when I pick up the car next week. I just hope it is fixed. Jasper is to pay the Warranty rate for the R&R. I am a regular customer at that dealership and the service manager is my cousin thus I will be curious to see if Jasper does what is right by the installer as well

Will advise

[Cadillac Jim]

I predict a warm review about how Jasper treats their installers.

[BUICK11]

I agree ... and feel that installer's should not loose money.

Will Advise final outcome.

[BUICK11]

Well the THIRD Jasper Transmission lasted about 100 Miles. The Clutches are slipping on the 2 3 shift to the point where they are burning up. Dealer will be contacting Jasper customer service today to talk about a Forth Transmission.

Frank

[BodybyFisher]

This is hard to believe, have they checked to see if there is a PCM problem?

I have rebuilt transmissions myself, for pros like Jasper this should be childs play

[BUICK11]

Their is nothing else wrong with the car. Everything has been checked. The 1989 transmission requires good vacume and the TV cable properly adjusted.

This was done.

The clutches are definately burning up!

Awating call from dealer after he contacts Jasper again.

Their seems to be some confusion as to if Jasper has field Tech's.

I just came back from PREFERED Jasper installer and he agreed it is indeed a defective transmission.

Will advise

[BodybyFisher]

Their is nothing else wrong with the car. Everything has been checked. The 1989 transmission requires good vacume and the TV cable properly adjusted.

This was done.

The clutches are definately burning up!

Awating call from dealer after he contacts Jasper again.

Their seems to be some confusion as to if Jasper has field Tech's.

I just came back from PREFERED Jasper installer and he agreed it is indeed a defective transmission.

Will advise

WOW good luck. This must be a big loser for Jasper

[Cadillac Jim]

It's so easy to find a certified Jasper installer -- just ask when you buy -- that, given this story, I would always ask Jasper to recommend an installer near me.

[BUICK11]

The problem is not in the installation even Jasper Tech's agree. I have been reading so much about these transmissions I think I could install one. The problem is it is burning up inside. Even the SECOND opinion agreed.It is defective.

[BUICK11]

Jasper is requesting a line pressure and vacume test at highway speeds and the dealer tech to repoer findings back to Jasper. I feel their will be a FIFTH transmission in my future!

As info I believe that dealer was paid $1444.00 for all the additional work.

[Cadillac Jim]

My thinking is that this sounds like a problem with the transmission cooler; it sounds like it is blocked, or that there is debris in the line or cooler from the previous transmission, or some combination of both. If I was Jasper, I would send a tech by to look at the radiator and transmission cooler lines.

[BodybyFisher]

My thinking is that this sounds like a problem with the transmission cooler; it sounds like it is blocked, or that there is debris in the line or cooler from the previous transmission, or some combination of both. If I was Jasper, I would send a tech by to look at the radiator and transmission cooler lines.

I was thinking the same thing Jim, it has to be something external to the tranny, the odds of so many trannies being defective are nil

[BUICK11]

In order to install a Jasper transmission it must be installed and documented that some things were done. The

flow rate was measured and documented on the cooler and the vacum was documented as well. I would welcome a Technical visit from one of the Jasper people but I feel they are confident that the Dealer Tech is top notch and doing what they request.

Will Advise