Well I got the ROC running perfectly finally two nights ago. So I drive around for about 1 1/2 hrs and then park. Yesterday on the way to school as I left the highway the car started shifting really hard (as in extremely firm shifts) and would rev to about 2500 between shifts all on its own. Later in the day, it ran much better but now I suspect the engine as it stumbles a little esp when the trans changes gears from 1-2. Could this just be plug wires or something? I recently installed Accel 300+ which are supposed to be high quality but have had nothing but problems...maybe I used the wrong terminals? I used the silver ones, should I have used the gold? Thanks for any help.

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Base: 89 Iroc-Z LB9 auto 2.73 posi
Exh: 3" Dynomax muffler, 3" Pipe in place of cat
Ign: Accel 300+ wires, cap&rotor
Fuel: Cleaned and flow-matched injectors, afpr, !air pump&diverter valve
Sound: Clarion deck, Kicker speakers and amps
Suspension: KYB Shocks, BMR Strut Tower Brace
Misc: TB Bypass, Synthetic Oil, Flexlite Transmission cooler,
free mods, hopefully engine swap and 4th gen seats in the works...

 

Don't know how much I can help ya, and I don't really know what you've done to the car recently to "get it running perfectly" but I have 300+ plug wires on my car and have no complaints. If you suspect a plug wire, just make sure none of them got burned through by touching a manifold or header. From your description though, it makes me suspect the tranny. My GTA would rev high in each gear until slamming into the next gear very harshly. The longer I let it go the worse it got and the higher it revved on its own. It turned out my tranny needed rebuilt, or at least it did by the time I got to a shop. But I used that as an excuse to get a Level 10 rebuild kit and a Trans Go shift kit put in and now I ave one kick *** tranny. It was very expensive, but one of the best mods I've done. The shift kit makes the car a lot more fun to drive, and you can really scare some Mustangs when your tail slides out from under you on your 1-2 shift.

Dave M
88 GTA

 

I've noticed that when the engine produces less power (less torque) it will shift a lot harder. That's usually the case when it runs on 7 cylinders or when something's seriously wrong like your transmission is going out....

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92 Z28 L98 350
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Ported stock heads, XR270HR-10 cam, TES headers, Crane AFPR, Flowmaster catback, MSD ignition components, #24 SVO injectors.
Best ET 13.3@107 mph
"Take that auto, drop it in first, hold the brakes, stomp the gas and grin from ear to ear! :-)
Click here to see my car at Truspeed.org

Check out TruSpeed at http://www.truspeed.org
Check out the Bin Archive at http://www.truspeed.org/bins.html

 

Something similar to this is happening to my brother's 92 F*rd Taurus. You can kick the gas at the light to get it into gear, then if you floor it, it hauls *** . It's as fast as my Trans Am. But of course (LG4). Anyway the transmission is dying.....

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--Steve S--
1984 Trans Am 305 LG4, 5 speed
RPO codes point to Recaro version
Daily Driver, Flowmaster 80 Series

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I just finished cleaning and regapping my (new) plugs, and putting on the old wires routed at least 1/2" away from each other and all grounded metal areas. I'm about to fire her up and see what I can see but if I continue to have problems the tranny shop gets a call asap! The reason I suspected that maybe the tranny was not at fault is that the problem got BETTER all by itself which would seem to be contrary to what a failing transmission would do but...we'll see.

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Base: 89 Iroc-Z LB9 auto 2.73 posi
Exh: 3" Dynomax muffler, 3" Pipe in place of cat
Ign: Accel 300+ wires, cap&rotor
Fuel: Cleaned and flow-matched injectors, afpr, !air pump&diverter valve
Sound: Clarion deck, Kicker speakers and amps
Suspension: KYB Shocks, BMR Strut Tower Brace
Misc: TB Bypass, Synthetic Oil, Flexlite Transmission cooler,
free mods, hopefully engine swap and 4th gen seats in the works...

 

usally when the trany goes it is a slug at shifting ( just my own personal experince!) but the others are right its leaving you bud! prepare for abig bill! as for accel plug wires i has a set of they're spiral core 8mm super stock's and they didnt last a year ( maybe 3 months ) you could pop the hood at night and watch the wires glow!! by the way is it 700r4??

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1989 firebird formula

Mods: converted from T.B.I. to a carburator 305 to a 350. Flowmater exhaust,hedman shortie hedders,202 heads,350 horse cam,bored.40 over, Edlebrock torker2 and a 600 edlebrock manual choke.

Future mods performer rpm air gap intake (polished) comp roller cam, and way better headsa 400 defintely in the works!

 

definitely your tranny going out...same thing happens in my old 89 ford taurus (Had to buy it out of pure desperation for a car at the time). Tranny revs up, then BANG into the next gear it goes...just to let you know...thats not how a shift kit acts. It wont rev up like that...thats your tranny slipping.

 

Well lucky for me the tranny's not going out...yet. What a relief! Thanks to all on this board who've helped over the past month+ to resolve all these problems! You guys are tops!

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Base: 89 Iroc-Z LB9 auto 2.73 posi
Exh: 3" Dynomax muffler, 3" Pipe in place of cat
Ign: Accel 300+ wires, cap&rotor
Fuel: Cleaned and flow-matched injectors, afpr, !air pump&diverter valve
Sound: Clarion deck, Kicker speakers and amps
Suspension: KYB Shocks, BMR Strut Tower Brace
Misc: TB Bypass, Synthetic Oil, Flexlite Transmission cooler,
free mods, hopefully engine swap and 4th gen seats in the works...

 

So then what was the problem you were having? Just Curious.~ Arnold