i just finished installing a transgo shift kit and a 3200 stall in my car. i also installed a 300psi gauge to read line pressure on the transmission. the trans shifts great when under light throttle, and the TV cable is adjusted properly. at idle(700rpm) the trans pressure is about 90lbs. at 1000rpm its at about 150lbs. after 2000 rpm the trans starts loosing a bit of pressure and falls to about 130lbs. according to tci's website the max pressure in 1st and 2nd should be 230ish lbs and i dont even come close. i have a feeling that this pressure drop is what is causing soft shifts at higher rpm. ive only taken the car around the block twice so someone please help me so i can enjoy my little car!!!!
thank you
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i forgot to mention that the car was shifting like this before....hense the shift kit. i was thinking the shift kit would fix this but i dont know if the pressure was doing this before i installed the kit. thanks again

 

Just a dumb Q but did you make sure the fluid level is right?

Rip around the block a few times to get it warmed up then check it. (while its running of course!)

 

yep its full...just under 10qts to fill it including the TQ converter any suggestions? maybe a problem with the filter?

 

Possibly a filter problem, did you take out the seal from the previous filter? It was visable in the pic(s) you posted. The issue sounds like the pump is either sucking air, cavitating, or the filter is too close to the pan. . .

RBob.

 

i was just editing my post to say that i think it is sucking air....

i did remove the seal for the filter and the new one is in...
what is the chance the napa filter is bending or the filter is at the bottom of the pan?

would this cause the problem?

 

well if the filter is laying right on the pan it will have a hard time sucking eough fluid through which could cause some problems

 

so a deeper pan is the only fix for this???

does the boost valve increase fluid comsuption/flow?

 

A larger boost valve will increase the flow. The higher pressure will increase the flow.

When you installed the filter did it 'snap' into place? IIRC (it's been a while) they need a bit of force to get it seated. As messy as it is dropping the pan may be worth while.

RBob.

 

no i didnt get it to snap. i had the trans out and had it on an engine stand. pressed as hard as i could on it and it went down till a point at which it stopped and that is when i quit because it it plastic.

 

double check the filter and make sure there isn't another seal stuck up on the pump inlet besides the new one u just put on. if the problem persists you're looking to do some pump work. ie install a transgo hi-rpm pump priming spring to prevent this pressure loss.

 

another thing to check is to make sure you got the boost valve all the way up in place. a lot of people have a problem with this when installing shift kits and boost valves.

 

when i was installing the boost valve i noticed that the part transgo gave me was different than the one i removed and the one in the instructions. i attached a pic of what the instructions says and what i have. the hole in the "int/reverse boost valve" is in the center of the one i installed. any thoughts on this??? would this bleed the pressure out? im getting ready to pull the pan...i think i might pull the boost valve out too while im in there

 

well im out of ideas...i checked the filter...tight. i checked the boost valve...put the stack int/reverse valve back in just in case. even put the third washer in that came with the kit to make the shifts a little harder. no luck, no change in pressure no change in shift for the 1-2 shift...but the 2-3 shift is a bit harder now. it also seems like it doesnt want to go into 4th but i havent gone over 45 yet. the stall converter also makes it so the shifts cant really be felt unless i make it perma lock up or i really have to get my foot into it to feel anything.

at this point the shift kit has done nothing for me same shifts as before

could the servo cause an issue with this as far as shifting goes?

 

ttt

 

This is a total WAG, but I remember having similar issues with bad accumulator pistons. After awhile, the constant motion causes the pistons to wear around the shaft that they ride on, causing them to **** in the bore, and scuff some of the areas around the bore, causing blowby. It doesnt sound like your problem given the line pressure readings as in first at idle, it shouldnt cause pressure loss, only in 2nd, and 4th. Definatly worth checking if you do remove the shift kit. It seems to be a common problem and fixing this will REALLY firm up the shifts. Although to me it sounds like you have an internal leak somewhere.

 

I would bet more towards the pump inertia spring or straight over-powering of a stock 10-vane pump.

 

well after many phone calls to transgo, and double and triple checking everything, i was told that it my pump unit is bleeding pressure. so im going to buy a new 700 oh well either way the trans will shift good thank you for all the help!