?'s on aftermarket full Lockup kits

[cutluse231]

I have my Regal with the 455 up and running.
I'm trying to get the lock up to work on my 2004R trans thats in it.
I've been to several sites for lock up kits, and a couple seem conflicting on their ways of being installed.
One ( B&M) uses speedometter readings to lock and unlock TCC, looks like a plug in to the female connector on the trans and a speed signal source is all thats required.
Another couple of sites ( Bowtie Overdrives, & T.C.I.) show removal of the trans pan for internal rewiring, one grounds the TCC solenoid to it's self the other uses an outside source for grounding, both bypass the 2nd and 3rd gear switches and replace the 4th gear switch with another that has 2 posts on it.
Both also controll lockup from the Neg side
My questions are... is it necessary to have internal wiring done?
Or can one run ign power to "A" on the female plug on the trans and have a ground coming out of "D" to ground with some type of switch or interrupter source for to unlock TCC?
Whats throwing me is the B&M kit and the one (if I remember correctly) from Art Carr both seemed to be plug and play with no internal mods.
Dont get me wrong I will go the extra steps to insure it works correctly and safely and get one of those full kits.
But if it really isn't necessary I won't.
Thanks again guys

 

[MeanBuicks]

I can't speak for the other products but I can explain some of the logic behind the TCI kit (376600) since I had much to do with that.

The control logic used by the OEM via the ECM entails inputs from the VSS, TPS and the pressure switches among other things. In an aftermarket situation where an ECM is not present, the ideal solution is both inexpensive yet highly functional and universal. Sure it can be wired for complete manual activation as you mentioned, but it's more practical to automate the process so that it doesn't become a pain in the rear.

We chose the fourth-gear switch as a primary control because that is where most people cruise at highway speeds. If the transmission is not in fourth, TCC will not activate. If that were the only control, the TCC would always be on along with fourth gear. That would cause poor driveability and be quite annoying.

The second half of our control is the vacuum switch. It is in-line with the pressure switch such that two conditions must be met for the TCC to activate. Once the transmission has shifted to fourth, the vacuum switch waits until engine vacuum exceeds 8-10 inches. It will then complete the circuit and activate the solenoid. (There is also some adjustability to our switch if fine tuning is required.)

If you begin to accelerate enough to drop your vaccum, the TCC will kick off. That is what happens on an ECM controlled vehicle when the TPS increases to a certain point. If you get into the throttle enough to initiate a 4-3 kickdown, the TCC will also release right away.

For those situations where a driver would like second and/or third-gear TCC, we have a provision on the outer wiring harness so that a manual toggle switch can be utilized to force TCC apply.

The one situation where our system may be too touchy would be forced induction motors due to the use of the vacuum switch. That's where GM's utilization of the TPS came in real handy. It also may be an instance where B&M's speed sensitive control may be a better choice. Overall though, our kit does a great job in most applications and with literally thousands sold over the years, I think the customers agree.