sometimes it feels my tranny wont upshift unless i hit a certian speed. if im like right on the brink i could stay in that gear forever, like right around 45mph. it will stay running around 3k unless i speed up to 50-55 then back off a little bit, then it will cruise around at 1300rpm or so.

 

I assume you mean mininum throttle? When I build a 700 (thats not for a dealer customer), I aim for mininum throttle shift points of: 1-2 @ ~12 MPH, 2-3 @ ~25-28 and 3-4 @ ~39-40
Please note that different gear ratios will change those speeds, thats why I used the "~" (approximatly).

 

im just wondering if it is normal for the tranny to stay in a lower gear when its got another gear left and its cruising at about 3k rpms. overdrive doesnt seem to kick in on mine until about 50mph and i think its hurting my gas mileage because i do 50% highway and 50% backroad driving. might adjusting the tv cable correct this or is this normal operation?

 

If the minimum is not met, it will not shift. Governer pressure needs to overcome spring force in order for the shift valve to move. MTV Upshift fluid doesn't come into play at mininum throttle thanks to the MTV Upshift Valve Spring, so its merely a matter of overcoming spring force. Once you lay into the throttle, MTV Upshift fluid and shift valve spring force acts against governer pressure and thats why the more gas you give, the later it shifts. 50 MPH seems a little high, indicating that the 3-4 shift valve spring is to firm, or something may be sticking. Do you have a TransGo kit installed?

 

i dont bieleve theres a shiftkit installed, but i dont really have anyway of telling. my shifts are firm but not bone jarring. when i go wot my 2-3 shift seems late/slipping because the engine hits 6k rpm, i cant tell if its a slow shift/slippage or just plain no acceleration left at that point. but either way, then engine should never hit 6k rpm on a wot run right? i have to look at it more closely, i dont go completely wot a lot so im not clear on what its doing.