tv cable & rpms?

[BerniniCaCO3]

ALRIGHT! *finally* got my car on the road.
I set out just to do an HO swap and rebuild along the way.
It's been a long 4 months working nights and some weekends rebuilding and installing, then re-re-re-repairing the installed engine, hahaha.
I also redid the exhaust to make it true dual,
and I also replaced the heater core, which was some time in itself.


So this is the first time I've driven it with quite a bit changed out.
If my sunpro tach is to be trusted, and yes, it's set for 8cyl, I'm idling at no more than 1000 rpm. Usually dips to ~700rpm when at rest at a stoplight.
Light acceleration brings it back to 1000, sometimes 1500 rpm.
Heavier acceleration brings it to 2000 rpm.
Lead foot brings it to a whopping 2200 rpm.

I'm disappointed in my acceleration rate. The lopo was almost more powerful.
However-- the fact that I can't actually get the rpms past 2200 rpm would explain why it has no get up and go!

I'm suspecting that my tv cable isn't adjusted right, and it's just never kicking down.
Could someone confirm this estimate?

I'm not a very experienced/sensitive driver, there are lots of finer points that I'm not able to pick up on yet that someone else would,
but as far as I can tell I can't feel transmission upshifts at all, and the only shift I can feel is the downshift after accelerating if I suddenly take my foot off the gas, a slight shudder-- which might not be a gear shift at all?
Does this mean a super-soft shift pattern? Could too soft a tv-cable lead to no kick-down (for the length of travel of the gas pedal)?

[sly]

nah... stock torque converter won't go higher. you need a 2300-2700 TC to get it's ass outta the hole (plants it square in the beginning of the power band of the HO cam). 3K stall to nuke the tires good (gets it a bit more into the power band).

not sure about the soft feel... it could just be worn clutches/stock setup and need a soft parts rebuild or shift kit. Firmer shifts FTW.
and yes... too slack TV will cause lack of kick down as well as helping burn up the trans. you'd rather it kickdown early than late on an AOD. TV slack may also slop the shifts.

[cld783]

is the tv cable setting at factory? up the pressure with with a zip tie at the end of the cable. if the shifts are too late use a smaller zip tie.

it should still kick down pretty good at 55-60mph in drive.

[BerniniCaCO3]

it's at factory, however, to make the HO intake work required making my own bracket for those cables. I feel I matched the position very closely indeed, yet, it's certainly a spot where I could have introduced gross margins if I weren't as precise as I imagined.

[Smokestacklightnin]

A safe starting point would be to make sure the tv cable moves equally with the throttle.

[86VickyLX]

A safe starting point would be to make sure the tv cable moves equally with the throttle.

x2
It's also a good idea to see if the cable is binding anywhere.

Bernini, your car is idling too high. You want to be idling around 650-850 in park (low idle).
Next, what is your gear ratio in the differential, and at what speeds is the transmission shifting it's gears? This is very important. It sounds to me that the pressure is way to freaking low. WOT shifts should take you higher than 2200 rpm. Can it rev higher than that in neutral?

[pantera77]

nah... stock torque converter won't go higher. you need a 2300-2700 TC to get it's ass outta the hole (plants it square in the beginning of the power band of the HO cam). 3K stall to nuke the tires good (gets it a bit more into the power band).

I think he's saying his car won't rev above 2200 at all. I'm not even sure how he's driving it then.

[gadget73]

if it wont get over 2200 at all, something is very wrong. It should spin up to north of 4000 before it shifts. It will feel pokey off the line with an HO and standard 3.08 gears but once it gets over about 2500 rpm you'll feel it start to pull. If its not getting there, thats why its slow.

[BerniniCaCO3]

I've done some more driving with it now-- last night was the very first time. I've had more time to feel it out and look at the numbers
Yeah, it's idling right; actually maybe 500rpm once warmed up.

And yeah, thought earlier today to check that: in park (shoulda done in neutral) got to 3000 rpm without too much gas.

Must be the tv cable. It won't get over 2200 at all when in overdrive; it shifts at like 1800 (guesstimate), will drop to 1000 rpm, climb to 1800, etc., until it gets to overdrive, at which point pedal to the metal gets it to 2200 rpm-- and any higher I haven't tried, simply because I'd probably end up speeding way way to fast to get to 3000, 4000 rpm in overdrive!

Which way raises the shift points, how do I adjust it?

[86VickyLX]

I've done some more driving with it now-- last night was the very first time. I've had more time to feel it out and look at the numbers
Yeah, it's idling right; actually maybe 500rpm once warmed up.

And yeah, thought earlier today to check that: in park (shoulda done in neutral) got to 3000 rpm without too much gas.

Must be the tv cable. It won't get over 2200 at all when in overdrive; it shifts at like 1800 (guesstimate), will drop to 1000 rpm, climb to 1800, etc., until it gets to overdrive, at which point pedal to the metal gets it to 2200 rpm-- and any higher I haven't tried, simply because I'd probably end up speeding way way to fast to get to 3000, 4000 rpm in overdrive!

Which way raises the shift points, how do I adjust it?

Grab a ziptie, pull the tv cable out, put the ziptie around the cable. Done. You will never ever hit 3000 or 4000 in overdrive with an AOD. You will never be in overdrive at WOT. The transmission will not allow it. It's how it's designed.

[johnunit]

Grab a ziptie, pull the tv cable out, put the ziptie around the cable. Done. You will never ever hit 3000 or 4000 in overdrive with an AOD. You will never be in overdrive at WOT. The transmission will not allow it. It's how it's designed.

Od and wot is, of course, possible with super-low tv pressure.


If you can't feel the shifts at full throttle it's not set right at all. My non-driver passengers can tell when my car shifts lol.

[1987cp]

You will never ever hit 3000 or 4000 in overdrive with a stock AOD. You will never be in overdrive at WOT. A stock transmission will not allow it. It's how it's designed.

However, that "feature" is pretty easy to fix ....

Fixed that for you.

[1990LTD]

What good is wot with .67 gears?

[86VickyLX]

Fixed that for you.

Sounds like a bad idea to me.

[gadget73]

There are shift kits and valve bodies that let you go WOT in overdrive. Not a smart idea with a stock trans though, the bands just are not strong enough to take that much abuse. Also, as mentioned, whats the point unless you're trying to set a land speed record?