I have a 700r4 transmission on my stock 350 TPI engine. My Transmission was rebuilt about 8 months ago and a trans go shift kit was added to it. Out of no where my transmission started shifting as if it never had the shift kit... Smooth. Any ideas of what it can be? Maybe adjusting the tv cable??

 

Probably broke the 1-2 accumulator spring. If so, replace the spring with a solid spacer.

 

Actually that would stiffen up the 1-2 shift as the spring is there to 'soften' the shift. *SOME* kits have you plug the 1-2 shift accumulator to disable it and have no 1-2 shift 'cushion' - I would say that if it's primarily the 1-2 shift you noticed had gotten soft then maybe the plug came out and you're back using the accumulator?

Otherwise - can you tell us which shifts have gotten soft - or if they ALL are soft check that the TV cable didn't come out of adjustment - or maybe the boost valve stuck or pressure regulator spring broke/jammed and you don't have the higher line pressure anymore - but that would take a pressure gauge to diagnose...

 

Wrong! Your reasoning makes sense, BUT experience proves you're mistaken. Online betting in forums like this is illegal, otherwise I would have $100 that says if you go cut your accumulator spring with a bolt cutter, then re-install it, your WOT 1-2 upshift WILL get softer. I've done this enough times to know. You don't need to buy the B&M Shift Improver kit to get spacers, which is how they get the tire-chirping. You can make your own. I've done it 4 times now. Stop posting reasoning that's opposite of FACT!

 

All shifts have gotten soft. Ill have the tv cable be adjusted and see how that goes. Hopefully its not anything broken ... Thank you!

 

Since everything has softened up and it was sudden - could be that the boost valve snap-ring slipped and it's sitting low in a groove that's not really meant to hold the snap ring and it won't develop the line pressure it needs to function properly.

 

HA - I'd take that bet...

Try this - pull the spring out and see what happens. The piston will travel down in the bore and then stay there - the next shift it will 'bang' in since without the spring to push the piston back up there is no "cushion" from the accumulator piston's travel downward.

All you're doing with the shims are increasing the spring rate or reducing the travel of the piston itself. (I can't recall what the B&M spacers look like - I've seen some that just shim the spring, some that reduce the travel of the piston and some that do both to firm up the 1-2 apply.) It's also common practice to put stiffer springs in there to firm up the action without reducing the volume of the accumulator and thus reach a 'happy medium' of a firm shift without significantly reducing the duration of the clutch apply.

It's not like he took a spring of a lower spring rate and threw it in there - so unless it broke within the first coil wrap of the spring and can still return the piston "up" to it's 'regular' position then the spring would still allow the piston to travel it's full distance and yet the spring rate be reduced and thus be weaker and in that case it would soften the shift (but then you'd have the piece of spring wandering around in the bore and I would guess that it would get jammed) Given the symptoms I doubt that the spring is broke anyhow, but the couple of springs I've seen broken on other transmissions are closer to the middle and have a harder 1-2 shift symptom. Not saying it couldn't happen to break in just the right spot to soften the 1-2 shift but IMHO it's not that likely.

 

Since all the shifts changed at once, then it is the TV cable most likely that has come loose. I always use a spring in the 1-2 accumulator to keep the firmness progressive and never use spacers of any kind. I want the part throttle shift to be smooth and the shift to get quicker with more throttle.

 

The tv cable got an adjustment and now everything is back to normal. I guess it got loose... Thank you guys for your help!