VERY sloppy shifts

[litdog83z]

my GN was shifting really good and driving nicely except for the TCC solenoid in the transmission was bad so when it got hot it would get messed up...

anyway, dropped the pan, changed the TCC solenoid with a new one from kirban's, installed a drain plug in the pan and hooked up all the wiring with the tcc solenoid just like it was and buttoned it all up, filled up the transmission with fluid, drove for a minute, topped it off with fluid, and thought i was all set.

i also had the TV cable off and got it back on straight and hooked up and adjusted by the factory procedure.

anyway, now when i get in it cold and drive it it shifts decent, not as good as it used to though, then when it gets hot, the shifts are really sloppy... it's like i'm driving a manual transmission and put the clutch in for a couple seconds then it engages again... it's worse with throttle, more boost/power, the worse the shift is... any ideas?

fluid is in the middle of the checkered area on the dipstick hot idling in park... i've adjusted the TV cable back and forth a few clicks but it only gets worse when it's not at the normally set position...

not sure what to do next... it was shifting just fine before i did all this work to it

 

[litdog83z]

overfilled transmission 1/2 to 1 quarts and now the WOT shifting is fine and half throttle when cold is fine

still when it gets hot all shifts at half throttle are off... full throttle is fine, light throttle is fine, just half throttle when it's hot... that's it

 

[chris718]

valve body recalibration kit may be needed

 

[litdog83z]

valve body recalibration kit may be needed

i dunno if it's that complicated...

the thing shifted fine, just had the tcc lockup solenoid problem

replaced the solenoid, put the pan on, filled it up, and now this problem is there suddenly...

 

[77 cruiser]

Don't know if it matters but is the O ring on the new sol.? How bout the filter did it get pushed all the way back in & is the clip on the VB above the filter so it pushes it to the bottom of the pan?
Just a couple of things to look at hopefully it' s as simple as that.

 

[litdog83z]

Don't know if it matters but is the O ring on the new sol.? How bout the filter did it get pushed all the way back in & is the clip on the VB above the filter so it pushes it to the bottom of the pan?
Just a couple of things to look at hopefully it' s as simple as that.

yeah it's probably something like that, i did pull on the filter a little bit contemplating taking it off and replacing it even though it was brand new basically when i swapped in the TCC solenoid... i just installed a drain plug in the pan, so i'll just pull the pan and change it anyway... anything i can do to it to help with the cavitation problem? i thought i read about someone doing something to a stock filter to fix it?

it's weird how it only happens at half throttle though it did it a little bit when cold at a little over half throttle today, so it's not just a thing that happens when it's hot... i'll just pull the pan and check it out... gosh i hate doing that

 

[A. G. Olphart]

Would leaving the spacers out of a fits all TCC valve cause this due to flow restrictions? Seems that it should somehow be tied to what you worked on.

 

[litdog83z]

Would leaving the spacers out of a fits all TCC valve cause this due to flow restrictions? Seems that it should somehow be tied to what you worked on.

you'd think so

dropped the pan (thank goodness for drain plugs)
the filter was being pushed on by the metal tab, so that was ok, but it seemed a bit down, so i pulled it and put in the new one i had laying around...

still does the same thing... readjusted the TV, overfilled 1.25 quarts or so... same thing still

the TCC solenoid i got from kirbans... i just put it in just like it was... AC Delco part so i figure it should be right

but it slips on all shifts at about half throttle and shifts at a low rpm and really quickly shifts into third after hitting second... seems to shift a little better at WOT, but i dunno :-/

it's a sudden change so i know it has to be something to do with the TCC solenoid or the filter, unless something just magically gave out and died at the same time..

i also had the TV cable off on the transmission side... adjusting the TV cable one way or another makes changes, so it should be hooked up in the transmission... if it wasnt it would shift a lot worse anyway... maybe something stuck in there? would taking the tv cable off of the throttle body and pulling on it free it up or at least let me know if it's catching/sticking?

 

[77 cruiser]

Usually when they're stuck (tv) is will stick in & you'll get hi hard shifts, but you could dissconnect it & work it. It will pull out fairly easy for about 3/8 of an in. then will get harder as you start to compress the tv spring.

 

[litdog83z]

Usually when they're stuck (tv) is will stick in & you'll get hi hard shifts, but you could dissconnect it & work it. It will pull out fairly easy for about 3/8 of an in. then will get harder as you start to compress the tv spring.

ok i disconnected it, let the thing slack in, and pulled on it, it goes at least an inch really easy, then it gets really hard to pull after that (i suspect compressing the tv spring you're talking about).

maybe the tv spring is shot? or something to do with that

for all i know this is the original transmission, with 160k miles on the clock, could be in need of some work

but would that make WOT shifts ok then and light throttle shifts ok, but half throttle shifts are really bad?

 

[litdog83z]

no more ideas?

do you guys at least think this is TV related?

i'll pull the pan and check the TV valve's movement and such with the throttle, etc...

i dont want to miss my first 1/4 mile run in this thing tomorrow AGAIN

 

[litdog83z]

ok pan is off AGAIN

had my mom push in the gas pedal all the way as far as it could go, and i looked at the tv rod thing that goes into the valve body and it was 3/8 inch out still... is it supposed to be flush?

also when the pedal was let off, the rod came most of the way out, but stopped 1/8-1/4 short of staying in contact... so it was just kinda free floating in there until you get on the throttle decent to push on it

when she had the pedal all the way down, i could push on the lever that pushes on the rod and get it in a tiny bit more in, and it would hold with the pedal, but if i pushed it 100% in and flush with the valve body it would pop out a tiny bit even when the pedal was still 100% depressed....

this doesnt sound right to me

EDIT: and after the pan was off, i could push the filter up another 1/8-1/4 inch into the hole... when i installed it i pushed it up as far as it would go... it seems to have worked itself down a little bit...

so what's my next action? pull the TV assembly out of the valve body and check the spring?

also if it will help i can get pictures of it, and i'd like to see some pics of the TV valve working right if i can find them again...

EDIT: and one more thing...

i'm going to pull the TV valve out of the valve body and check the spring, as i suspect it might be broken... wouldnt be the first time i've seen broken springs in transmissions...

as a temp fix, there is a early/mid 80s cadillac out here (we own a salvage yard) with a shot 200-4r (not TV related, it has the same tranny pan at least)... will the TV valve and springs and stuff be different in that even though it's not a BRF valve body?

i'd really like to have this figured out and done by tomorrow night

HOW ABOUT ANOTHER EDIT:
spring in the TV looks fine, so does the rest of it... of course i'm no expert... it's probably too late to get any help now tonight.. maybe tomorrow

 

[litdog83z]

ok maybe i over-thunk this problem... just like every single one of my last ones... it always has to be the most complicated thing in my mind, but usually ends up being the simplest...

if i push the TV cable adjustment in a couple clicks towards the firewall, it just barely contacts the plunger in the transmission and if you push it all the way it would be all the way depressed... there's nothing in the TV valve holding it from going all the way in, just the cable isnt pulilng enough...

maybe the cable i have's ratcheting mechanism is too weak for this tv valve? if i set it, it ratchets a couple really fast and before i even get to the fully WOT setting... maybe it's worn out?

it's recently replaced using an autozone replacement cable from a mid 80s v6 camaro because the stock replacement for the GN wasnt long enough...

would being adjusted off 3 or so clicks too far in make it flair all the shifts under 1/4 - 3/4 throttle? then at WOT it shifts half decent, but not perfect still?

maybe i just need a new TV cable from a GM dealer...

 

[77 cruiser]

The plunger should go in about flush, could possibly be the cable. Yea it would make part throttle shift early & soft.

 

[litdog83z]

The plunger should go in about flush, could possibly be the cable. Yea it would make part throttle shift early & soft.

yeah... leave it to me to overthink it :lol:

i'm about 99% sure it's the cable ratcheting out too easy now... it does it a lot easier than it did when i replaced it... it's just a cheap pos cable from autozone...

off to the GM dealer tomorrow morning !

 

[litdog83z]

aaaaaaaaaaand once again i prove my overthinking to be true

grabbed a TV cable, installed it, adjusted it... wot pushes the valve all the way flush, let off the pedal and it's just barely on the valve.... time to button it up and go for a spin

 

[litdog83z]

do i need to adjust the TV cable manually until it wont bust free like that?