Basic 727 question...

Griffon

Member
Is it normal for our rigs to take a while for the t/q converter to fill. It seems I have to idle for a bit before vehicle will move. I'm wondering if this is normal or something is on the way out. Trans shifts and drives great other than this quirk...???
 
My 73 does the same thing until it warms up. Once warmed up it works fine the rest of the day.

My 74 on the other hand didn't have long delayed reaction. I was able to start and go emediately with out any warm up. But the 727 in it was rebuilt with a shift kit and new torgue converter. So that May have helped to shorten the delayed reaction.

Only difference between the 2 rigs is that my 73 has the 345 motor, and the 74 had the 4.0 and/or 258(4.2l) straight six
 
From what I have gathered over a few short years of learning about these units, the factory hydraulic plumbing does not cycle fluid into the tc in park or neutral. A shift kit from transgo apparently "corrects" this, but I'd say it's not a huge problem - I'm still dealing with it on my Scout II.

Just make sure you've warmed up to a three-digit idle speed (the lower the better) and just put it in gear and wait. I'm not sure if this condition creates any accelerated wear, but one can minimize the risk by practicing a bit of patience.
 
Totally normal condition in a stock 727. Converter fluid level slowly drains back into the pan as the rig sits idle. Anytime the engine is running, the trans fluid pump is circulating fluid, however with the gear selector in park position, fluid pressure is allowed to bleed off at approximately the same rate that it builds, so a converter that has drained from sitting will fill very slowly if at all. This is by design to reduce engine load while idling, and is also the reason why fluid level is to be checked only in neutral for an accurate reading. Moving the gear selector to neutral for at least a minute while warming the engine during initial start up will allow the converter to fill much faster. This is preferable to the potential shock load that could be placed on drive train components in attempt to force-fudge things into motion. As mentioned already, the valve body can be modified with a transgo tf-2 shift kit which will prevent the overnight drain back from the converter.
 
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