1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Transmission

SLIMNOTSHADY

MEMBER
1970 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE
5.7L
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
100,000 MILES

- When my car is in idle it takes a very high RPM to get the car to start moving. In otherwords a lot of gas is being used to get the car moving. On the highway the car performs fine, but at low speeds it takes a lot more RPM than it should to get the car from stop to go. My car is a sunday driver not a racer

Q1) I am replacing the Torque Converter as well as the Governor. Are there any other issues that can be the cause of this problem?
Q2) When replacing the Governor can I replace the plastic part at the end only or do I need to buy an entirely new governor?

SPECS
Transmission - TH400
Engine - 350 small block, 8 cylinder, 5.7 Cu-Liters
Rear Diff Ratio - 30.8:1

1 Reply

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

This is not a governor issue unless the gear on end is stripped or broken. Has this car/transmission been modified? If it has it may have a high stall speed torque converter in it like 3500 rpm before it engages. If it is a very small one it probably is. You can either get a rebuilt or new converter if it is going to be used for street driving. You should check trans fluid as well if black or dark brown just take to atrans guy for an overhaul as that may be the reason for your high rpm to get going as well it may be slipping. Try putting in low or 1 then see if it does the same if it's ok an d just shift to other gears then it's the roller clutch inside trans is no good and needs a rebuild anyhow as long as the case is n't bad.