Right now my lock up in the stock TC has gone bad and I have been running my car with the plug unpluged for about 3 months now, and it runs great. But I was wondering should I just get a non-lockup TC and just cap off the wires? And what stall speed TC should I be looking at for a nice drivable street car?

 

Anyone?

 

Keep your lockup. If you don't, you'll overheat your trans. And seeing as 700's already don't like heat, you'll have SERIOUS issues.

For a 305, I assume lightly modified.....eh, I'd say around 2200 would be alright. Not high by any means, but much better than stock.

 

Thanks.

So I guess I am really hurting my tranny right now with that plug unpluged

 

Welllll, it's not good! You're overheating the transmission basically, because the torque converter is always operating in the "fluid transfer mode" as opposed to an actual lockup...so it's just gonna heat the fluid up.

 

...says the 'stang to the camaro! (jk)

Anyways..I would assume that if they make non-lockup converters for the R4 that it would be OK for it. Just an assumption. My real comment is about how the lockup feature is a good thing! Much better gas-mileage on the freeway! Basically its like this: Lockup is equal to having the clutch let down all the way whereas non-lockup would be like going down the highway with your foot on the clutch enought to let it slip just a bit....would you say THAT is a good or bad thing?

Just my .02 (and pls don't flame be about the mustang comment)

 

No flamers here.

Well the nonlockup converters, I believe, are stronger....so they make them for the harder-core, non-daily driven cars. Yeah, you can use a nonlockup just fine...but you're gonna need a good tranny cooler to go with it. Then, the only real downside is what you mentioned, mileage.

 

yes...you could overheat the tranny...just get an external cooler and you'll be good to go!

 

I haven't run lockup in 4 years and have had no problem at all.

 

I assume this is on your "highly modified" signature tranny? That'd be the reason.

External coolers are cheap. Even if you're going with another lockup converter, I'd STILL buy one while the converter is getting swapped. 700's have a bad habit of overheating themselves.

 

It does help to add a trans cooler. That may be part of the reason mine stays cool also. I re-routed the cooling lines farther away from the exhaust which helps some also.

 

SWEET! Guys I just looked and I have a trans cooler! It looks like an older copper one though, do you think it would be worth wild to upgrade to an alum. one?

Also I now want a trans temp gauge, What would be the best kit that comes with a 2" gauge included, so I can can mount it to an A piler guage pod.

I am planning on going with a non-lockup TC.

 

Heat Kills Pic!

 

So do you think I will still have overheating problems

 

If you installed a gauge you could see how efficient the cooler is.

 

Yeah agreed there! If it's an old cooler, eh....it might do ok. Or it might not.....the old ones aren't quite what the new ones are.

For as cheap as they are, if you're not sure if it works or how well it works, better safe than sorry---just replace it. And if you want a BADASS cooler, they make ones with their own electric fan.

Oh, and you're SURE it's a trans cooler, and not just the A/C condenser (I THINK it's the condenser anyways?) ? I only ask because when I got my old Camaro a while back, I thought I had a trans cooler for months until I found out it was A/C.

 

Nope it's a tranny cooler (I traced the lines)

 

Copper beats aluminim at transferring heat but there is more involved in a cooloer's effenciency than just it's material. A non-locked stock converter will probably not overheat your tranny but it can make it run hotter. A stock converter looses about 10% to slipage on the hiway, this is lost energy (gas milage) that becomes heat. Lock up converters are a good thing unless you have a major stall, then it's rough locking those two together cause of the >10% slippage. 99% of the time your better off fixing broken stuff. My $.02

:rockon: