The AW70 in my '92 wagon is dying; it has to fully warm up before it will shift out of first gear, and occasionally slips, especially in third gear, which is nearly non-existent. A fluid change with a bottle of Lucas Trans Fix did little to stop the slipping and hard shifts, so it will need to be replaced soon.

I have an AW70 from an '87 which has been stored somewhat poorly for six years, but it shifted perfectly when removed and only had about 150k miles on it. It is under an open sided lean-to with a rubber sheet thrown over it. Does anybody know how I can tell if it is still good, or if I have turned it into a massive door stop?

Thanks,
Sean

Hi,
As long as water hasn't gotten to the insides, it should be okay- take the pan off and make sure there is not water traces.
You might want to change the seals where they can be accessed. and to be on the safe side, change the seal on the oil pump.
there is a lot of good info on the FAQ.
Art C. (umpire)

Good ideas. I will definitely freshen up the transmission before putting it in the car.

I do not know much about them but...

I was thinking you could call around to the transmission shops to see if they have a testing stand for checking the ones they rebuild for shelf stock.

You might get to hear the gears turn and it shift before installing it.

A little bit of money now might buy more confidence for the price of the oil change.

Phil

That's a good idea, Phil; I didn't even know they had machines to test the transmission off the car. I'll call around and see what I can find.

Unfortunately, the long-time tranny expert around here closed shop a couple years ago. He was good, and always friendly and honest. All that probably means he was run out of business.

Unless it was already contaminated with coolant, the only check I can think of is to draint he pan, pull the pan and see if there are any indications of water getting in.

If it is an concilation, the AW70 tranny in my '81 was a from a 1985 with about 250K miles on it that sat in a "private" wrecking yard with no hood or motor for nearly a decade. shift fine for the 6 weeks I had the car before the tree limb prematurely ended its life.

Actually, that does make me feel a lot better, Michael. I guess checking the condition of the fluid is about all I can do without undertaking a rebuild, and I don't have the time to learn to do that right now.

Thanks!