I'm not sure if my problem is a transmission or gearing problem. I have an 1988 IROC with the 9 bolt 2.73(?) posi rear gears, with the standard 4 speed automatic.

Symptoms: Upon hard acceleration from a stop, it won't break traction and then when it's spooling up in 2nd gear at about 5500 rpm it acts like it's suddenly run out of breath. So for about 2 seconds the drivetrain is maxed out on RPM, not accelerating as if a clutch was slipping and then when it's good and ready it will finally shift into 3rd and start pulling harder again. If I shift by hand, shifts are crisp and precise. In drive or overdrive they tend to feel like they're wandering around.

Vehicle Purpose: I am much more interested in touring, backroad autocross, and once/twice a week running at my local drag strip.

I've been attempting to follow my tune-up/ precision performance mods with using a G-Tech- but I can't get consistant horsepower readings. They're anywhere from Net 92 hp to 168hp. Any idea's as to what might be aggravating my attempts for a solid acceleration curve?
Nitro

 

How many miles are on the trans? It sounds like you have some slipping clutches or maybe the check ***** have damaged the separator plate and it causing some leakage/blockage. It might be time or a rebuild.

 

Check TV cable for proper adjustment

 

Good Question on the mileage: The car has 146k miles- and they were gentle miles at that. I thought about the clutches, but would think that the slipping feeling would happen when I hand shifted; also that I'd feel it at the beginning of the acceleration curve in a particular gear, not at the end of the shift point.
With the TV cable; I'm totally unfamiliar with this term. But am very willing to learn.

I did have the tranny and torque converter fully flushed 3 months/1500 miles ago. I did not go to any special synthetic fluids. The car was at the far end of it's tune-up cycle and ran like a pig when I first purchased it in January, so it's hard to know if there was any difference in transmission performance before or after. I've done all the tune-up related items, had the distributor output checked, pulled the throttle body/plenum, added AFRP and dialed it up to 37 psi for now. Nitro

 

Manually shifting and putting the shifter in drive work in different ways. The tv cable is attached to the throttle shaft just next to the accelerator cable. Check the web for adjusting this since the pics will help tremendously. I would still lean towards the trans being on its last leg with that many mile on it.

 

Good enough, I was looking for a starting place, so this will help! Nitro

 

Alright. I went and did the adjustment sequence for the TV cable. Here's a couple questions I hope are valid enough to have answered.

` Does the adjustment have to be done just one time and it's then set precisely? Or does it need to be done more times? Mine made a loud 'CRACK'! when I did it and now I see more slack in the cable than there was initially.

~ Is there any way to test or verify that the cable is now adjusted to the optimal position?

I love to learn something new, but want to be sure I've got it right or know when I've done what I can. Thanks, Nitro!

 

You should only have to do it once and then check it if your trans seems to acting differently. The crack you heard sounds a little scary. You should have heard a clicking noise as the cable was being pulled out. Describe the steps you took or give the link to the directions you copied.

 

I did a SEARCH and came up with a lot of nonsense returns and not a lot of specific info, but what I finally figured was first how to differenciate between the 3 cables coming up along side the plenum. Second, I figured out what the part was that had that 'aleged' tab to be pushed in. It looks like a hash pipe? with a center area by the 'bowl' big enough for a thumb to push against. I pushed inward while at the same time I took the part just in front (on the side nearest the throttle body) and pushed that back in towards the part that looks like the hash pipe. The front part moved inward approx. an inch. Then I manually grabbed the throttle linkage and cranked it counter clockwise to WOT- that's when I heard the loud 'CRACK'!

My cable was initially fairly taunt, and once I did the above, it had a bit of play to it. I had read a post that said to premark it with white out, but I couldn't figure out where to mark it; if they meant the cable itself or??? I won't be able to physically drive the car till tomorrow to see if there's a difference or not.. Does this sound like I did the correct thing??? Nitro

 

That sounds like the right cable. Your going to have to drive it and see if that helped. WARNING: if you need to adjust the cable a little more after setting the max travel, you can only move it a few "clicks" in or out. Anything more will lead to a dead transmission. I would set the max setting and move it back in just a hair. This should give you the best trans pressure without overheating the fluid.

 

The TV cable should be checked periodically as it is a cable and they do stetch/wear over time and will go out of adjustment, and yes a misadjusted TV cable can burn up a tranny in a real hurry.

 

I was able to drive the Black Bitch this afternoon and see if the 'adjustment' made any difference- which it did. The drivetrain wound up to the redline and with just the slightest hesitation, quickly thunked into gear and I could feel the torque pull of the engine come back on up. I didn't have time to do any G-Tech runs to verify consistency, but that was obviously a contributing factor. I NEVER would have guessed!!! I was absolutely sure at first that I had run out of ignition..... hmmmm. Thanks so much for setting me up with a solution!!! Nitro

 

No problem.

Most people dont think much about the TV cable. But it needs to always be in proper adjustment.

Its what tells your tranny what the motor is doing. If your going WOT and the trans thinks your only at part throttle cruise its definately not going to feel right and burn it up pretty fast!