car runs strong, but one problem...

[trbojo]

main problem is the 1-2 shift area. on a b@@ls on run, the motor screams up to what seems like the max rev point. there's about a 1/2 sec delay til the 1-2 shift hits. almost feels like fuel starvation, but i know i have enough fuel. i think i have my plugs gapped at .035. should i drop them to .032 ? or, ... weak valvesprings(they are original), or did my governor spring fall off? like i said, motor screams to a certain point, then seems to run out?? please help!

 

[trbojo]

ttt

 

[77tech9]

Mine does the same thing with old valves. How old is your tranny?

I think combo of my old springs and tranny it slips at those high rpm shifts for a second, still enough to keep the tires burning when it shifts though.

 

[trbojo]

anyone else??

 

[trbojo]

ttt. any other help?

 

[trbojo]

come on guys. 220 views and only 1 reply?

 

[JadeMonkeyStang]

Not sure how many miles you have, but you might want to look into those valvesprings. Any other problems with the 1-2 shift or just at the top of a WOT blast?

-Jade

 

[87GNcospg]

i have the same problem. at a WOT run i sometimes (has happened a few times and just tonight it happened two different times) hit what seems to be a "rev limiter" at the top of 1st gear. i just say rev limiter because i am not sure what else to call it. all i know is it feels real bad. i had a friend tonight try and tell me it could be some sort of limiter on my tranny. yah i wasnt sure what he meant so i just stopped listening. my car will stumble real bad (at the top of 1st) and i just take my foot off the gas completely and slowly ease back into it. this happened tonight as i was racing a mitsubishi 300gt vr-4. i still won the race though
sometimes it seems like the car stays in 1st gear a little too long and then it stumbles.
i assume it is my springs but im not sure what to say about why my car will seem to stay in 1st gear a little to long.

 

[Turbo Brian]

Your problem may be the transmission governor. When your engine has more boost, it produces more torque and changes the calibration that is required. I copied this info from an old thread:

The idea behind the two weights is to provide a wide range of governor pressure change vs. road speed. The governor is a centrifugal device so, as its rpm increases, the governor weights sling outward. The heavy weight will move out first at low road speeds sealing its checkball against the governor shaft. The light weight and spring control shift points at higher road speeds. To move the WOT shift points down, you will need to either find a stiffer spring or add weight to the light weight.

Check out this link:

http://www.2004rperformancecenter.com/mcartfree/product.asp?intProdID=91

 

[microELVIS]

Ya i had that, but it wasnt at WOT. It was in the tranny and it was called a lockup switch i believe. It would happen after it got hot, say after a 30min highway run or something. If thats the problem its a cheap fix.

 

[trbojo]

so, if the spring fell off, this could have the same affect as a weak spring, causing late shifts? even at very light throttle, it seems like the 3-4 shift doesn't want to happen unless i lift off the throttle a little bit. thanks for the tips.

 

[galoush]

The govenor is my bet . I had a tranny done and the Gov was to light for my car and same problems . If it revs into the rev limiter it feels like you described Take the car easy into the higher gears and floor it i bet it wont do that . Check it out .

 

[87GNcospg]

how would i know if it is the transmission govenor or valve springs? where is the govenor located?

 

[87GNcospg]

would it be wise to check my TV cable to see if it is out of adjustment?

 

[2 SLOW]

If the gov spring fell off it would wind up real high in first gear even at light throttle. And in second as well. I would put my money on the valve springs. Besides it won't hurt to change them anyway on an 18 year old car. I would suggest some Comp 979 springs. If that doesn't fix it, then go after the tranny.

Another way to roughly check the shift points is to see what mph the shifts are coming at. Watch the speedo at WOT. The 1-2 shift should come at about 35-36 mph. The 2-3 shift should be at about 63mph. If it is faster (higher mph) before it shifts then the tranny has issues. If the mph is a little short when the power falls off then the motor is not getting to the speed the tranny needs to shift at.

HTH

 

[XLR8]

My car felt like that - I actually had to lift a little at 4800 to get it to shift into 2nd. I replaced my valve springs with CC 980's - problem solved - also the best bang for the buck mod I did to the car.

 

[87GNcospg]

is there only about a 10-15lb difference between the 979's and 980's?

 

[XLR8]

Not much difference with the 979's and 980's. If you use the 979's you should reuse the cups with the springs, with the 980's, the cups are not necessary.

 

[QuickWrench]

I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but yes...these cars DO have a rev-limiter. It's easy to run up against this, especially on the 1-2 shift.

The governor could be the problem, but I doubt it. A missing governor spring will typically cause much bigger, more prevalent issues.

A weak transmission [that's taking its time shifting] will hit the limiter all the time. Most chip programmers set the limit between 6,200 - 6,500 RPM, depending on the configuration. Race chips may be slightly higher. Don't depend on the stock tach to let you know where you're really at, either...

If you're contemplating a valvespring change for a stock-cammed car, it's simple. The Comp Cams 979s are the perfect drop-in replacement. I've put in at least a dozen sets for 11-12 second cars. (Link)

 

[87GNcospg]

my stock tach does not work,but i am positive i am not getting anywhere near 6,000 rpm. i have noticed that my car seems to "wind up" a little if i apply little throttle. oh well. the whole car is going to probably get worked through shortly so whatever it is, it is going to get fixed one way or another