First of all, I have spent several hours searching and have not found a definitive answer to my question

When I 'get on' the throttle , my revs will occasionally climb with no further increase in speed, and after letting off the throttle it seems to catch and work as normal(feels like a slipping clutch on a manual transmission)....the question I have is is this a TC problem, or is it the clutches slipping inside the trans?. I can feel a VERY slight shudder on takeoff sometimes, and also again VERY slightly when I let off the throttle at highway speeds.
I am considering trying to see if a band adjustment helps, but do not want to make matters worse, and have read that doing an adjustment is not always the right thing to do.
I know my trans is on limited time, it has 170,000 on it and is stock, I have never had my smarty over level 3 and am running stock torque management. Funds are tight and I am considering fitting a triple disc converter and better valve body for the time being, there seems to be plenty of adjustment left on my bands, when I look at the torx head screw on my front band there is 1/4" of thread showing over the lock nut. What are the risks involved in doing it this way....I do know that replacing clutches +VB etc before your TC is a big no-no, but how about TC +VB and then clutches etc later?
I have no problems removing the trans more than once if it means I can work up to a full build in a couple of stages to break up the cost, I am plenty capable of doing the work myself, so again labor costs are not going to factor into this.
Thanks in advance for any guidance/ experience/info you can send my way.

Forgot to add that the trans was serviced fully to the tune of $1100 dollars by the dealer (FWIW)before I bought the truck 2 years/ 25000 miles ago, and the fluid is clean and does not smell burnt.

 

anyone??????

 

Well, the TC is a weak point in the system....

A lot of guys replace the TC and VB and are happy with that. It should work good for you if you're not towing super heavy and aren't too hard on your truck (drag racing, stump pulling).

The shudder you feel is probably the mid driveshaft bearing. VERY common on these trucks.

I would think if you can do your own work and are willing to pull it, why not do the clutches right away?

So to summarize my rambling thoughts, I'd say the TC is the weakest point and an easy swap, definitely do that. The VB is the heart of your system and if you can afford the money, get a good one and you'll love it with firmer shifts. It sounds like your bands are probably good, but you should have a new solenoid and sensor to put in when you drop the pan. These can also cause a slipping feeling in the 1-2 range.

I did the VB before the TC and I ran it for a long time like that. I let the solenoid go for way too long though. I would recommend the VB upgrade to anyone as it can increase tranny life and make the tranny shift better. The TC will really increase the power to the ground and take out the #1 cause of failure. New solenoid and sensor, and while you're in there it's easy to replace the accumulator and strut. I know, I'm rambling again... I'm trying to do two things at once.... Sorry...

 

thanks Lost Lake, the main reason I don't want to do the clutches yet is downtime, I use my truck for work, and figure that I can drop the trans and fit a new TC + VB and then re-install in a day. Funds are tight and deferring the main rebuild for a while is sure gonna help with that too, especially when you factor in lost work time....I work construction and am traditionally slow over xmas so thats when I plan to do the rest of the build if this is the way I decide to do this.
My main concern is my TC taking a dump and taking out the rest of the trans leaving me with no other choice than to spend money I don't really have in one hit. I would love to just buy a trans already built, but as there are none of the big name builders(experienced with our trannys)near to me in San Jose CA, shipping is a real killer, and driving to the builder is totally out of the question with the cost of diesel/ time off work. It would probably end up costing me 6k to buy one already built which is nearly half the value of my truck, and that'll go down like a pork chop in a synagogue with my wife.

 

I'm no tranny expert, but I don't think the TC could take anything out when it goes. The clutches in the TC will burn and maybe you'd get some material in the fluid, but the truck should quit rolling before that happens.

I ALMOST just ordered all the parts from Goerend and had a local guy install them. But Goerend is only about 4 or 5 hours from me so I drove down and they rebuilt mine in a day. The beauty was they could test line pressures and all that stuff.

If you order parts from a big name builder, they will help you through the process and warranty the transmission. It's worth a look-see.

Yeah, clutches mean you have to open the trans, but a shop would do that in a couple hours....

If I were you, and I'm not, but you know how to remove the trans and all, I'd arrange a shop time for a rebuild and time it so you could drop your trans off and pick it up later that day. New clutches, TC, VB, accumulator, struts, bands, the whole shebang. Realistically you can have a heck of a rebuilt transmission for around $2500. Maybe not all billet, but a STRONG transmission.

Figure a top end TC costs $1200, VB is $450, clutches and seals and all maybe $400......