desi

74, L48, performer intake, compcam 260H, TH400, 3.08 rear.

Mine up-shifts at 3200 rpm even at WOT :confused:

Is this right? Can it be adjusted? Redline starts at 5000. Shifting at WOT should be around at least 4500 IMO.

Any ideas? Thanks. :cheers:

Stewart's74

Desi, I agree with you, that isnt right. My 74 L-48 with a 268H, performer manifold, TH400: 3.08 gears, shifts well over 5k @ WOT.

Alwyn678

Mine shifts at 5500

Matt Gruber

without a working kickdown switch mine was 4500.
hooked up it was 5000

desi

But my kick down works fine. If I stomp on it at 2800 or so, it immediately kicks down. However, my operating range seems to be between 800-3200 rpm only (unless I shift manually) :confused:

What else could it be? How does one change the range?

Matt Gruber

at 30-35 mph, you floor it,
does it go in 2nd or1st?

desi

it doesn't go anywhere. But at 50, if I floor it, it goes to second... :confused:

Matt Gruber

no downshift at 30 means kickdown SWITCH not working. mine did the same thing

desi

(hope none of my friends are reading this, but)
Where is the kick-down switch?
Is it easy to replace?
How much does it cost?
Is there some way to test it before replacing it?

75 Stingray!

My TH400 also shifts at around 3000RPM it can be changed by replacing some small springs (I believe there is a topic on this, on this forum) as for the kick down switch it is located at the top of your gas pedal inside the car. If you could be so kind and tell me (or a pic) what colours the wires are that go to this switch it would be greatly appreciated. The reason I ask is because mine is not hooked up and I’m not sure what wires go to it.

HWY 9 - Z06

I have the same problem. I just installed a street/strip TH400 that i purchased from b&m and at WOT it shifts at 3400 rpm. do a search on TH400 and there is a link that describes governor calibration. I just purchased the governor recalibration kit from b&m but have not had a chance to install it yet. The kick down switch is for forced full throttle down shifts. the governor, if I can remember the info i got from the archive search, determines through two sets of weights and some springs, the speed of the output shaft, using centrifugal force to spead the weights. this translates to a higher line pressure which overcomes the vaccuum modulator pressure and delays the upshift from both 1-2 and 2-3. I know there is archived info on this, the only problem I am running into so far, since I do not want to pull the tranny that i just put in is how to get the governor cover off to change the weights and springs, there was another archive post that talked about cutting a hole in the transmission tunnel to access it, but I'm not quite sure that I want to cut holes to do this. i may even end up taking the kit I just bought to a tranny shop and let them do it, because i refuse to pull the tranny back out, I just finished putting it in! This is the solution though according to b&m tech support. This is my only dissapointment with their tranny is that if it is supposed to be a street strip transmission it should shift closer to redline.

SuperFast80

:leaving: :lol:

Smokehouse69

You can easily get to the governor cover without cutting a hole or pulling the tranny. It is on the right side of the transmission toward the back almost directly across from the speedometer cable. There is a round cover that is held in place with a couple of bolts (I'm writing this from memory so don't kill me on the details.) With the backend of the car jacked up you can pull the cover and only lose a few teaspoons full of fluid.
If memory serves me correctly the springs effect one upshift point and the weights the other. I have one of them out of kilter on my car since it shifts at 5500 from 2 to 3, but 1 to 2 shifts are a problem (I have to manually shift the car by letting off the gas for a second to get it to shift up.)
Last winter or fall I found an article on how the governor works and how to adjust it. I think I posted a link to it here, maybe a search of the archives will turn it up.

Jvette73

From a 30mph roll in third gear, if you punch it, it should skip 2nd and drop to 1st. if not the kickdown detent aint workin. Probably somethin wrong with the govenor for it to shift so early on WOT. The modulator can be adjusted to effect the part throttle upshift points. But to increase the WOT upshift points the govenor would need to be modified or changed. im not sure on the govenor with the 400 but if its anything like the govenor on the 200 then one of the springs could have come off. the springs are designed to hold the weights in against the centrifigul force created when the govenor spins due to vehicle speed. If the govenor tossed the spring, then the weights will swing out way early and cause and early upshift. one of the ways of incresing the WOT shift points is to drill small holes in the end of the govenor weights. since this makes them lighter, the car needs to be moving faster before they swing out enough to make a shift, hence going faster in the lower gear raises the shift rpm.

Jvette73

http://store.summitracing.com/produc...earchType=ECat

desi

Just came back from work. Tried flooring it at various speeds. here is what's going on.
The operating range is definitely 800-3200 rpm ONLY.
In speeds of UNDER 50 mph, the car always shifts down at WOT.
Anything over 50 mph, forget it. I am assuming it won't shift down 'cause it will take the car out of 800-3200 rpm range :mad

Help guys. BTW, I also installed a B&M shift improver kit. If the problem is related to this kit, then out goes the kit. I ain't drilling no holes in weights.. :mad
Any other links that you guys may come across would be helpful. :cheers:

75Stingray! I will let you know once I get in there... :yesnod:

Jvette73

Well, when I still had the 400 in, at first my kick down wasnt workin and it would not kick down from 3rd to 2nd at 60mph. After discovering it wasnt working I had to replace the solonoid in the pan. After that it would kickdown to 2nd at 60mph. I say that even if your govenor was not working right and you kickdown was, it would drop to 2nd at 60 the shift back up again shortly thereafter. So for starters you might wanna look into the kickdown setup. check the switch under the pedal to see if its gettin 12v with key on. floor the pedal and check to see if the pedal switch is passing the signal on to the solonoid. If it is, then the solonoid in the pan probably needs replacing. what I did to test mine was unplug the kick down wire where it plugs into the drivers side of the trans. I connected a test light there to the end of the wire. Then, with the key on but engine not running i floored the pedal. The light didnt light. the pedal wasnt pushing the switch all the way closed. So I adjusted that untill the light would come on with the pedal floored. I hooked the wire back up and went for a test drive but still no kickdown. So then I replaced the solonoid in the pan and it worked as it should after that. (dont be confused by a kickdown caused by the modulator cause it will by the modulator alone) for instance, from a 30mph roll in 3rd the modulator will cause a kickdown to 2nd. but if the pedal switch and solonoid are working it will skip 2nd and drop to 1st.

Smokehouse69

Here's the link I mentioned in an earlier response, it is a long and very detailed description of how the governor works, well worth the read.

http://yarchive.net/car/transmission.html

desi

Jvette73, thanks for the detail test method and info. I always like your responses.

This weekend, I will be checking the switch and the solenoid for proper setup and function. I really hope to find the solution with either the switch or solenoid. I don't want to mess with governers :rolleyes:

At what RPM, should I expect the upshifts to be, say at WOT? 4000? 4500? 5000?

Smokehouse69, that article has excellent info :cheers:

Jvette73

[QUOTE]Jvette73, thanks for the detail test method and info. I always like your responses.

This weekend, I will be checking the switch and the solenoid for proper setup and function. I really hope to find the solution with either the switch or solenoid. I don't want to mess with governers :rolleyes:

At what RPM, should I expect the upshifts to be, say at WOT? 4000? 4500? 5000?

The acutual rpm for a WOT upshift will vary depending on how the govenor is set up or weather its workin properly. But a failing kickdown might also cause an early upshift, so thats why I suggested checking that first. I think I remember my th400 shifting up automatically at around 4500WOT. that still wasnt high enough for my mods so when i really wanted to go fast I would manually upshift and hold it out to 5500. i never got around to foolin with the govenor on the 400 before i swapped to the 2004r.