I was driving on the intersate a few days ago and shifted from OD to D (automatic '88 700R4) and floored it. The rpms shot up into the red and no shift occured until I let off the pedal. This happened a few times so I figured the TV cable could use adjusting. After that I took it out for a drive and now it shifts a lot earlier than it used to. It'll shift at 2500 and earlier. I know I lost a lot of performance from this adjustment and would like to know what I could do to get it right. In WOT it used to rip and roar, now it just purrs along innocently.

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'88 Camaro SC 305, 80 Series Flowmaster, K&N Filter, looking for open element!

 

You probably have more than one problem. This is the method to correctly adjust the cable. Once it is set, that is it: To adjust the TV Cable skip the book method and do this: Press the D button on the adjuster and loosen the cable setting. Now, have someone floor the gas pedal while you check to see if the throttle plate is open all the way. Usually they are off a little and will wiggle. Do whatever you have to do to get it open solid. Now, with the pedal still floored, press the D button and pull the cable casing (the black tube) back as hard as you can and release the button. You now have the engine, tranny and gas pedal all in sync at WOT. Mark the cable so if for some reason it gets moved you can know where to put it again. The problem with the 'self adjust method' is that it bends things and puts them permanently out of whack. It is also the full TV setting, which is theoretically what the GM method does.


What you described though sounded more like a burned out band/clutch (depending on what gear you were in).

 

I've played around with different ways of adjusting the cable, but the car still doesn't perform like it used to. When I'm adjusting it the D button wont push in much at all and the whole assembley wont budge very far either way. I'm beginning to think somethings stuck, but the first time I adjusted it, it seemed to be sort of jammed up. On the 1-2 shift if I'n going kinda slow it jerks and chirps the tires too.

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'88 Camaro SC 305, 80 Series Flowmaster, K&N Filter, looking for open element!

 

One common cause of failure on 700's is the Throttle Valve sticks, either in or out causing minimum pressures (and friction burnout) or high pressures(late, hard shifts).

What happens if you drive it in Manual 2nd? This will raise your line pressure to @175 Fixed, regardless of whether the TV Valve is stuck. If the lip imporves but it still wants to shift early then it is stuck in the closed throttle position.

 

Whenever I shift manually it seems to be fine. In fact I have been shifting manually more often because of that. In 2nd it just rides along normally. Its not how it shifts off the line I'm worried about most, its when I get going 30 MPH+ that all the power seems to be lost. I'll be flooring it and it just seems like half throttle.

[This message has been edited by ArchAngel (edited July 29, 2001).]

 

Could it be that your 3-4's are slippiong (30+ MPH)?

 

This is why I always mark the TV cable's original location with white-out before I play with it...

I had a friend with an '86 Monte Carlo and the 200-4R trans. His trans was acting up, so I suggested adjusting the TV cable. His cable was really out of whack... but when we went for a drive, his trans acted like total crap. Apparently, his trans couldn't function on the higher (properly adjusted) line pressure.. it probably burned itself out from being improperly adjusted all those years. (Looked like a good probability the fluid was never changed!)

Anyway, he drove it back to my house, and I put the TV cable back to it's original "bad-adjustment"- the trans worked as usual... although, "as usual" still meant it was f'd up. It just wasn't as bad.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

Tom, that sounds exactly like my case. Its the first TV adjustment done on the car I believe. If only I could get it back to its original position. transfixleo had a good point about the 3-4 slipping though, but they seemed fine b4 I adjusted. I was also thinking it could be the fluid. It hasn't had a check yet either unless it was included in the minor tune-up I got awhile back. I'm gonna have a look and post an update.

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'88 Camaro SC 305 700R4, 80 Series Flowmaster, K&N Filter, air foil.