Hello All,
I have a 1993 Caprice 5.7 TBI with 700R tranny. I need to adjust my TV cable and I have read thru the posts on here and they all state to adjust by pulling by hand the throttle to adjust, this is also stated on the factory service manual but I have a friend who says you can reset by stepping on the accelerator pedal and hearing it click. I tried arguing but I thought I post to see what you guys think.
Thanks

 

You have the same setup as an 88-92 TBI 305 third gen.

In my experience, that doesn't work.

Most cables have too stiffly sprung a button for it to work without depressing the button manually but you can twist the bellcrank on the TB at the same time.

Sometimes adjustment outside of that is necessary for best shift behavior anyway.

 

So you are saying that it needs to be done by hand and not by pressing the gas pedal?

 

Usually.

In theory, it would work because the TV needs to open at its maximum when the throttle is at its maximum. But it doesn't always work that way.

I like to move it a click and drive it, then repeat until it's at its best.

 

Thanks for the info. I will follow my FSM and have someone more experienced help me to get an idea. I just rebuilt my tranny and don't want to burn it.

 

Go here for the facts.

www.tvmadeez.com

Read the "TV 101 Article".

 

I had a brand new TV cable from the dealer and it would not self ratchet as some say. Here is the best guide to set up the tv cable: http://www.jakesperformance.com/TV_C...etup_Info.html

I used a pair of vise grips on the end of the cable and while holding the throttle @ WOT. I'd tug on the pliers to check for play and adjust 1 click at a time until the cable was JUST tight @ WOT.

 

Adjusted the tv cable per the factory service manual but when I was driving I noticed that it shifted weird going to 2nd gear, quicker and firmer than the rest of the gears. I just got it rebuilt this week, could it be possible that something internal is wrong already. I tried resetting several time following the instructions but still does the same thing. I also got the SKJ700R by trans go installed, is it normal for it to shift like that with the kit that was installed?

 

Either they blocked the 2nd accumulator or the spring for it broke.

RBob.

 

Yeah, the way JMD described adjusting the cable is EXACTLY how I've always done it, and it works really well. And as RBob said, a harsh shift going into 2nd on a stock trans is almost always due to a broken accumulator spring. Very common problem with 700r4's. Another thing the accumulator assembly will do that causes the same issue is the spring starts to push up through the valve body separator plate. Most times there's just a raised, or dented area in the plate above the accumulator, but I've also seen on really high mileage 700r4's where it's actually pushed enough to put a hole in the plate. Dana at Pro-Built Automatics sells a reinforcement plate you can install to prevent this. It's relatively cheap, and a new accumulator spring assembly is pretty cheap too.

 

I think moving it click by click at a time and driving it is foolish. Maybe on a stock engine, but anything with power could slip and burn cltuches in a hurry. Just set the cable so it is tight at WOT. Done. I set my cable as described in the link I posted and it was correct the first time. No worries of burning up a freshly rebuilt transmission. You may have to loosen the TV cable off depending on shift quality. No more than 1 click (~1/16" play in cable @ WOT).

 

Thanks to all for the information. I actually meant to say going into 3rd gear. I feels as if shift rather quickly. I took it to the shop and had the tech drive it several times and pointed it out and he said it is normal and that the transmission is fine and no issues. I tested it out and when I am driving it at WOT all shift feel very firm but when I am driving it on the street is when I feel this weird 3rd shift, not harsh, it seems as it bumps the shift quick into 3rd. I have warranty so if something happens within a year, I will just take it back and rebuild again or replace.

 

Decided to take it back to the rebuilder. I went to a shop near where I work and I explained what is going on. I told them that it seems that 2-3rd gear shift feels as it just shifts without even noticing it and does not feel like the 1st-2nd. He mentioned that I might have fluid pressure loss in this shift and the only reason that it feels better in WOT is that it kicks in more pressure, he mentioned it may just be masking an issue cause that is the only time it feels a little better when going from 2nd-3rd.

 

FWIW the 1-2 shift will never feel the same as the 2-3 shift as one is a band engauging and the other is a clutch pack. Setting the servo pin correctly will have a lot to do with how the 2-3 shift feels. If they didn't check it or just got it "in the ballpark" there is a lot left to be desired. Same goes for clutch pack clearances.

 

So thats why my 1-2 feels better than my 2-3 shift. I have to really educate myself on transmissions.

 

Just another tip. Even if your trans is set up absolutely perfect, the 1-2 shift will ALWAYS feel harder than the 2-3 shift. That's just how 700r4's are. I agree that your 2-3 shift should feel noticeable, that much is true, but it'll never be as firm as the 1-2 shift. One real common thing that happens with the 700r4's, is the 1-2 accumulator spring will break, and when this happens the 1-2 shift gets very firm. You'll think you have a shift kit in it, even if it's totally stock! My original trans shifted that way for years, and I never knew what caused it til my rebuilder took it apart and showed me the broken accumulator spring. It never hurt anything, but the 1-2 shift was pretty harsh!

 

I just put the fourth 700r4 in my pickup and this time I went ahead and invested $35.oo in a pressure gauge.
What I found was that if I went with the factory setting method, the cable was loose at idle and that is a bad thing. The cable must be right at being under tension at idle so that as soon as you touch the gas pedal, the pressure comes up on the tranny. On mine, this was only about 3 clicks out. I can touch the cable with my finger with a very slight tug and the pressure gauge starts to rise. It shifts great too.
One other good check is as soon as you gor frome 1-2 at normal acceleration, mash it to the floor and it should immeaditely drop back into 1st.
Hope this helps.

 

Bowtie Overdrives has the best method I have seen. They use the transmission pressure output to verify the proper TV adjustment as part of their warranty policy. The procedure can be found here: http://www.tvmadeez.com/pressure_test/index.php

Their "TV Made EZ" kit is also a nice little trick to fine tune your TV adjustment for the correct "feel". I have a level 3 trans being built with a delivery date at the end of this month. I will let you know how the trans + the TV made EZ setup works out. Another thing i like about them is that they actually bolt the new trans in a car and drive it to verify pressures and "feel" before they ship the unit.