Ok guys, here's the story:
I'm a believer in Dodge's automatics and I've been massaging the "mush" out of my 47RE. I rebuilt it and stuffed in a "low" stall converter but the converter still wasn't tight enough although the trans itself is now solid.. So I yanked the trans again and took the converter back in to have the stator shaved and fins tweaked so it would be tighter. That was a big improvement and I'm happy with the converter at this point as I feel I'd be running into driveability issues on the low end if it were any tighter.
Normal shift pattern with tow/haul off is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, OD, LU. If I hit the tow/haul, I get 1st, 2nd, 3rd, LU. That's super nice for picking up speed - except I want OD too. When I turn the tow/haul off, it unlocks the converter and engages OD and then re-locks the converter. That's annoying - both the turning tow/haul on and off as well as the LU off, OD on, LU on shifting.
Here's what I'd like to see: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, LU, then OD. The question is how can I achieve this without doing it manually? I've thought about swapping the LU and OD wires, (causing lockup when PCM signals OD and causing OD when PCM signals LU) which would be like tow/haul mode all the time but with OD. The problem with this is when I hit the brakes. Normal braking disengages LU, but if the wires are swapped, it will kick out of OD. Sure, extra braking power but that's goanna suck when it's icy out!
I know the 47RE fairly well and I like to think I'm pretty good with electrical so... How can I make this work? Is there a computer mod of some sort? There's gotta be some electrical guru's on here that can tell me how? Any ideas or suggestions?

If your answer is "get a manual", forget it. I'm more interested right now in making my auto better.

Thanks in advance guys....

 

I'm wondering if shifting while locked would be harmful to the trans. If you have a full billet setup it might survive, but I would have to imagine locked up shifting would be very hard on things.

If you are sure:

Wire it similar to a manual lock up, but let other switches take care of it. Tap the TPS for a voltage signal, then get a voltage activated switch that will automatically engage the lock up above a prescribed voltage. Use a potentiometer for fine tuning maybe? Cruising would give you nice mellow operation. Hard throttle driving would give you full lock up hard shifting like banging gears on a manual. Maybe even wire an indicator light into it that would give you a heads up when it was engaged.

This might work, it already has a pot and LED : http://autospeed.com/cms/title_The-S...6/article.html

 

Thanks for the reply jstone!
I installed a Sonnex billet input shaft when I rebuilt the trans, however I did not install a billet output shaft. OD shift is pretty soft though, so it's not too bad shifting locked. 1, 2, and 3 I can't shift locked - they're too firm.
What you're telling me here makes a whole lot of sense. I was thinking along the same lines, only with a mechanical switch spring loaded on the throttle linkage at the pump - but it just seemed way to complicated. This is a much better idea. The switch kit looks like a pretty easy build. A couple of these type of voltage sensing switches is probably what the PCM uses.
Thanks for the reply! I'll look into this some more.

EDIT:
I just saw the flaw... if OD/LU is based on tps voltage, it will/can shift 1,2,3 locked as well. I don't want to do that.
Back to the drawing board....

 

There might be a way to get an electrical signal from the harness when the trans is in 3rd and 4th. Use those signals to operate a relay that supplies power to the voltage based switch. Then it would only operate in 3rd or 4th. The PCM knows what gear it is in, so you should be able to find the signal. You may be able to tap the wires that power the solenoids.

 

K... I see what you're saying. I can splice into the wires right at the PCM for OD and LU to power up the voltage switch (via relay), but how do I get LU first, then OD?
In thinking on it more, I think the timing of LU and OD has more to do with speed rather than throttle input right? Governor pressure is a measure of speed in a way.... I wonder if I can use the signal from the Gov Pressure sensor somehow with that voltage switch, or even put a pressure switch in the gov press diagnostic port? I still need a way to switch OD and LU though. Maybe two pressure switches, one with lower pressure to come on first and wired accordingly.
Just thinking out loud here. I may have answered my own question!

 

What was your original reasoning for not wanting the manual lockup switch? If it was just not having to take your hands off the wheel, maybe a foot switch would be nice. Making the LU work automatically without building an entire controller is getting complicated.

 

Manual lockup switch "has it's place". My manual switch works really nice for hills or towing slow in low gears, but for the trans to shift like I think it should, I always have to turn OD off, Lockup On, OD on....and then remember to turn it off when I go through town or take a corner, then wait till 3rd and do it all over again. By now I may as well have a manual, but I see no reason why the auto can't be made to shift properly. It's not a big deal really, I just like to play and tinker.
I think it should have come from the factory shifting 3rd, LU then OD. Picks up speed with so much less effort when it goes that way - puts the power to the ground ya know what I mean?
I agree it's a bit complicated, but I'm up for the challenge! I love my truck!