If you’re building an engine yourself for the older vehicles made in the 1980s, 700R4 is a popular choice of transmission. But without knowing how much hp can a 700R4 handle, it’ll be difficult to identify whether it’s a good choice.
The horsepower that a 700R4 can handle depends on various factors – whether it’s a stock or upgraded model, how the previous owner has treated it, the year it was manufactured, and so on.
But if you keep reading this article, you’ll get a good estimate of how much horsepower can a 700R4 handle based on the real-world experience of many users. Let’s dive in!
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How Much HP Can A 700R4 Handle [Explained]
The horsepower that stock and an upgraded 700R4 transmission can handle is not the same. If you’re wondering how much hp can a stock 700R4 handle, the answer is around 300 HP. Though a stock 700R4 is rated to handle 350 HP, the users tend to have trouble when they go over 300 HP.
Can a 700R4 handle 500 hp? An upgraded 700R4 tranny can handle 500 HP or even 550 HP if it’s installed correctly. 700R4 transmissions were introduced a long time back and many people use the upgraded 4L60 now.
Now you know how much horsepower can a stock 700R4 transmission handle. The main difference between them is that 4L60 runs electronically and it’s connected to the ECU of the car while the 700R4 uses a TV cable.
If you’re keen on keeping the 700R4, it’s a good idea to have an expert transmission rebuilder in your area and see if he can help you get a good performance from it.
The 700R4 was relatively weak transmission in its early days and improved a lot from 1986. Another common question about the 700R4 tranny is how much torque will a 700R4 handle.
It can handle anywhere between 350 – 375 lbs of torque depending on the year it was made. Anything over that range can cause failure. Change the oil and transmission fluid in your car after every track event if you want to prolong the life of your transmission.
Note: You can also read 3 Symptoms Of A Bad Transmission Governor Th350.
Can A 700rR4 Handle A 383 Stroker?
Despite the fact that the 700R4 is a good transmission, many people wonder if it can handle the 400 HP power of a 383 engine.
The answer depends on a wide range of factors like whether it’s a stock or upgraded tranny, its condition of it, the rear axle ratio, how much the converter hits, and so on.
And thinking that the 383 stroker makes 400 HP doesn’t make it true until you have a dyno sheet that shows it makes 400 HP.
Even if it does, you lose 1% HP for every 250 feet above sea level. The point is that your engine generates a lot less than 400 HP in reality.
For the most part, a 700R4 should be able to handle the 383 strokers. But, you should expect to run into problems with it every now and then. It can slip when shifting, and it’ll eventually wear out.
How Is The Build Quality Of The 700R4 Transmission
How much hp can a 700R4 take depending on its build quality to a great degree? It’s made from cast aluminum and has a 16-bolt pattern.
It weighs around 155 lbs and the tail shaft is connected by four bolts to the main case. Here are the important dimensions of the 700R4 tranny:
- It’s 23.4 inches long.
- The transmission width where it bolts to the engine is 20 inches.
- The distance between the transmission mating surface and the cross-member mount bolt is 5 inches.
- It has a 9-inch tail housing.
How Do You Identify A 700R4 Transmission?
The 700R4 transmission ran for about ten years before it was upgraded to 4L60. It can be difficult to tell the difference between the two for the untrained eye.
Here are some tips to help you identify a 700R4 transmission apart from 200-4R, TH350, and 4L60 transmissions:
Checking The Bolt Pattern
If you raise your car and check the bolts, you can get a good idea of the transmission being used in your car. Both the 700R4 and the 4L60 use a pattern of 16 bolts. If you see this pattern, you can be sure that you have one of these two transmissions.
Look For A TV Cable
Now, how can you differentiate between 700R4 and 4L60? The 4L60 is an electronic transmission whereas the 700R4 has an aux TV cable which it uses as a speedometer.
If there are wires coming to the transmission on the passenger side, you have a 4L60. Otherwise, it’s a 700R4.
Using The Identification Tag
A better way to know for sure if you have a 700R4 transmission or not is to look at the identification tag. You’ll normally find it in the rear of the transmission located on the passenger side.
As most cars with the 700R4 tranny are quite old, you’d most likely have to clean the transmission to get a good look at the serial number. You should be looking at 7-8 characters or letters once you’ve cleaned it.
The first digit tells which year the car was made. The next 2 or 3 letters will help you identify the model of the transmission. If there are 2 letters, the transmission was made between 1982-1985. And if there are 3 letters, they were made from 1986-1993.
The 700R4 transmissions were discontinued after 10 years and upgraded to 4L60. So, any serial number that suggests the transmission was made before 1981 or after 1993 is surely not a 700R4 transmission.
What Are Some Common 700R4 Problems?
Most automatic transmission systems come with their own set of problems and the 700R4 is no exception to that. Here are the main issues you may face when using 700R4 transmission:
Engine Overheating
You’d most likely put your vehicle under duress to get the maximum performance from it. When put to such extreme use, your engine will become overheated. You can easily overcome this problem by installing an auxiliary transmission cooler.
Damaged Input Shaft
This problem is more common in the earlier versions of the 700R4 transmission. It used a 27 spline input shaft which couldn’t handle a high range of torque and ended up being broken.
But the newer 700R4 transmissions that were made from 1984 onwards used 30 spline shafts and that reduced the problem to a great extent. It was capable of handling a wider torque range and didn’t break as easily.
Shifting Issues
One of the most common problems that many people face with the 700R4 is the gears not shifting properly. Check the level of transmission fluid and refill it if it’s running low to solve the problem. If that doesn’t solve the issue, you may have to replace the speedometer.
FAQs:
When was the 700R4 transmission launched?
The first model of the 700R4 was first introduced in the year 1982 as a replacement of the TH350 transmission. The TH350 didn’t have an overdrive gear, which the 700R4 had.
Which car models have a 700R4 transmission?
The list would be very long if we were to mention all the car models that have 700R4 transmissions one by one. But you can typically find it in Chevy Camaro, Impala, Blazer, Corvette, etc.
How much horsepower can TCI’s 700R4 handle?
The Super StreetFighter 700R4 is built from the ground up by TCI to maximize engine performance. It’s rated to handle 1000+ HP with 3-4 upgraded clutches to increase its torque capacity and shelf life.
Why was the 700R4 among the top transmissions of its time?
The overdrive gear introduced by GM when they first launched the 700R4 transmission was a game changer in improving fuel economy. It also went through significant improvement over the years. That made it a great transmission from 1982 to 1993.
What is the performance specification of the 700R4?
You can expect a performance of 3.06, 1.63, 1, 0.7, and 2.9 from gear 1, gear 2, gear 3, gear 4, and reverse gear respectively. The low first-gear ratio provides remarkable performance at low speeds.
Conclusion
Now you know that how much hp can a 700R4 handle depends on a wide range of factors. But as a general rule, you can expect a stock 700R4 to handle 300 HP and a rebuilt one to handle 550 HP.
Anything beyond that is too good to be true and you’ll run into problems if you try to get more HP out of it. You’ve also learned how you can identify a 700R4 transmission and differentiate it from a 4L60. Leave a comment below if you have any questions about the 700R4 transmission.
About John M
John contributed as a technical head at an automobile company just 2 years after his post-graduation in Automobile Engineering. He loves to lead a free life, so he left his job & started blogging. Now, he does research on every automotive problem, part & product and seeks a better solution & best products & shares his findings with his readers to help them as well as to minimize their struggle.