I have a 2500ish stall EC3 converter from a 1998+ 4L60E. It has an extremely strong woven carbon fiber clutch, that is specifically designed to slip. So it is very durable and you could imagine the benifits.

It will start locking with alot of slip around 25mph, and will continually reduce slippage to fully locked around 60mph when in the correct 4L60E.

So it will not lock in my 86 700R4. I want it to lock, however I want to do on/off lockup and not variable slip.

Looking for someone who has more info on this system and the options for EC3 lockup. I have a non-pwm(i think) 700R4 which will not lock the converter, and it caused fuel mileage to drop.

I am trying to find which lockup solenoid, lockup valves, etc would have to be installed/modified to enable lockup.

Thanks in advance!

 

I am leaning more towards a stock 2000rpm stall converter with proper lockup.

But if anyone finds or knows info on the EC3 system feel free to post it up. I figured the lockup valve can be swapped, along with a pwm solenoid, but further than that I have no idea if it would work.

With the above parts out of the EC3 equipped trans, I would need to design a circuit to control the duty cycle on the solenoid. I'm sure I could use an output on the Megasquirt to control it, but if its less effort to swap in a new converter, thats what Ill do.

The 2500 stall is great with the turbo, but just normal driving the tc slips alot in 4th gear. Yes it IS the tc slipping and not the trans.

 

PWM wasn't implemented until a model year after all units were 4L60-E and PWM pumps and their internal passages are different than pre-PWM pumps.

You have talked yourself into awesomeness of parts that won't work in your car without either significant, high-level mods. To a point that the effort would far outweigh the benefits and you'd potentially end up with a bit of a morphondyke of a trans. when done.

You can't just swap in a PWM pump. If you could, you lack the desire to take advantage of its functionality. And even if you did, having a higher-level activation of lockup isn't a benefit worth much over the standard converter that fits.

 

Exactly why I made this thread and exactly the answer I needed. Thanks.

I'll be picking up a non pwm lockup converter with a 2000 stall beginning of next month.

 

The PWM converters will work well with an on/off solenoid. Something else must be wrong with your transmission! I put a eliminate the PWM in all the 4L60E and 4L80E stuff I have worked with. Same converter, just a change of a lockup valve.

 

I havent even tried to lock it up TBH. Its in an 86 core 700r4. It probably would lock in my 89 core, but that trans is toast.

The person who had the trans and converter said it never locked anyway.

 

Well it locks, with absolutely no modifications. So you can lock these EC3 converters no matter what solenoid or lockup valve is in your trans. It is an on/off lock and it doesnt chatter or shudder when it locks.

It locks better than the stock converter, probably because of the difference of clutch material.

All I had to do was flip the switch.