Any body running shift kits in there 518. mine doesnt shift as firm as i would like it too. So I was thinking of putting one in mine. Just seeing if any one has done this Or if its a good idea.

 

if you want harder shifts you can tighten the bands up, thats all a shift kit really does just makes the shifts feel more furmer, same as tightening bands, thats what the mechanical uncle told me, correct me if im wrong though.

 

Yea i tryed doing that today and didnt realy notice a differnce. Mabey i didnt go enough though. Also does any one know witch way to adjust the tv cable for firmer shifts. Right now mine is all the up meaning the spring on the cable is compressed all the way. Is that where i want it for a firm shift. Or should i move it the other way. Can a band be too tight? If i thighten it up too much is it gunna hurt any thing?

 

>POOF< . . . .. You are corrected.

The adjustment of the bands is to make the hydraulic servo stroke Fit. Too loose, the servo can go to it's extended extreme and not be able to have the band grip without slipping. Too tight and the band may very well drag, burning things up.

The name "Shift Kit" covers a LOT of ground.

Some shift kits simply alter gear shift points. Some address the shift quality . . .. and then there's . . .

- Shift RPM point.
- Speed of shift.
- Amount of gear overlap during shift (a lot of overlap improves shift smoothness to the butt).
- Hydraulic pressures to effect clutch engagement (a little to get to church, a lot to whoop John Force) . . .. Ref: TV.

. . . etc. These are specific to the act of shifting gears. Dinking with a TQ clutch is a newer aspect.

In my A518, I run the TransGo TFOD/A518. It pretty-much covers everything and allows one to custom tailor it to your driving needs.

If I were to do it again, I'd have a hard look at what Sonex has to offer as well (TransGo competition).

 

well what i want is a firmer faster later shift what do i need to get that. what about b and m kits.

 

You might read through this ~ http://hometown.aol.com/gnkim/transgo1.html

It's roughly the installation of the TransGo kit. You can get the gist of what can be altered as well as guage the PITA factor.

 

My experience with a B&M kit is from TH350's.

But that brings up the fact that there are a number of ways to skin a cat.

Some kit makers effect the changes by altering holes in the separator plates of the valvebody with a few other minor changes. While no where near as precise, it works and is much less intimidating to the casual wrench-head.

Hope this helps.

 

yea i dont think i am gunna do it. droping the valve body makes me nervous

 

will adjusting the tv cable help the shifting. what way do i wanna go with the cable

 

When I recently rebuilt my heap's trans, I asked folks like the techs at SunCoast . . . . They confirmed what I had suspected. Those $400 ~ $500 valvebodies are exactly what you end-up with when you complete the full kit install. Tailored to your specs as per the kit so to speak.

 

The TV (Throttle Valve) cable effects the shift timing and quality based on the throttle position.

- Your Granny, on her way to a church luncheon, pot of peas on the front seat. She's hardly touching the throttle. In that setting, gearshifts come early as she's not going fast at all. The shifts are slow with a lot of overlap so as to make the transitions very smooth with no lurching. Hydraulic pressures are low to soften clutch engagement.



Out the rear-view mirror, she sees the Coppers slide out of a back ally, lights flashing.

The peas fly as she brings up the Thompson!

She punches it!

With the throttle going to it's fullest position, the TV cable changes the position of the TV. This changes line pressure to the transmission governor such that the shifts are now much later. Well with in the engine's power range. There's now much less overlap so the gears don't actually bind destructively. There's much higher hydraulic pressure to the clutches so they don't slip with the increased power transmitted.

And a bunch of stuff.






Tune in next week to see Granny explain the benfits of "Run Flat" tires.

 

Tightening the cable will make the shifts a little later and a little firmer but only a little.

 

yea but what way do i wanna go with the cable. how else can i make is shift faster firmer

 

Very creative!

 

If you are going to do it then you need to pull the lever towards the back of the trans. which you'd shorten the cable. if you have someone under the truck they say stock adjustment the lever should move as soon as it comes off curb idle. Then you would want to shorten the cable alittle more that way the throttle valve is open before it comes off curb idle. I had the tv Rod stick and 2nd - 3rd shift wouldn't happen till about 2000 rpm i would have to be up to 35mph or more before it would shift. it was really hard on gas for in town driving and it drove me nuts having a truck scream intown driving.