Ok...I have had this 82 SC since it was new, and it has always had 3 gears. I know when they hit, how it should feel and sound...etc...you kinda get used to it.
I have been making changes to the gauge cluster, and I had it removed for a while. While in the dash, I noticed a pair of wires that were not plugged in, tan/blue, and since my blower motor is out, I figured that was it. (The wiring diagrams have tan/blue wires for the blower fan resistor inputs.)
I checked everywhere for the terminal to plug it in, but could not find it. I then noticed that the end of the plug looked like a fuse holder, so I took a risk and plugged in a fuse. Nothing changed immediately.
I drove the car for around...and all seemed normal except the rpm's at highway speed, they were not as high as usual.
I began to notice that the car is now shifting into FOURTH gear! I swear it. It is distinctly dropping into 4th. Little gas, back to third, then down to fourth.
What the heck?
It is bizarre. Any idea what is going on?
I have heard of something about lockups, and that there were some with switches....
Thanks!

 

Apparently your torque converter clutch was disconnected.

 

Torque converter lock-up connector was unplugged. It's not another gear.


------------------
350 with stealth intake, holley carb, 470 lift cam. 700r4 with .5 boost valve, vette servo, tci lock-up kit, B&M megashifter. Richmond 3.73 gears, powertrax locker, timkin bearings, synthetic lube. Custom 3 inch single into 2 2.5 pipes. 1 1/2 drop springs, 1 5/16 solid front sway bar, 1 inch rear bar, custom subframe connectors, custom LCA relocation brackets. Kobel ground FX, currant red metallic paint. Lots of other stuff...
82camaro

 

To expand upon that...

Automatic transmissions do not have a clutch in the same sense that a manual transmission does. It instead has a torque converter, which allows for a connection between the engine and the transmission that isn't directly connected.

Imagine two fans placed close to eachother. If you turn one fan on, the other fan will start to move by the air the first can creates. That's similar to how a torque converter works, except one fan is inside the other one, instead of on top of eachother. Plus, the connection is made by fluid, not by air. So when the engine turns one fan, the fluid starts spinning and thus drives the second fan connected to the transmission. However, the fan needs to be turning fast enough before the second one will start to move. This is how the engine can be running with the car in drive while stopped at a light without stalling. The engine just isn't moving fast enough to force the second fan to turn.

This is all fine and well for keeping a car from stalling, but it's not so great for gas mileage. Because there is no direct link between the engine and the transmission, some slipping naturally occurs, power lost between the two fans. To help with this, torque converts have a type of clutch in them that locks up, based on certain conditions. Speed is one of them, so is the gear the car is in. If you tap the brakes, the clutch is disengaged so the car doesn't stall. When the convertor locks up, there is now a direct connection between the engine and the transmission, and no more slipping occurs (if everything's going right). Because of that, the rpm's will drop a little when that happens.

------------------
89 iroc-z 305 tbi
k&n filtercharger, open element air filter. nuffin' else

 

Thanks alot for the info! I think in another 20 years, I should know every single bolt on it...

Should I run it with the switch connected, does it hurt reliability? It seems to sip the gas with it on, I was going to leave it.

Also...what is the difference between a 200C and a 200R4, and how can I tell what I've got? I have heard as long as it's not a stock 200, it should be as good as a 350.

 

Definately leave it connected, I can't think of any negative aspects of it. There may have been a reason for it to be disconnected though, but you probably would have found out about them by now. I can't help with the other question though.

 

I will leave it as is, and thanks again for the post.
It came like that from the dealership...strange. It's hard to get used to, but the freeway is fun again...

Forget the 700r4...this is more than adequate...

 

If you find that the car now stalls at stops after you have driven on the high way for some time, then the convertor is locking up and not disconecting. This may be why the wires were disconnected in the first place.

 

The most likely reason it was disconnected was for driveability problems. Back then there were allot of problems with the computer controlled fuel and spark systems and L/U agravated it. Even on some carlines the factory had you dissable it. The O/D's were much worse about these problems. OFten they were traced back to poor quality spark plugs (Mighty) etc. as discount tuneup shops were all the rage at the time.

 

I've seen many-a-200c go to ****. If it does go bad, you could always get a th350-C tranny--it has a lock-up converter. The 700r4 is nice though, that overdrive dropped my cruise rpm from 3000rpm to 2150rpm.


------------------
350 with stealth intake, holley carb, 470 lift cam. 700r4 with .5 boost valve, vette servo, tci lock-up kit, B&M megashifter. Richmond 3.73 gears, powertrax locker, timkin bearings, synthetic lube. Custom 3 inch single into 2 2.5 pipes. 1 1/2 drop springs, 1 5/16 solid front sway bar, 1 inch rear bar, custom subframe connectors, custom LCA relocation brackets. Kobel ground FX, currant red metallic paint. Lots of other stuff...
82camaro

 

Hmm, thats some interesting stuff!
I noticed before I put the tb350 in my car and even before I gutted my ecm that my tranny would not lock up. I guess somthing similar happended to my 200c also.
SSC

------------------
85 Camaro, 355/400 "drag car" in moth ***** 13.1@ 101mph on its last season run.
Plans: Possibly add N20 for next season.
82 Firebird, 305/350 currently moth balled.
Current plans: Rebuild 305 with flat tops instead of the dished "cups" for pistons or slightly built 327 with the 58cc heads from the LG4, Upgrade the 2:73 to 3:73 or 3:42 and replace the turbo 350 with 700r4.


"Web site under construction"

G0D Bless.