700R4 Master Rebuild Kit 1985-1986, new and ready to install. Fits the 700R4. Ships fast from the USA.
If your 1985 or 1986 Chevy or GMC pickup, Blazer, Suburban, Camaro, Corvette or Caprice has a 700R4 that slips into overdrive, flares on the 1-2 shift, or smells burnt on the dipstick, the clutches and band are worn out and the unit needs a full rebuild. This master kit is put together for that middle window of 700R4 production: the 1985-1986 units built after the 30-spline input shaft change but before GM added the auxiliary valve body in 1987.
The steels are the part people skip to save money, and they should not. A used steel that is blued, warped or polished will glaze new frictions in a few hundred miles. Everything here is new.
The 700R4 is a hydraulic four-speed: line pressure is set by the TV cable, and shift timing comes from a mechanical governor. It uses clutch packs for forward, 3-4, reverse input, overrun and low/reverse, plus a 2-4 band for second and overdrive. A soft-parts kit only reseals that hardware. This kit also renews every friction, every steel and the band, which is what a unit with burnt fluid actually needs. The two bushings matter more than they look: a worn pump bushing lets the converter hub wobble and wears the pump, and a worn extension housing bushing is the usual source of a tailshaft seal leak that keeps coming back.
Drop the pan and look at the filter and magnet before you commit. Friction lining and fine metal mean the unit has to come apart. Then check the TV cable. On these years it controls line pressure, and a cable that is slack or set wrong lowers pressure and cooks the 3-4 clutch, which will burn up a fresh kit just as quickly. Our 700R4 common problems guide covers the checks in order, and the 700R4 rebuild cost guide explains which hard parts tend to turn up broken once it is apart.
This kit is listed for the 700R4 in 1985-1986 applications. Sonnax's build guide puts the switch from the 27-spline to the 30-spline input shaft and 298mm converter at 1985, and the auxiliary valve body at 1987, so a 1985-1986 unit sits between those two changes. Swapped and replaced transmissions are common on trucks this old, so read the ID tag on the case rather than going by the vehicle's model year. If the tag is missing or the transmission came from a different year, send us the year and VIN, or browse every year range on our 700R4 parts page. If your unit is a 1987-up with the auxiliary valve body, the 1987-1993 master kit is the one to look at.
If the valve body is worn or has been modified badly, a matching 1982-86 700R4 valve body goes in at the same time, which saves a second trip into the pan.
| Fits | 700R4 1985-1986 |
| Part type | Master Rebuild Kit |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | OEM |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
It is listed for 1985-1986 units. GM added the auxiliary valve body in 1987, so later units use different gaskets and parts. For those, use a 1987-1993 kit, and always go by the transmission ID tag rather than the vehicle year.
Yes. It has Raybestos frictions plus a full set of steel clutch plates, along with the band, filter, overhaul seal and gasket kit, pump bushing and extension housing bushing.
No. Hard parts like the pump, drums, sun shell, planetaries and converter are reused if they pass inspection or bought separately.
Dexron ATF. A current Dexron-VI fluid is backward compatible with the earlier Dexron specs. With an empty converter, fill the pan, start the engine, then top up to the hot mark after a short drive.
The usual cause is low line pressure from a TV cable that is misadjusted, plus leaks in the 3-4 circuit. Adjust the TV cable on the rebuilt unit or the new clutches can fail the same way.
