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Shift Kit Help Please!

  • Thread starter Thread starter fast.asleep
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fast.asleep

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I'm trying to decide on a shift kit for my 700r4. I was considering the B&M Shift Improver Kit or the TransGo kit but I don't have experience with either.

Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Will
 
NOOO!

I put a shift kit on my 1991 auto with 130,000 miles and the tranny crapped out (pump, gears, and clutch when kaboom), the tranny mechanic explained to me that mileage had nothing to do with it, the shift kit is no good for the tranny because it makes the gears slam into each other and it will wear clutch pack out quick.

The shift kit does nothing but make it shift harder (not faster), you will not notice any quicker times, if anything it will be slower.

Yes it was cool for the 1000 miles I got out of it because at wide open throttle it will spin your tires shifting out of first.

If you still go with it read direction carefully 10 times and triple check everything and use all recommended torque specs.

Or have installed by professional, doing it myself I over torqued 3 valve body bolts and had to have it replaced too.

Go with TCI kit not B&M. but if anything spend money on a rebuild that will beef up your tranny. That alone will make it shift harder.
 
I know a few of you have said that a shift kit will not make me go faster but I have a couple of questions:

1)Won't I pick up a little time since the tranny will be shifting into
gear faster than before?

2)then again, it is a 16 year old tranny with 30,000+ miles on it.
Should I be messing with it this late in the game?

Sorry if I seem a bit on the dim side but I'm new to this stuff ;shrug

:w
 
don't go with a B&M kit. they suck. all they do is pump up the pressure in the trans and that is not what a trans needs to shift hard.

Go with a Trans Go kit. they are the best and actually work the way they are intended to work.

that is the one i will be going with when i get my 2800 stall and hayden tranny cooler put into my 700r4 trans.
 
TransGo Kits instantly re-program automatic transmissions for high performance and durability.
Unique kits re-calibrate the transmission to shift far more efficiently.
In terms of performance and durability for an automatic transmission, the most important improvement that can be made is to re-program the Control Assemblies. These assemblies regulate the functions of the entire transmission; 95% of shift performance comes from programming. Installing a Trans-Go Re-programming Kit will instantly improve the whole personality of your GM, FORD and CHRYSLER transmissions.
Factory programming achieves comfort.
The automatic transmissions coming off the assembly lines in Detroit are truly masterpieces of engineering. But engineers have been asked to program the shifting for smoothness and comfort. Also, consumer attitude surveys show that drivers believe a soft, smooth shift is easier on the transmission. Actually, just the reverse is true.
To add comfort, Detroit designers have had to subtract a considerable amount of efficiency and durability. They have achieved comfort by extending the time duration of every shift. Not only does power slip away during this extended shift, but all friction surfaces receive excessive wear because they are asked to work overtime.



The stock automatic takes longer to complete each shift. Points A to B, Figure 1 show only mild acceleration. During this period only a partial power condition exists because the friction elements are slipping.
This extended slipping time prevents the inertial energy from being efficiently utilized. It is lost in the form of heat on the clutches and bands, instead of being utilized for forward motion. Continually operating a stock automatic at full throttle will cause early friction element failure.

To get high performance and improved durability in an automatic, we must improve the way it executes every shift.

Trans-Go re-programming achieves durability and performance.
So if you are willing to accept a faster shift, which will subtract some comfort, you can restore full performance and durability. This is exactly what a Trans-Go Re-Programming Kit does for you. It makes each shift faster and more efficient. As a result, durability of the transmission is immediately doubled.
Re-Programming Goal:Make the shift faster without losing precision.
The problem now becomes clear that what we need is re-programming that will precisely control the complicated chain of events that occur during every shift and do it in a far briefer span of time.
This is exactly what Trans-Go has accomplished. Trans-Go kits cut slipping time by more than 70% (even more in the Competition version) and at the same time improve the quality of the shifting action itself. Figs 1 and 2 show the results.



The automatic with a re-programming kit installed now shifts fast enough to take advantage of inertial energy from rotating mass, including the inertial energy from the transmission itself. Notice also the higher speed recorded (C) as the curve leaves the chart. In driving this conversion at full throttle a sudden forward lurch can be felt when it shifts, very similar to a power-shifted 4-speed.
You get better control and back to low at any speed.
Trans-Go kits give you more complete gear control of your transmission. Most kits offer Shift Command, a special feature of our re-programming that allows you to shift back to low at any speed! Trans-Go kits also retain fully automatic shifting in the "D" position.

As the elapsed time of shifting is decreased, the life of the transmission friction materials is increased.
Installing a Trans-Go Re-Programming kit will at least double the life of the friction materials in the transmission. In many heavy duty applications, a Trans-Go kit has made the difference between a few months service without repair and several years.

The shorter shift time allows the friction elements and gears far less time to wear themselves out. The useful life of the friction elements in a transmission is directly related to the amount of slipping that is allowed to occur during shifts.

Slipping converts useful energy to heat on the surface of the clutches and bands. This heat transforms the friction material to ash, which polishes its mating element, causing further slipping, heat and deterioration of the friction elements.

The gears receive less wear, too. A slow shift causes them to be partially engaged for a longer period during the gear changing process, resulting in unnecessary heat, wear and power loss.

ARE QUICK SHIFTS ALL THAT MATTER?
Not by a long way. We have seen what can be gained in durability and performance with quicker shifts. Overlap is also extremely important. Overlap is a condition caused by applying a gear before the previous gear has been released.

Excessive overlap as seen in the Fig. 3 converts engine horsepower into damaging heat and causes clutch wear, band wear, shift delays, short oil life, and increased gasoline usage.


Factory programming includes an excessive amount of overlap.
This is done purely for smoothness. Overlap causes delayed shifts. Overlap is the main cause of shift delay, or hesitation when shifting manually.
Excessive Overlap is eliminated with Trans-Go Re-Programming. The difference is felt immediately and there are substantial increases in performance, durability and fuel economy.
 
Yellow91,

what happened to yours most likely is you never kept up on the transmission fluid changes. what happens it breaks down and what holds the clutch packs together for changing gears is the gasket. what the fluid does is breaks down the gasket and the cork or silicon in the gasket holds the fluid together in a much thicker consistency. once you change the fluid when you put the kit it you lost the thicker consistency. anyone will tell you if you don't change your fluid regularly then when you change it after 60+ k in miles you have a good chance on loosing the trans in a matter of days.

morale of the story is keep it changed every 15k miles and it will last a long time. i change mine with Mobil 1 Synthetic trans fluid.
 
Good info Mad-Mic:beer But I have a question. I bought my car used and the tranny fluid looks and smells good. It's clear on white paper, but I have no idea when it was last changed, or how often prior to my purchase.

If that info is not available should you just let it be or what? Is there any reliable way to know if your fluid is too viscous as a result of not having been changed? Coluld you recover the existing fluid and do some sort of an inspection that would give an indication that you should just put the old back in or something;shrug ?
 
They said that changing the fluid was one of the problems,I changed it when I bought the car 125,000 and then when I threw the Shift Kit in. When I bought the car it was maintained well tranny fluid smelled and looked good, the engine runs great (except rough idle) and i doesn't eat a drop of oil with 10 30w Mobil 1 in it.
 
how many miles do you have on it?

if it's clean and don't smell burnt with no metal flakes in it i think you would be ok. sometimes when they change your fluid the magic marker the date and miles on the trans pan. check there.
 
I was afraid that was the deal. There's no service marks, been under there a hundred times. The motors gotta come out anyway, is there anyway to check it then? I wanted to put a shift kit in. Doesn't sound like a good idea at this point. There is a good 700 R rebuilder near by. What sould I expect to pay to go through and inspect for problems if it's not broken? Or would it just be a rebuild if they got into it?
 
well there really isn't a way to "check" it. either it's gonna happen as soon as you drop the pan and put new fluid in it or she'll be ok. if it does go up it'll only be a week before it starts to slip and go caput. usually as soon as you change it you will notice it to slip.

i don't want to tell you to do it if you are not prepared to do a rebuild but if you are why not? sooner or later you will need one anyway. most automatics don't make it past 150k if you do run the car like it was made to be ran sometimes.
 
If I'm not mistaken, a Vette Trans (4-L60) will hold about 13 quarts of Trans fluid. Just dropping the pan and replacing the filter and gasket will only remove about 5 quarts. The other 8 or so quarts are left sitting in the torque converter. So when you light up the engine, the pump in the forward Trans cover just pumped out 8 quarts of old oil into the pan. Now you have a mixture of both new and old ATF by the time you check and top off the fluid level. The only way to pump out all the fluid is to take it to a specialist who has the machine to capture all the oil and at the same time replaces the Trans with fresh ATF fluid.
The other old shade tree way, is to remove the cooler line from the radiator, over fill the transmission with oil, and watch the new color come out of the cooler line.
Use a little caution if you plan to do this. Don't pump the Trans dry. Just stop the engine, add more fluid and keep looking for clean ATF.
Why question when the fluid was change? Just dump it.
I don't know where this.... ( "if you don't change your fluid regularly then when you change it after 60+ k in miles you have a good chance on loosing the trans in a matter of days." )......came from? If you have a bad transmission, no matter what you do to it fluid wise, it will still be bad. Just changing the ATF will not destroy a "good working transmission" in days, no matter what the fluid condition is in. And this is oil that is just "overly dirty" and not contaminated....i.e. = friction plate burnt.
I'm sorry, but I am hearing an old wives tale about this, and question the validity of simply changing old Trans oil will render it useless in days.
My thinking is that fresh, thinner oil, will now have less tolerances between the friction and steel plates. Thus making the two plates lock closer together. A thicker oil between the plates, would cause slippage, because there is no "bite" between plates. This is how I see the difference between old and new oils in the Trans. If anything, the Trans will shift better with fresh oil.
 
Mad-Mic,

I "run the car like it was made to be ran" damn near every time I get in it:D . Don't see any reason to own one otherwise:L . Anyway Ididn't really mean to hyjack this thread, but I would like to put a TransGo in and I'm sure that would include changint the fluid and further normal servicing. The tranny is great now so I suppose I best not mess with it cause I can't really afford just the engine work that's gotta be done never mind a tranny on top of it.

cntrhub,

This is the 700 R4. I don't know if that's the same one your refering to, but, I have heard MANY people who have lost there trans just as described previously. The clutch packs or something go away.
 
cntrhub

your thinking is backwards. thicker older tranny fluid keeps the clutches biting since they are worn. thinner will make it slip resulting in a lost trans. and no it isn't an old wise tale. i've seen this happen and experienced it first hand in my Z/28 at 70k in miles. Many people that are mechanics told me this also. I won't just tell someone bad information if i believe it myself or not. i will however warn them about it.

to me it's not worth doing if there is a chance. at over 100k in miles i wouldn't touch it till it went out itself. there is a good chance that it will last over 150k in miles by just keeping it topped off.

my camaro's tranny shifted nice and hard before i changed the fluid. afterwards when i drove it home the trans started slipping and with in a week 2nd gear blew out.

4L60E and a 700R4 is basically the same. the 4L60E is ran more from the computer than a 700R4. a shift kit for one will fit in the other as will a converter also.

Moon. i drive mine pretty hard also when i'm not just cruising on the freeway :D
 
Mad-Mic
Great information on the trans. I don't mean to hi-jack the fourm either but while were on the trans I'd like to ask a question. My '89, 86k miles, just doesn't seem to act right. When taking off it seem to shift out fine but when it reaches around 42-46mph it dogs out. Like it's going into overdrive too soon. Any ideas? I beleive it's the orginal stock trans but have no idea where to look or what to look for to find out. I like the kit you metioned. Where can you get one and how much? Sounds like an insallation for a professional to. Thanks for any info..!!
 
here is the website i found the information on the kits.

http://www.txchange.com/main.htm

they are around 100 bucks and worth every penny from what i have seen. i am still collecting data on this because i plan to do this to mine soon. i'm adding a 2800 stall a transgo kit and also a hayden tranny cooler. add a nother 100 for labor (i'm guessing) and 60 bucks for Mobil 1 synthetic trans fluid

100 bucks for trans go kit
100 for labor
60 for Mobil 1 synthetic trans fluid

about your trans...
it might be that your butterflies aren't opening all the way and not letting it shift right. a friend just adjusted mine and now she shifts at 4700 to 4900 rpm everytime. it was shifting at 4500 - 4600 rpm leaving it in D. if you look on the left side of the intake by the throttle body there is a cable that opens up the butterflies. on the back side of the mechanical piece is a throttle stop. open the throttle with that piece manually (car off) and look up on the back side and see if the back side of the mechanical piece is hitting the throttle stop. the thottle stop is apart of the TB. then feel the cable. it should be somewhat tight when you pull on it with your finger while the mechanical piece is touching the throttle stop. make sure it's not limp maybe less than 1/2 inch play. the way to adjust it is if you look back on the cable there is a Silver looking D shaped metal piece with plastic around it. push that in (it takes some pressure but does not push in that far) then pull the cable out or pull the rubber part in. pulling the cable out makes it shift higher in the RPM range. once you got it adjusted what i did was take a ink pen and mark the setting on the rubber cable part so if it slips you know where to readjust it at.

sorry i do not know the correct terms what i'm trying to describe and don't have a digital camera to show you.

hope this helps
 
gotta agree with cntrhub on the oil thing.
ive built hundreds of auto tranys in my younger years
unfortunately got outta the trade just when the od trans were comin into play.
lockup convertors were just being used with mixed success,
changing the oil and filter/screen will no cause any problems.
at any mileage.
overtightening /uneven torquing of the valve body bolts caused an internal leak and pressure loss to the aboves transmission direct clutch pack piston and slippage burned it out would be my guess.
btw theres no cork gasket material in a 700r unless someones
used one on the pan itself.
 
Mad- Mic,
Thanks for info: Here's what I've found...(see pic) That one cable I'm pointing at is as loose as a goose no matter what position the TB is in. I see no adjustment for it at all...!! down cable or at the TB.....It disappears into a big box that is against the firewall....is this the cable you were talking about and if so: any ideas?? ;shrug THanks again..!!

ps: the other two cables are nice and tight....:Steer
 

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