I am having a problem with a 1983 700r4. After you hit 60 or so you either get no downshift or a real sluggish downshift. Is there a way to fix this. I have adjusted the TV cable atleast 3 times and believe it is correct. The secondaries on the carb open fine. The engine tries to pull but the tranny stays in high or 3rd. If I am going 55 or so and punch it, it drops to 2nd and flat GOES. It will hold 2nd until 75 or so. As soon as I pass 60 no downshift, sometimes not even to 3rd. The lockup kicks off but no downshift. HELP please. If it means anything I have 3.42:1 gears. I changed to an edelbrock 1405 but had the same problem before with the stock non electric Q-jet.

Also will a governor from a 2.8 blazer 700r4 work in this 700r4. I noticed that they shift @ 5,500 instead of 4,400. Can I just buy one of the governors from an autoparts place and put it in. Will this give me the downshifts I need at higher speeds.

 

I've had enough experience with my tranny blowing up half a dozen time to tell you the tranny is pretty muck F#%cked. It may not happen tomarrow, or next week, but soon. Those are the warning signs.

 

The easiest thing to do if you want to recalibrate your governor is to buy the B&M kit and adjust the weights and springs as needed to get your desired shift RPM. A governor calibrated to shift at 5,000 in a different application waon't necessarily shift at the saem RPM in your car. They way the centrifical force is generated depends on the motor size, rear gear ratio, and powerband. I think you'll be happier with the B&M kit. I know I was.

No downshift is an interesting problem. Typically a trans that is getting ready to go won't upshift. It can't hold the power anymore, and the band and/or clutches just slip. Sounds more like a valvebody problem than a bad trans. Could also be TV cable related. If the cable is old replace it and readjust using the auto adjust procedure. Cables are like $20 at any local auto parts store, and if it does turn out to be the trans you'll have a brand new cable for use with your new trans.

 

TKO makes a good point. Now that I think about it every time mine took a crap it would down shift, but no up shift. But like I said, when a trans starts acting up, it usaully means bad news.

 

I've got a brand new TV cable on it a year ago. Must be just its time. I've got a friend who will build it for the price of parts. I am thinking the pump maybe going out, no pressure, no TV pressure, therefore no downshift. Crazy early 700r4.

 

Was it always like this or did it just start doing this? ( With the same gears etc ). If it was always this way then it just sounds like a calibration problem.

If you did a gear change from a taller gear to the 3.42's then that is your problem. Governor is calibrated to the gear ratio that the car originally came with.

B&M makes a governor tuning kit that includes weights and springs.

B&M Governor kit. Summit.


The 2.8 Blazer governor should work....although I doubt if you can buy them at a standard AutoParts store. You would have to get them from an Auto Trans Parts supplier.

Third alternative: Pull the governor. Grind or cut some material off the weights with a Dremel or similiar tool. ( Hacksaw and file even work )

 

It has the factory gears. It has done it ever since I started driving it. Had 160,000 on it when I started driving it, now has 265,000. Has done it for 100,000 miles. The problem is intermittent it will come, then go, a few months later it is back again. Maybe their is a piece of trash in the valve body. I am thinking it is a factory calibration problem. I talked to my transmission friend and he said you cannot get a downshift when you are over 2,750 rpm in the particular gear with the stock calibration. As you know most early 305s ran out of steam at 4,000 rpm or so. It used to barely pull to the 4,400 rpm shift point. I guess with my mods I just needed a higher governor speed. I was looking at that kit not too long ago, for <$30.00 it's worth a try.

Will 5,200-5,500 rpm hurt a 305s bottom end. I have a cam, anti-pump up lifters and Z/28 springs so I know I can pull up there without floating the valves

 

I'd definately try the B&M kit. At 60 mph you're very borderline for getting a 3 to 2 downshift at WOT with the stock calibration.

My old 305 ( Holley 780VS, cam and head work ) used to pull to 6,000. Took considerable fiddling about with governor weights and valve body springs to get things where I wanted them. Eventually got the ( automatic ) WOT 1 -2 shift at about 5,600 to 5,700 rpm and the 2-3 WOT shift at 5,000 RPM. Ran 3.73 gears and could get a 3-2 downshift ( automatically ) at 60mph....so it can be done.

Had a Stage 3 Trango kit as well as lots of other mods. With Hurst Dual Gate shifter could hold any gear to any RPM before upshifting manually.

Car now has a "mild" 355 and T5....