Transmissions and DrivetrainNeed help with your trans? Problems with your axle?
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well it was a beautiful day out today so i took my bird out for a spin. Ive had this little TV corrector spring that i got from sonnax a few months ago and never got to try it out. slapped it on and off i went HOLY F!!!! what a huge difference in the was the car runs. Ive been used to being in 4th gear by 35mph after my swap and, wow, is all i can say. the shifts are much better and at a more appropriate RPM and the thing drives like a beast!!
part throttle shifts are up to 3300 and WOT is around 5+.
i cant believe the amount of improvement i received for a lousy 4 dollars!!
Thanks ProBuiltAutomatics for suggesting the part!!!
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maybe cool, but get ready to be filling up more, did the same to mine after my rebuild and shift kit, tv cable wasnt adjusted right. i went thru half a tank in one day
i read this post, googled the part #, and ordered it. i hope it's as good as you say. i've tried & tried to get my tv just right and it just hasn't been the same since i added a new t.b..
i dont have a problem with mine but would this add to the stock one? i had mine rebuilt wit transgo shift kit and idk if the kit came with a new one or if the trans guy reused the stock one... should i replace it anyway...and will i see better performance? my modified govenor would allow me to shift into OD untill 55mph lol i might have to get this part...
i don't know if the part will increase the performance of a setup, it just helps recalibrate things after a low gear swap, without changing the governors in the trans. like i said before i and usually in 4th gear by 35ish, now its shifting when it should be and I'm reaping the rewards of the 3:73
as for fuel mileage, its not my daily driver, its a fun fun weekend/nice day car, beside i have a 408 in the works so my mileage is only going to get worse...
I just ordered one on for my TBI fullsize van as well. I put a 2" bore marine TBI unit on it. The 700r4 shifts as low as 1,600-1,700 rpm at part throttle, bogging the ZZ4 cammed engine down pretty good. Part throttle shifts need to be up around 2,500 rpm.
Just ordered mine from patc raptor's ebay store for $9 ($7+$2 shipping). I was thinking about buying one of these a couple of weeks ago. Now that another member has tried it, and had good results, I figured why not? My 700r4 also goes into overdrive at about 35 mph, and it's really annoying. I changed from 2.73 to 3.23 rearend gears a while back. Maybe this will raise up the speed before it kicks into OD.
__________________ 89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."
this thing is great! i've got my part throttle 1-2 shift snapping my neck at 3 grand! the 2-3 shift is equally harsh. and it goes into od at 50 now. best $12.43 i've spent in awhile.
Is it just me, or can you get the TV cable adjustment to do that in the first place??? I checked it today, Im shifting into 2nd at 3000 RPMs part throttle, and 3rd at about the same. Full throttle takes me up to 5K. Stock TV cable, stock bracket, just adjusted in a bit. I thought that was the entire point of having a tv cable adjustment.
__________________ -Berlinetta00-
USMC Motor Transport
'84 Berlinetta
'00 Ford F-250 Diesel
'71 Scout 800B
hmm...so if i need something that does the exact opposite of this spring? my car won't shift until 2000rpm no matter what, and thats w/ a properly adjusted tv. pretty annoying when you just want to chug along.
this thing is great! i've got my part throttle 1-2 shift snapping my neck at 3 grand! the 2-3 shift is equally harsh. and it goes into od at 50 now. best $12.43 i've spent in awhile.
I just put mine in tonight, and I got pretty much the exact same results. I also noticed that if I adjust the tv a couple of clicks one direction or the other, I can make the part throttle shifts softer or quite a bit harder. The nice thing is that no matter where I set the tv, it doesn't shift into overdrive until about 50 mph, which is great! No more lugging the engine because it's in overdrive by 35 mph!
__________________ 89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."
I just ordered one on for my TBI fullsize van as well. I put a 2" bore marine TBI unit on it. The 700r4 shifts as low as 1,600-1,700 rpm at part throttle, bogging the ZZ4 cammed engine down pretty good. Part throttle shifts need to be up around 2,500 rpm.
I've been really happy with mine too since installing it. I have to be really careful with my mug full of coffee in the morning now on the 1-2 shift, and even the 2-3 shift! No more going into overdrive at 35 mph and lugging the motor either. Depending on how much throttle, it doesn't kick into overdrive until 45-50 mph. I'm going to be putting in a transgo shift kit, corvette servo, .500 boost valve, and a 2600 converter in a couple of months here, but this little spring has really made it more enjoyable to drive until then.
__________________ 89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."
im still loving mine, but i do have to say that if it was my daily driver it could be a problem. i have a billet servo as well that produces like, 35% moire line pressure than a corvette servo and it, alone made the 1-2 shift good and firm, now with the spring, more line pressure and higher RPM my 1-2 shift is so brutally hard it causes whiplash, kinda cool to be able to liquefy the tires in first, and again on the 1-2 shift, even with the limited power of my 355. and when they hook on the 1-2 shift it actually throws the car forward like 10 feet, feels like the front end comes off the ground, but i know its not.
Yeah it does take some getting used to. My car is my daily driver. I'm thinking I might have to remove it during the winter months when there's snow on the roads. It might be interesting trying to keep good traction on slick roads.
__________________ 89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."
Is it just me, or can you get the TV cable adjustment to do that in the first place??? I checked it today, Im shifting into 2nd at 3000 RPMs part throttle, and 3rd at about the same. Full throttle takes me up to 5K. Stock TV cable, stock bracket, just adjusted in a bit. I thought that was the entire point of having a tv cable adjustment.
yeah you can adjust the stock tv cable to shift higher/later, but you can't get the type of part throttle line pressure we are getting with this kit. while still retaining the 5000ish wot shifts. when i say part throttle i'm talking this car barks second at 1/4 throttle. there is no way you'll get these shifts out of a stock setup.
Last edited by 1989formula355; 03-17-2007 at 10:40 AM.
Reason: sp
yeah you can adjust the stock tv cable to shift higher/later, but you can't get the type of part throttle line pressure we are getting with this kit. while still retaining the 5000ish wot shifts. when i say part throttle i'm talking this car barks second at 1/4 throttle. there is no way you'll get these shifts out of a stock setup.
Exactly, my 5,300 lbs Fullsize Van with 3.07 gears and P295/50/R17s will chirp 2nd and even 3rd at about 1/2 throttle. I've had it chirp at 3/4 throttle, coming out of 2nd @ 75 mph.
Keep in mind this is a BUILT (by ME) transmission with all the RIGHT stuff in it. The biggest 2-4 servo you can get, aftermarket .500" TV boost valve, Superior HD shift kit, extra wide HD 2-4 band (had to buy a new clutch drum to use it), 5 pinon planetaries from a 2005 4L65E, accumulator spring changes, drilled seperator plate, etc.
The greatest part is how well the transmission does a 4-3 part-throttle downshift on the highway. Prior to the spring, it would run up around 3/4 throttle before downshifting to 3rd. Now it takes 1/3 throttle for a 4-3 downshift at 75 mph. Puts the Vortec head, ZZ4 cammed 350 right into its power band and launches the brick down the road.
Interesting thread. My tranny is fine now (Has a pro built trans go), and shifts into OD at 40 mph under normal driving (9 bolt, 2.77s). I have 3.27's on the way to my house. Do you think I'm going to run into the same problem with the shifting into OD at 35mph?
Last edited by IROCThe5.7L; 03-18-2007 at 12:25 AM.
Do you happen to know why? If I put the 3.27's in, and get the correct speedo gear, why is it going to to into OD at 35 rather than the normal 40-45?
by swapping to a higher ratio gear you are giving the motor more mechanical advantage to turn the rear tires. so there would be less load on the engine and you'd simply be through the gears quicker. as far as the speedo gears go they only correct the speedo, shift points are maintained by the tv cable adjustment. this car barks second at 1/4 throttle
Can this be harmful to the transmission in anyway?
this spring kit only increases line pressure during part throttle operation.
the quick firm shifts actually reduce slippage between the clutches, reducing heat & wear. as far as u-joints and rearends go thats probably a different story!
First as stated there is the mechanical advantage thing giving less throttle opening and therefore less TV pressure.
Second the governor in the transmission is still tied into the output shaft which is now spinning faster. The governor now gives more pressure because it too is spinning faster.
When Governor pressure overcomes TV pressure the transmission upshifts.
Knowing that the transmission upshifts when Governor Pressure overcomes TV pressure on the shift valves, it is easy to see why the transmission shifts early. Less TV pressure + More Governor pressure = much quicker shifts.
i have a similar problem. my trans shift a little soft and early. hard to get it to downshift too unless i really put it down. the weirdest thing is that WOT shift is at like 3500...i just had the trans rebuilt and it wasnt a problem before. i tried switching form the tpi tv cable to the carb one (did a carb swap) and that didnt help. also, i have 3.73 gears. now while this sounds like a great fix for all my other shifts, i still dont know why wot shift is at like 3500. it has been brought to my attention that i could have a governor for a desiel motors tranny. any clues? i plan to buy this little spring anyways...seems like i could use any old springs but for 4 bucks, whatever.
this spring kit only increases line pressure during part throttle operation.
the quick firm shifts actually reduce slippage between the clutches, reducing heat & wear. as far as u-joints and rearends go thats probably a different story![/quote]
I know the rearend and u-joints in my car are being put to the test now! Hey 86 ZZ4, you can buy the corvette style governor from patc raptor's ebay store for about $45 IIRC. I recently bought a transgo shift kit for my trans, and it came with different springs to recalibrate your governor if you're not happy with the shift points, so there's another option.
__________________ 89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."
i guess ill just do it once and do it the right way. ill buy the vette governor, the geometry correcter, and spring for the end of the tv cable. this is a good thread though.
__________________ Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate. — William of Ockham, from Quaestiones et decisiones in quattuor libros Sententiarum Petri Lombardi
Roughly paraphrased into modern English, and applied to figuring out what's wrong with your car:
The simplest explanation that fits all the facts is probably the right one.
Just thought that I would comment back that even today, I am still liking this product. It is fairly inexpensive, but works very well for part throttle shifts. No more slips into 2nd at light throttle. I like the product so well, I bought another for my 1991 G20 Van. Fuel mileage is still roughly the same, even though the engine revs higher at take-off, it is under much less load because the throttle is pushed less and there is more mechanical advantage.
Overly harsh shifts also lead to the death planetaries. - Firm is good, kneck snapping at all throttle % is slow death to the trans.
The spring kit is designed for non-factory applications where the throttle linkage is not traveling in the proper arc. It can be used in factory apps where a higher part thottle trans line pressure is desired(ie - low diff gears have been installed), but should not be used soley to firm up the shift.
Hey guys, just heard about this from a fellow v6'er- got a question.
Seems most everyone used this to get their car to shift at higher rpms- but as far as I knew, the proper way to do that was to change the governor's weights/springs.
Is this just a way to raise the shift point without going into the governor?
Thanks!
__________________ -Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)
Ive done a lot of mods to my car, and last week the aluminum driveshaft was probably the best thing I have ever done to my car......until today. I just installed this sonnax spring, and it made a world difference. Shifts are really crisper, and more firm. It even allows you to fine tune your shift cable more than factory. a Definite recommendation for something that was $15 shipped!.
For as cheap and easy as it is to do, I'd definitely say it's one of the more noticeable mods you can do for very little money. I won't be bold enough to say it's the same thing as installing a shift kit, but I will say it's LIKE a shift kit without all the hassle of putting one in. I've had mine installed for about 3 months now, and so far so good. Haven't had any strange problems yet, just a trans that acts more like it should in a "sports car". As for other cheap mods, I'm definitely going to do the TV sleeve mod for WOT overdrive capability when I go into the trans for my shift kit install. I was flying along at about 100 mph a few weeks ago, gave it a little more gas, and it all of a sudden downshifted into third and sent the tach up to right around 5K! I'd rather put a little more stress on the 3-4 clutch pack in the trans instead of risking hanging a rod out the side of the block at 100 mph. Btw, I already installed the B&M 3/4 TV sleeve a long time ago, and it does delay that downshift, but doesn't eliminate it completely if you push the pedal down just a tad too much.
__________________ 89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."
HOLY F!!!! what a huge difference in the was the car runs. Ive been used to being in 4th gear by 35mph after my swap and, wow, is all i can say. the shifts are much better and at a more appropriate RPM and the thing drives like a beast!!
thought you'd like it 
