transmission upshifts

[BuzzGun79]

I just got back my truck from the trans shop, they previously installed the incorrect output shaft during the overhaul & had to correct it. my prolblem now is the trans is upshifting very fast & i can only feel it shift once into 3rd the guy at the shop told me to drive it 200k to break it in & return it for further adjustments,but i know this is incorrect.it should be working.i do have an adjustable modulater but not sure which way to turn the screw.something else that comes to mind is the shift kit installation may be incorrect. i am losing faith in the builder & would like to try to correct it myself. any suggestions ?

 

[BuzzGun79]

sorry the tranny is a C-6

 

[Fellro]

It can be either the modulator or the rod between the carb and the trans is disconnected. I haven't toyed with the adjustable modulators so not certain which way, but a suspicion is to turn it in to raise the pressure. I don't buy into a break in on a trans, they work or they don't, there is not break in time that I ever heard of.

 

[LEB Ben]

It can be either the modulator or the rod between the carb and the trans is disconnected. I haven't toyed with the adjustable modulators so not certain which way, but a suspicion is to turn it in to raise the pressure. I don't buy into a break in on a trans, they work or they don't, there is not break in time that I ever heard of.

I'd agree on the modulator, I have an adjustable on the Bronco, but can't for the life of me remember which way reduced upshift times. I want to say counter clock wise did the trick, but I'm not certain. In all actuality...it's just one vacuum line you need to pop off...then get a very small flat blade in there and give it half turn or so either direction. Pop the line back on and go for a quick little jaunt and see what happened.


As for the kick down rod, check for any binding, and I believe the Ford shop manuals give a pretty good description on on adjustment...can't remember off the top of my head, but if someone doesn't get back to you, I'll do some digging.

 

[Mil1ion]

Pull off the vacuum line and look in the hole. If there is what looks like the head of a small screw in there, it's adjustable. Use a tiny flat screwdriver and turn it clockwise to raise the shift points. It's not recommended that you go more than 6 turns from the stock position however.

Make sure the vacuum hose isn't leaking

 

[Fellro]

If the hose was leaking, it should shift late...

 

[Truckin4life]

Driving it 200 miles i could see, 200k i would just go ahead and not take my vehicle back there ever again...

Are you saying that the Trans is upshifting faster than it should as in to early in the rpm's for the gear your in or load your under?

If so modulator, if it shifts at its normal times depending on load and throttle, but just shifts up faster or harder. That would be your shift kit working. Along with the rebuild, not sure what you were charged for. But a standard rebuild at the shop i worked in did include some work on the clutches so that you got a faster firmer shift... If that makes any sense...

If your shifting in the wrong place in the power band, fiddle with the modulator and check to make sure the vac line isn't leaking, as previously mentioned. The c6 is very straight forward and IMHO one of the easiest to rebuild.. Hard to imagine a trans guy messed it up to bad...

 

[BuzzGun79]

thanks guys,im going to try turning back the modulator first...see if i can slow down the shift points. at this point in time,there is no kickdown rod on the truck,im still searching for one . i did check the trans kickdown lever to make sure it was in the up position & it is.vacum hose & steel line is all new,i put all new hardware on the truck when i first installed the motor & trans,i want reliability & longevity.after two years of hard work & dollars invested,i want to enjoy the benefits next spring without getting under the hood constantly.so im trying to do it right & paying attention to details.unfortunatly im running out of weather this year & this truck is to clean to subject it to snow & road salt..it will just destroy it.i dont intend on taking it back to them unless absolutely necessary.for the money i paid,i could have bought a healthy street unit from summit racing lol. does anyone here have a kickdown rod for a 460/ C-6 ?

 

[BuzzGun79]

i just thought that him telling me to drive it 200 miles was bogus.in my garage days,we would send out automatics for overhaul & reinstalled them.if they didnt work right we would not release the vehicle till they did.i cant stand taking my vehicles in.its always expensive having someone else do it. but in this case i didnt want to rebuild it my self & have to do it again.i have not rebuilt many automatics.just a couple years ago.

 

[Truckin4life]

200 miles just lets everything get into sync... Not at all uncommon of a practice. I've found if it's not gone with in 50 miles its not gunna change by 200...
If its a real problem i wouldn't let it leave either. The problem i think your describing wont be any different now than it will be in 200 miles...

 

[Fellro]

Refresh my memory Buzz, what motor do you have? I recently acquired a downshift rod for a 460 carbed, remembering someone was in need for one. With it gone, it could also add up to early shift points.

 

[Mil1ion]

IIRC, The rods are different from year to year


What year is your combo from?

 

[BuzzGun79]

my combo is 1977 460 & i assume the trans is the same year.to the best of my knowlege the motor & trans came from a 1977 econoline van. i did play with the modulator today i turned it counterclockwise 3/4 of a turn. took it for a spin 1rst shift was about 10mph i had to pay close attention to feel the shift,2nd shift was about 18 mph & the shift was firm & very noticiable.the trans does not slip when shifting.i still feel its shifting early but did notice a little gain.thats about all i got done today....had to help the wife with the honey do's...lol

 

[Fellro]

Shift rod came from a mid 70's car with a 460/C6

 

[Truckin4life]

If the shifts are firm, then your tran's is working right, just the shift points are off. If the rod is missing it could be shifting early (already stated before) also they may have forgot to set the modulator. I do know that alot of Transmission shops will just swap out your transmission for another one when the busy season is around, then when they slow down they start rebuilding the bad transmission stocked up in the back...

 

[Mil1ion]

with average acceleration shift into 2nd should be 18 mph

The key to this is the amount of pedal pressure. It must be Normal acceleration

 

[BuzzGun79]

I was driving with normal excellaration & i agree it should shift into second at 18mph & approximatley 32mph into high.before i do more adjusting i gotta find a kickdown rod.im not sure if the one Roger has will work or not being a 460 /C-6 rod but came out of a car.in theory i think it might work,the rod has to go the same distance from carb to the kickdown lever,but im not sure.clearance is not an issue,theres plenty of room for it.i always thought tho that the kickdown rod controlled passing gear only & not shift points.on the C-4/C-6.i know on newer cars the tv cable does control shift points.guess i need to find out if Rogers kickdown rod would work.any help would be appreciated.thanks again men. Bob

 

[Mil1ion]

It would help if I knew exactly what year this combo is from.

Is the Carb a 2100 or 2150 ?



for example

From 73-77 Large Ford car (Galaxie)

3 different kick down rods
73-76 could have:
Blue Dab
Red and Blue Paint dabs
Red and Brown Paint dabs

78 79- Blue and Yellow Paint dabs

 

[Fellro]

I know what you mean by dabs Mil1on, but the whole dang rod is red....

 

[BuzzGun79]

as stated above the combo is from a 1977 Econoline van 460 C-6 i found this out by year on the valve cover & it has an inverted type fuel pump which crossed over to the van,there is an adapter on the side of the block to redirect the oil filter direction to clear the van crossmember.i am not runing a stock carb {did not recieve one}or intake. i went with a weiand dual plane high rise & a Holley 4160 750 cfm carb.the carb does have the kickdown linkage. i know the rod wil have to probably have to be lengthend in order to work with my setup.basically i need a rod to do this,i dont have one at all.i did find out that Lokar makes a cable setup but its pretty pricey {about 100 bucks} i really dont want to spend that much if i dont have to..FYI in my gallery of pics is a decent shot of my engine which gives a pretty good veiw of the carb & intake when you blow the pic up.i really appreciate the help,thank you.Bob