Guys and Girls,
After getting the auto rebuilt in the IROC, i dont think its locking up in overdrive. I'm burnin more fuel, and the revs are up around the 2500rpm mark at 60-65mph with stock tyres and 2.77 gears. It used to cruise at about 1300-1500rpm. What would a good way be to rig up a lockup switch for these on the 700r4's? Or even fix the thing?

Thanks!

 

lock-up only makes a 200-300rpm difference. also are you using the factory tachometer? these are known to be way off. with that much of a rpm difference it sounds like you aren't shifting into OD at all and not getting the lockup.

 

Thanks for the reply jeff. Yes, i am using the stock tach, and it seems relatively accurate as it now the motor sings higher on the freeway than it used too before the auto was rebuilt.
There is something i forgot to mention when mentioning the cruise rpm. I have changed the speedo gears in the auto in preperation for 3.73 gears in the stock 9 bolt. So im running the stock tyres with the incorrect speedo gears. I figure its maybe around 25-30% out. Thats where my estimate came from.
The trans shifts through the gears great, its just the revs don't drop down in od. Am i correct in saying that once it shifts into fourth, you must be cruising with a light throttle load, only then will it drop into lock-up mode? Something must not be allowing the auto to lock up like it should.
As a comparison, my parents stock (rhd though) '88 iroc 350 w/2.77s cruises at about 1200-1300rpm on the freeway, at that same speed. And you can feel a noticable drop in rpm when it locks up.
Also, my tv cable is correctly adjusted.
Anything else that i can do?(apart from seeing the company that built it)??
Thanks
Chris

 

Anyone else have a suggestion?

 

The wire for lockup goes into the plug in harness on the transmission. My firebird manual (don't have a Camaro book) says that you have two wires going to the converter control solenoid. The tan/black wire goes from the solenoid to the computer where the ECM decides when to lock up and then grounds that wire. The other wire going to the solenoid is red. In my book the red wire goes to the brake pedal switch (the color is now purple after traveling through the harness) and comes away from the switch pink/black and is powered from the fuse panel. It runs on the gauges fuse that is 10A.

Seems to me that if you check the red wire at your transmission plug you should have battery voltage with the key on. You should be able to ground the tan/black wire from the transmission plug (while you're plugged into the tranny of course) and the solenoid should lock up. You should be able to splice into the tan/black wire and run it up to a switch with the other wire from your switch grounded to the body and you could then turn your lock up on or off when you want.

I did this to one of my front wheel drive oldsmobiles and it worked fine; never did it to a Camaro!

Good luck!
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Also, if you have monkeyed with your speedo gears the ECM may think that you are not going at the proper speed vs vacuum vs rpm to lock up the converter.

That's one of the problems of having a car that thinks it is smarter than the guy driving it!!

 

think im having the same probelm, it wont lock up, i can get it to once in a while by hitting the pedel at 1/4 in drive then bump it into od, the rpms will drop a ton, if i let off the gas it either sticks or it dont.... how would u fix this "the right way lol"

 

Actually, i have changed the speedo gears in the auto in preperation for a rearend gear swap from the 2.77's to 3.73's. I found that to change the gears in the 9bolt bw is expensive and not worth it for me. So the 3.73 compatible speedo gears are still in the auto. I didnt think the cable driven speedo affected the computer. If it is that, then that is relatively easy to fix...
Would the incorrect speedo gears be tripping the computer out?!?

 

Ok, i spoke to the auto guy today and hes prety certain its the speedo gears that are tricking the computer into thinking i'm going slower than i actually am. Therefore it wont lock up. Even though its cable driven, the vss behind the dash still talks to the computer and tells the auto to lock up.
Now i just gotta get under there and swap out those gears. Great...

 

better then my problem this morning it was locking up coming to work "drive 50 miles one way" i stop at the light here at work, take off 1st gear hangs and hangs and hangs, goes into second at like 5k, 2nd gear, i push on the gas it just reves up, think my trans is dying lol

 

Not good. Yeah my trans could be worse hey. Good luck with it

 

What about that that lock up switch article in the tech section? I'm kind of skeptical on if that even works though... anybody know? Also, KrisW, using your method can you lock up your torque converter in any gear or just fourth?

 

Ok, i spent a few hours today and swapped the correct speedo gears back in. Even though the speedo needle has fallen off in the dash , it seems to be working ok. Hwever, this did not fix the lockup issue. I was told by an auto trans guy that in most gm cable operated speedos, the cable plugs into a vss behind the speedo guage that communicates with the computer. I thought this would have fixed it. Not good.
I guess i will have to replace the solenoid and see if that is the prob.

 

Ok, got the auto guy to replace the solenoid. He put a new one in for nix as it was still under warranty.
It still isnt locking up! The for prong plug (three wire) is getting power, so i might have to splice in and make a switch. I'd rather not do that at this stage however.
How can i check/rectify the almost certain computer issue?

 

just get a different PROM for it and see if that helps.

and yes the way Apeiron said to wire the trans works great and you don't have to have a switch because it is vacuum controlled but you can have the switch also if you want.

 

Fixed it! Turns out i didn't pay enough attention to the cruise control wiring when i ripped it all out. Doh. Seems the solenoid power is shared with the cruise unit or something. So the solenoid wasn't getting the 12V that it needs. I thought it was a couple of weeks ago, but i must have made another mistake. So it has power now and works like new. Finally!