I need some help with my 700r4 tranny. Car is a 69 Camaro with 408 BB and fairly aggressive cam. 2800 stall converter and 4.10 rearend gears. I have read several articles on setting the tv cable, but can't seem to get it set right. I have a holley 750 with the holley tv cable corrector bracket that bolts to the linkage. When I shift the transmission manually, it shifts and feels good (other than first gear being too low). The problem is when I put it in drive. Under light acceleration, the transmission shifts through the gears way too fast and the shifts feel soft. The engine bogs because it shifts into O.D so fast. Under hard acceleration the shifts feel firmer, but it's hard to tell because even at 3/4 throttle the tires are spinning in first and sencond gear. I have the tv cable set so it is pulled all the way at W.O.T. If I pull it tighter it wont allow W.O.T. My engine is putting out nearly 500hp at the flywheel. I'm thinking the combination I have with 4.10 gears and high stall may be causing some of my problems. What do you guys think about modifying the governor so the trans. holds the gears longer? I also read an article about shimming the plunger spring with a 1/8" thick washer to increase line pressure?? Have any of you heard of this. I'm running out of ideas. I have adjusted the cable several times and still can't get it right. I'm afraid I'm gonna fry the transmission.

Please hunt up Jakeshoe, he can probably tell you off the top of his head as can Bruce.

Try here, over on Big Brother, (Team Chevelle) as well as at MadMikes great NastyZ28 site, Second Generation Camaro Owners Group. Jake's usually in and out over at NastyZ, but has been known to pop in on our TC sites too.

pdq67

Thanks for the reply. I'm about ready to throw in the towle with this darn tv cable. No matter how its adjusted, I can't seem to get it to shift right. I'll try the other sites you mentioned as well. Hopefully someone out there can give me some good advice.
Rick

Yes, your TV cable is not adjusted properly. You need more pull and more tension at idle.
I installed the TCI constant pressure valve body, this spring, and so far I am happy with it. You still need your TV cable adjusted correctly ! Do you have the linkage "corrector" installed on your carburetor ? It makes it so you will have a straight pull on the cable.

Slightly pulled out at idle is correct, the best way to set it is to install a pressure gauge and set the cable up so that the pressure is about 4 to 5 psi above what it reads with the cable disconnected, this in combination with fully pulled out at WOT is the proper setting, part throttle shifting will be a function of the geometry of your linkage and the internals of your trans.

I just got in from another test run. I adjusted the cable tighter and still have the same problem. I know it isn't too loose becaue at idle its being pulled out about a third of the way out. Any tighter and the throttle won't open very far because the tv cable will be pulled out all the way. With light throttle in drive, it shifts through all the gears before I reach 35 mph. Engine bogs because it goes into OD so quickly. At W.O.T it shifts alot better. It shifts at around 4000 RPM and at much higher speeds. The only problem I see at full throttle is that it shifts out of 1st gear to soon (around 5 mph). I can barely tell it's in first gear.
Tom, do you think I need the TCI valve body like the one you installed? I have thought about going to a stiffer plunger spring or mayber the EZ system from Bowtie Overdrives. I have already installed the Holley corrector bracket that bolts to the linkage.
Len, where do you get one the those pressure gauges with a long enough house to reach inside the car?
Any suggestions from anyone out there would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick

By design, the OEM's want the trans in high gear as soon as possible. Quicker into high gear, better mileage.

A 0-200 PSI gauge with 1/8 or 3/16 inch copper tubing and the proper adapters, you can view inside the car.

I will not say that the constant pressure valve body is the way to go. I, like you, had problems adjusting my TV cable. Unfortunately, you still need your cable adjusted properly to get your shifts correct. I'm not sure, what type of cable you are using. The adjust with the button or the cable ferule type. I have the ferule type, and with your complaint that "Its better, but still not right." I would pull out a little more cable. BTO (bowtie overdrives) sells the gauge you are after. I am stuborn and I felt as if BTO was nickel and diming us, by using $20.00 bills. So I went the other route.

I think I've tried every position on the TV cable. I will try to make or buy a pressure gauge to check the pressures ASAP. I think I'm OK at W.O.T, but light throttle shifts suck! I know very little about transmissions, but it seems like I'm not getting enough pressure at light throttle, causing stacked and light shifts. It will only stay in first for a second or less under hard or light throttle. 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th all feel good at W.O.T. I hate to have to take it to a shop, because I never seem to have any luck with anyone working on any of my vehicles.
Thanks,
Rick

You can modify your govenor so it will shift later.
maybe these guys can give you a quick answer?
http://www.bowtieoverdrives.com/index.shtml

MBHD

Len, where do you get one the those pressure gauges with a long enough house to reach inside the car?
Any suggestions from anyone out there would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick

http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/
You can get the hose, fittings, and gauge here. I buy all my fluid system stuff from these guys, best all around pricing I've found.
Gauge :
http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/product_p/afc-300-25.htm
1/4" Hose: http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/SAE_100R1AT_Hydraulic_Hose_p/r1-hose.htm
1/4" NPT Hose fittings: http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/product_p/r1-xx-100.htm
1/4" NPT Coupling: http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/product_p/5000.htm
1/8" Male to 1/4" Female NPT Bushing: http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/product_p/5405.htm
1/8" NPT Elbow: http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/product_p/5502.htm
If you wanted to get fancy you could add a swivel in there to make assembly a bit easier but this does the trick. Also great for troubleshooting oil pressure problems.

Thanks Len! Must have taken you some time to to post all those parts and the web page. I really appreciate it.
Rick

Thanks Len! Must have taken you some time to to post all those parts and the web page. I really appreciate it.
Rick
You were lucky, I was putting together a list of hose and fittings for my other project(72 commando, 10" stretch)

What was the trans originally out of?

It sounds like you are fighting 2 problems.
Governer not correct for the application (B&M has a kit, or go to your chevy dealer and get a corvette governer)
And bad geometry on the TV cable. It sounds like the lever on the carb is too long, producing too much cable movement and making it impossible to get both a good WOT setting and a good idle setting at the same time.

Jim,
Will the Corvette governor make it hold the gears longer? I really need it to hold first gear alot longer. I have been racking my brain for the past few days trying to figure this out. This is the first time I've had a car with a high stall convertor. It's rated at 2800 RPM. Can this high of a stall make the transmission feel like it's shifting really soft due to the slippage? Even if it is, I still need the trans to hold the gears longer. Maybe the Corvette governor is just what I need. I was also wondering how hard it would be to pull the governor since there is limited space between the trans. tunnel and governor. To make thing worse the transmission sets off to the passanger side a little since the car is a big block. I could slide it back over a little to gain some room. I would really hate to have to pull the transmission.

The stock vette 700r4 governer was for the tpi engines, and it will shift (WOT) at about 5500. LT1's shifted at 6k, but those are 4l60e's.

Just driving around, the converter will make the shifts feel soft, this is very normal.

Pulling the governor might require pulling the distributor and crossmember, disconnecting the exhaust, and dropping the trans (and engine) down for access.

A shift kit will also delay and firm the shifts, even at part throttle low rpm.

Thanks Jim........seems like a lot of work.

Thanks Jim........seems like a lot of work.

It's not so bad, other than kicking the darned crossmember out...