Problem: My stupid 700r4 upshifts from 1 to 2 at 5500 rpm even if I have the shifter still in 1st. This is killing me cuz that's when my engine starts making power! I need to shift around 7000 or so. So, I'm just about to buy a full manual, reverse pattern valve body to solve the problem, but wanted to see if there's anything else I can do before I attempt such a radical solution. Does anyone know of a any quick and easy in-car fix I can do to make it hold a gear until I shift it?

Background info: It used to do this at 4500 rpm, but the shift kit gave it another 1000 rpm. The trans has already been rebuilt and modified for racing. It has survived years of abuse already. Other than the premature upshift, I love it and enjoy having automatic feature for street cruising. It will hold 2nd and 3rd gear forever. Just 1st gear has this problem. The car is very radical and nothing is stock.

Let me know!

thanks.

 

All 700R4's do this. You can install my modified 700R4 Street/Strip Shift kit and you will be able to hold 1st gear to any rpm. This kit offers smooth part throttle shifts, and the shifts getting firmer with more throttle. If I can be of help, let me know? Dana

 

That sounds good. Tell me more about the kit. How will it play with the already extensively modified tranny? Is the smooth shifting optional? I want maximum pressure and fast shifts. That's how it is now. I think that's what's keeping it alive since I'm pushing the limit on it's power handling.

thanks.

 

Buy a governer recalibration kit and you'll be just fine. You shouldn't even have to manually shift it. I've set up transmissions for guys running into the 10's that just leave them in drive. With the governer recalibration kit you can raise your shift points to as high as 7400rpm in drive. If you raise the shift points using the recalibration kit you can also raise the rpm that you can manually shift it at if needed.

 

Awesome. For $60 I might as well try that. It looks easy to install too.

Thanks!

 

I FINALLY got time to install my TCI Governor Recalibration Kit. (ya ya, laugh all you want, I know it's been a while) I didn't want to do it incrementally as the instructions suggest because it's such a pain to swap this out, so I swung for the fences on the first try. My goal was to get a 7000 upshift and more spread apart normal driving shift so I'm not always riding on the converter.

As a reminder, here's what you get:

Weights
Earlier Shifts------->Later Shifts
Heavy> 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 >Light

Springs
Low RPM Quick Shifts----->Shift Points Spread Apart
Heavy> Purple - Blue - Green - Yellow - Orange - Red >Light

So, on my first try I went super radical with weights 5/6 and orange/red springs. Ha ha, I don't even know why this is an option. It wouldn't even shift at 7500 when my limiter takes over. It would only shift out of first at 4000+ with no throttle, and it would never shift out of second.

On my second attempt, I used weights 3/4 and green/yellow springs. Bingo. It's perfect, perfect, perfect.

It upshifts from:
1-2 at slight throttle around 2000.
2-3 at slight throttle around 3000.
3-4 at slight throttle around 3500.
1-2 at full throttle at exactly 7000.
2-3 at full throttle at exactly 7000.

I couldn't have wished it to be any better. I can cruise around in overdrive, and it doesn't ride on the converter at low speeds (I no longer have lock up) but if I let off the gas it will go into OD and lope real nice. Then if I just rest my foot back on the gas, it goes back into third for driving. At highway speeds it goes into OD normally.

I hated this transmission for years, and now I love it. It actually acts like a proper automatic again. Thanks so much to Zippy for the suggestion.

 

The WOT shifts at 7,000 rpm might be what you want, but the 2-3 & 3-4 part throttle shifts are late, especially the 3-4 shift. This will use a lot more gas.

 

Ha ha, this isn't a car for saving gas! It's got a 3000ish stall, and I always shifted it manually because it shifted too soon and never got up on the converter. It's perfect now.