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TC locking, unlocking when cruzing

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qwks6

Boost junkie
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
574
Well, I had the tranny rebuilt not too long ago, and now the torque converter is locking and unlocking when cruzing at freeway speeds. It's very annoying. Is it the ECM or TCC? How would I go about diagnosing it? Thanks
 
the locking is when you're in gear and the rpm's drop without a shift. Try just driving up to freeway speed and see if you can count what gear you're in, if you hit 4th then the car's rpm's drop, it's locking up. When you give it gas and rpm's jump but it doesn't downshift it's unlocking. I belive it unlocks when you tap the brake, so you could try that too...
 
Is your foot anywhere near the brake pedal? (some people like their left foot hovering over the brake pedal while driving).

Or your switch may need adjustment. It's located down on the steering column mounted right next to the brake light switch.
 
MIne does that sometimes at around 45MPH driving around town. I put 2 switches in, one for locking the TCC when racing and one for keeping the TCC unlocked for cruising around. Not a fix but a bandaid to your problem maybe.
 
I've chased the same problem in a Monte SS, swapped the ecm and it's been fine ever since.
 
How do you install the switches? Can't you just install one switch? I saw somebody describe splicing into the brake switch but wouldn't that only keep it unlocked? That may be the easiest way to go...
 
From the BIBLE gnttype.org
TCC Lockup
Locking up the torque converter manually has been shown to improve ET's by up to .2 seconds and add 2 MPH to your trap speed in the quarter mile. By activating this switch at the starting line, fluid will travel to the converter forcing lockup once the transmission hits second gear (there is no fluid path to converter while in 1st or reverse.) Yes, this is hard on the converter and transmission, but so is racing in general.

The switch will ground the TCC circuit regardless of ECM request. To install, run a wire from a ground location to one end of the switch and run another wire from the other end of the switch to terminal F on the ALDL connector under the radio pod. (As you are looking at the ALDL connector, terminal F is at the top left.) The easiest way to do the connection is to splice into the wire behind the connector.

Remember to flip the switch to the Off position once you are through the quarter mile to avoid unnecessary lockup, wear-and-tear, etc. With the switch in the Off position, the converter will only lockup when the ECM commands it to lockup. Note that this retains the Brake pedal override.





TCC Defeat
If your torque converter tends to lockup early (dragging down the motor) and you do not have access to EPROM programming, this switch allows you to delay that lockup. (Some transmissions will hit fourth gear very hard if the torque converter is already locked up.) To install, simply cut the purple wire going to the upper brake switch (near the top of the brake pedal arm) and splice in a switch. This tricks the TCC circuit into thinking you have applied the brakes and unlocks the torque converter.
 
perfect, thanks. So I could have complete control of it with one switch, if I left the forced lockup switch "on" and just use the TCC defeat as a manual between locked and unlocked.

Thank you JPratt for that quote...
 
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