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Shift Points(TH350 automatic)

13K views 27 replies 12 participants last post by  NJLuke 
#1 ·
I recently got my tranny rebuild for a little bit over price...but its all decked out shifts really good and shift kit in all. Great city/hwy driving. I decided to break it in and floor my baby which i havent done ina while and it always shifts @ 3500rpm... now a friend who went a tech school and worked on trannys said my shift point was incorrect. how hard is to to correct this shift point w/out taking off the tranny. or say what work is needed to correct this @ home w/out taking it back. please let me know i hate being raped of my power band..a nissan fronteir almost took me :(
 
#3 ·
Yep, it's the kickdown cable that needs adjusting. Easy to do. Takes about 4 or 5 minutes. Do a google search to find out how to adjust the kickdown cable. If it is too much out of adjustment one way, shifting will linger and seem to take forever. If too much out the other way, shifting will take place way too early. You may have to move it a notch at a time until you get it to your liking.
 
#5 ·
Also make sure you have got the fliud level correct. To much & to little will affect the pressure.
 
#6 ·
Mrapii, for some years now, I have been adjusting my kickdown cable to cause my 350C tranny to shift to my liking. Earlier or later as desired. Not at WOT either. The way I learned this was after a rebuild. I took the vehicle back to the rebuilder with a complaint about not up shifting on time. He adjusted the kickdown cable and problem was resolved. Before I left the shop, he showed me how to make the adjustment. Worked then and works now.
 
#7 ·
I have adjusted the kickdown on my TH350 and the TV cable on my 200-4R and they are very different. Adjusting the kickdown (back near the firewall) never affected the shift timing except for how soon or easily it would downshift upon acceleration while traveling in 2nd or 3rd gear already. My TH350's had valve body (internal) modifications which, along with the vacuum modulator and governor, regulated the shift points. The only other thing that I know of that may cause early WOT shifting is too much fluid. With the 200-4R the TV cable adjustment (near the carburetor) affects the shift timing and, even more noticeable, the shift firmness. I have a strongly built, made to shift hard 200-4R though, so I am not sure what it would do with a stock overdrive. But even the 200-4R's have a governor that determines WOT shift points. The V6 governors shift at higher RPM than the V8 governors. Anyway, that is my experience.

Snaggle To0th, I would ask your tranny guy for advise because only he knows for sure what he did to your tranny. You alone could only guess. It's not uncommon to need adjustments after installation since you never really know for sure how it will behave. He may be able to advise you on how to change it or he may fix it for you free. It should shift later than 3500 @ WOT, so call him on it. Best of luck.

read this:
http://yarchive.net/car/transmission.html
 
#8 ·
Spoonplugger, I don't really want to argue with you but the downshift detent cable does exactly as it's name suggests--it controls the downshifting and nothing else. The only possible way it could affect an upshift is that it is improperly adjusted so short that an upshift is prevented. Upshifting normally can only be affected by the vacumn modulator, governor and valve body. Please reserch this as your misinformation can easily confuse the newbies.
 
#9 ·
Mrapii said:
Spoonplugger, I don't really want to argue with you but the downshift detent cable does exactly as it's name suggests--it controls the downshifting and nothing else. The only possible way it could affect an upshift is that it is improperly adjusted so short that an upshift is prevented. Upshifting normally can only be affected by the vacumn modulator, governor and valve body. Please reserch this as your misinformation can easily confuse the newbies.
A normal th350 can be effected on upshift and kickdown if it has an adjutable TV cable. My '78 had such a cable. After the rebuild, I had to adjust the cable quite a few times to get it right. When I first installed the rebuilt 350, it shifted so quick that it would lug down in 3rd. I adjusted it the other way and it wouldn't shift into 3rd. A few test drives moving the cable around and I finally got it dialed.
 
#12 ·
Hey Mrapii don't take this wrong cause I know you are right

I don't think you'll ever get your point across to some of these folks they are just not receptive. My son once informed me that i screwed up and ran only one pcv valve on his engine after rebuilding it . his freind who worked for a transmission shop( taking out trash I believe) hooked up the other one for him "like it should be". Now he wants to know what I did with the other brake line as he has no power brakes, and there is definately a place to hook it up(his words to me)"you kow where you screwed up and had that pcv hose running to."

Anyway back to the subject at hand maybe they should try satelite and quit messing with cable tv dishnetwork will install it for free :lol:

Personally I couldn't get cable tv with my turbo 350 so I'm putting in a t5. Then I can adjust my Shift points on the fly :lol:
Still can't watch HOTROD TV though.


Tony
 
#13 ·
Mrapii said:
One more time...TH350s DO NOT have TV cables; they have downshift detent cables.
I've alway looked at it as if it's adjustable, it's a tv cable. If it's not adjustable, it's a kickdown. The one that my th350 had had the "D" shaped botton just like the 700r4 has, seems like that be a tv cable to me :? Call it what you will, technical terms aside, it does the same dame thing.
 
#15 ·
last year I replaced my carburetor and could not get the tranny to shift into third until I adjusted the kickdown cable using the big "D" shaped button on the passenger side of the cable. I would pull over beside the road to make the adjustment until I got it just right. So, been there, done that.
 
#16 ·
Mrapii,
I guarantee that if someone went to the parts store and asked for a TV cable for their TH350 the could not buy one, NO SUCH THING. Some people just dont understand that. I think for some people correct terminology is not important. They just say what they mean and they mean what they say. Kinda like saying "I got a flat tire on my steering wheel. You know, one of the front ones that turns the car when you steer". Makes no sense to argue with that? It is what they say it is cause thats what they call it, regardless of the proper part name. It's just real confusing for the people who are trying to learn the correct terminology and part names, wondering how a steering wheel loses air and gets flat.
 
#17 ·
WELCOME TO MY HELL!!!!!! :evil: no two people in the entire world call the same part by the same name. most dont know names of parts, make of car, or year model (duh?) even the Service department and Parts department catalogs show different names for the same part. causes much confusion and anger.
 
#22 ·
leslies70 said:
Snaggle To0th, I would ask your tranny guy for advise because only he knows for sure what he did to your tranny. You alone could only guess. It's not uncommon to need adjustments after installation since you never really know for sure how it will behave. He may be able to advise you on how to change it or he may fix it for you free. It should shift later than 3500 @ WOT, so call him on it. Best of luck.

read this:
http://yarchive.net/car/transmission.html
 
#23 ·
Yes, you can. I dont know the exact process, but you dont have to pull the tranny, just the governer and changes the weights and springs. TCI and B+M both sell kits with instructions. I'll do more research, there is a great article out there on it, I remember reading it i swear!
-Luke
 
#24 ·
Thanks for all your help but i finally visted my tranny guy, and he said its good to go (fluid and all not smelly) but ym shift point is my Vacuum Modulator. All i gotta do is turn the screw on it 1 full turn clock wise he said, or where ever i want it. Can anyone please show me where the vacum modulator is located or have a really good description besides "find a vacum line" thanks guys.
 
#25 ·
If you have an adjustable vacumn modulator the most adjustment you will be able to get is a few miles-per-hour increase. You have to modify the governor to increase the shift points to the level you want. Man, I just don't understand "your tranny guy"; he takes your money and then blows you off.
 
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