ok is it bad to shift an automatic trans? say a th700r4.
i heard it was ok to do but just have to be careful on the dshift not to lock up the tires.

 

you're not doing any damage to your transmission by manually upshifting. just don't drop it down to first going 100 mph (even though it probably won't go into first gear, it still might). I manually shift my car everywhere I go, but that's because my TV cable sucks, and it doesn't downshift when I hit WOT...

 

My TV cable apparently sucks too. Even after adjusting the bastidge I still get the 1-2 flare up (engine revs higher before dropping to next gear).

Is the consensus that manually shifting an auto is OK? I recall reading on this board opinions that stated otherwise.

 

ic

 

it's potentially slipping....

 

I shift mine a lot. I once accidentally put it into first instead of second while going about 40k with my 3.23's, and it did it.

But I also have this little problem where it chirps the tires into second when the tranny is cold and I am anywhere past about 1/3 throttle...

 

If it's a problem with your TV cable can't you just replace it and the problem would be solved??

 

wow 305 sounds like me except mine does it i think all the time. well enless the tires are warmed up.

 

That means we both need new transmissions pretty soon.


..unless, of course, someone just installed a shift kit without me knowing lol

 

305 thats not necessarily a bad thing... could just mean ur tranny is grabbing real well without slippage or you put a torque lock on there.... which not good for street driving!

 

Well I dont know what has been done to the thing. Guy I bought it from said he got it off a mechanic, so maybe he did something to it... Sometimes it seems like it's slipping when it gets warm..I dont know, this is my first auto, dont exactly know what to expect...

Fluid doesnt smell burnt at ALL, but I think it's pretty old, it's definately more brown than brand new stuff, and I'm worried about changing it..

 

umm i also dont know whats in my trans. same here i bought the car and the last owner said it was a 350turbo trans i looked after i bought it, it was a 700r4. also when i was looking i discovered the trans was new it was way to clean to be old. and the last owner also said it was a newer trans. when i told him it had a shift kit he was like ok w/e. because he tought it was a 350turbo but i has od so its def not.
i love my 305 its such a sleeper. i mean i brake the tires loose so easly. car just kicks out at like 3000rpms when i ease into it in 1st. i mean i punch it at like 28000 and then it kicks out then shifts at 45000 . yeah baby my 305 is pretty quick. if i does that.then 2nd it kicks out again. then 3rd its just a big jerk you into the seat. haha

 

Yep that's like mine. I just miss the responsiveness of my 5 spd I have in my '87..


Umm did you look at the trans pan? Because it MIGHT be a th350. For a few years there, like '88 on or something, they had the th350-c, which was an overdrive. So it MAY be a th-350. What's the pan look like? Does it look like a square with one corner bevelled off?

 

here it looks like G.
http://hotrodchrome.com/oilpans.html
and i just went and looked again to make sure nobody changed it on me

 

That's the exact guide I was thinking of lol.

Wel, I guess you have one thing soelved now...

 

shift it! every shift , every time! real 3rd geners shift there auto! downshift, upshift just doooit!

 

vejatabul, should i really listen to you if i want to keep my trans good? and do you shift your all the time?
EDIT: wait you have a turbo 350 of course your shifting it all the time. duh

 

i think so. big cheapo tips, are you ready for this? always run your trans cooler thru the radiator, even if you have an external cooler, people will tell you it heats up the trans fluid but trans fluid is around 220-230 degrees and your motor shouldnt run that hot. second tip and the biggest ALWAYS RUN TYPE-F FLUID. there was a law passed in 1970 saying that every trans fluid had to be compatible. some will say bogus things like its not compatible with your seals or whatever. lies. it lawfully has to be. at one time gm had a great trans fluid , but in 1969 they had to stop useing the friction modifier they had used in the past.it was becuase it was made from sperm whale oil ! ford on the other hand , never had to worry about it, and they have always had the better trans fluid. it has i higher boiling point. so thats the end of my rant , if anyone tells you im wrong, then let me know , i got a great manual on th350's and it tells what the law was exactly. good luck slim....

 

Maybe. But with normal driving it's fine. Also, I can bust a wheel from a standstill any time I want.

Heck... I'm in denial. 170K on the tranny and I don't want to look at a rebuild in the face.

 

i rip them also anytime from a stand still or slow roll in 1st. its easy then when im ripping i shif it manually into 2nd and it will still spin for a little while

 

Not bad for "P.O.S" engine.

 

yeah its a 305. i wish it was a 350 with these parts on it. then it would rip like i want. but right now im having problem with vavle seals and i just want to get new complete heads. or used and port them. but i dont know how to change valve seals so its a p.o.s. motor for now smokes a little on start up. then another problem. dipstick tube isnt on good so a little bit of oil will spray out under heavy load but its not that bad. the part i dont like is how antifreeze drips from the temp sending unit and i dont know how to fix that and oil drips from my drain plug because its slight striped or maybe needs new gasket but w/e i just have to park on gravel or not park for long on concret.
its a p.o.s. but its got some power prolly more power when i get my headers on there.

 

305q_ta86 I have the exact same problem if thats what you want to call it when the cars cold and chirps into second. only thing is i have 2.73 limited slip so i enjoy it whenever posible. soon will be a 3.73 posi

 

Here's the way I see it: Either the trans is built to be manually shifted or its not. In stock form, the trans is not built to be manually shifted, so the computer still controls the shift points. You can manually shift it all you want but you still wont have full manual control. So this is what I would do: decide how you want to do it and build the trans to do what you want. If you want a full manual shift then install a manual valve body. If not, then leave it computer controlled. At the least, install a shift kit and raise the line pressure.

As for the question, will manual shifting hurt the trans? I say yes, it indirectly hurts the trans. In general the computer will prevent you from causing major damage, but it wont prevent the internal clutches from slipping. For example, if you're going 40mph in 2nd and you downshift to 1st, the car will not downshift. The computer prevents it. Apply the brakes and slow down to around 15-20mph and you will feel it downshift on its own. Inside the trans the internal clutches were slipping, especially with low line pressure. This is what "hurts" the trans. Low line pressure is actually whats causing the wear and tear here, not the shifting. But keep in mind that manual shifting puts the transmission in that situation more often. Remembering the example above, if you're going 40mph in 2nd and you leave it in 2nd (no manual shifting) and slow down to 15-20 it will feel much smoother than the example above. Less slip, less wear. I say install a shift kit, raise that line pressure, prevent excessive clutch slipping, and manual shift it all you want. Thats my .02

 

Unless you have a 4L60E, the computer doesn't control anything on a 700R4 except lockup.

 

You probably need to replace the throttle valve spring (behind the TV plunger in the tranny) to fix the problem... A worn out spring won't allow the proper adjustment of the TV cable to be the actual "proper" adjustment..

A good article is here: TV System 101

 

Just wanted to add my opinion on the topic.
Manually shifting auto is bad...

My '83 Z went through two transmissions in 4 years as a result of my driving my auto like it was a stick.
I should mention that it was the worst tranny ever built - the metric 200, has anyone even heard of it? - but even still, that was like $3500 in four years just to rebuild the tranny. I added a shift kit when the first rebuild was done. My mechanic specifically told me that if I kept driving it the same way, I was going to burn through another transmission. I believed him, but figured my luck would hold out and I wouldn't have another problem. But I did.

In general, I believe it to be a bad practice. Like CrazyHawaiian said, they were built a specific way with specific functioning and you manually shifting goes against what it was built to do.

 

ok ic but does this mean my trans is not stock read,
if im going 35 in second and hit it into 1st by mistake because thats just a dumb idea to do, it WILL go into 1st and lock up the tires. i have done it by mistake once. thought i was in 3rd so i droped it once and hit 1st and they locked up. if i shift my auto manually it will go into w/e gear i put it into except od. say im driving in 1st or second i can stay in that gear as long as i want. except when i slow down it will drop into 1st if in a higer gear.
i heard my trans was built different from stock but im not sure thats why i am asking.
what should i do besides take it apart to find out if it has a manual valve body or shift kit? it already shifts hard even at partial throttle.