? for guys running a 700r4

[mooneyes]

...if i buy the painless wiring kit that says it will lock up the convertor without the computer..(i think the kit sells for around $120)...is this all i need to do to a 700r for 4th gear and the convertor to work?????? other than hooking up the t.v. cable...the reason i asked is i know a guy who installed one in a older truck without the kit and didnt even have 4th gear..and all the kits just talk about locking up the convertor not 4th gear..so does the convertor have to lock up before you get 4th gear??..i'm new to this overdrive stuff.........thanks

[orange71]

the converter can lock up hydraulically or it can be turned on and off with a switch. lock up acts basically as "5th gear" it will drop ur rpms about another 500 after 4 gear kicks in.

[bigvinnie]

converter doesn't need to lockup to be in 4th... but you can lockup the converter once you get there for even better economy..

[mooneyes]

.....so would there be another reason the guy with the older pickup couldnt get 4th gear?

[Roberty]

Sounds like he doesn't have the TV cable adjusted correctly. I've read that a 700 R4 wont last long with the TV cable adjusted incorrectly. Here is a link on the 700 R4's and adjusting the TV cable among other things: 700R4 Info
Robert

[passthebuck]

I have the painless kit & it works great - its super well thought out & all quality stuff.. get a good oem bracket for the tv cable & adjust it properly & it will shift a-ok. My 700-r4 shifts normally 1-2-3 then when vacume/speed/throttle position are right-it goes in 4th & as soon as it fourth - about 3 sec later it locks up & off I go. With 2.56 rear gears & the lock up-my belair at 100KPH turns 1375rpm. It sips the gas! I understand that the tv is everything on these trannys-poor adjustment & poof. I THINK I saw a thing by the "automatic transmission rebuilders association" that talks about when the tranny is hooked up right it will kick down at aprox a certain road speed. talk to the painless guys-they can help you too. good luck



oups-had to edit out an intended swear-sorry!

[K5KRAZIE]

Not getting 4th is an entirely diffrent issue. I just wired up a vacume switch, brake switch, and a toggle for the lock up internally the solinoids are jumped as well. I can have the toggle on and the brake or vac. will disengage it. With the switch off no lock up what so ever, but I still have one two three..........four. You can have the 700 built with out the lock up feature as well, although I don't know why you would want that. The TV cable is the life blood of the 700, miss adjust that and one lap around the block could blow it....

[jay6891]

Mine is hooked up like K5Krazie's. Although I don't flip the toggle very much. I also agree that the other dudes problem was tv cable adjustment.

[ckhd]

I don't have a computer for my 700r4, or a painless wiring kit. I just wired it through my brake switch (so it gets power as long as the brake is not applied), and it locks a couple of seconds after it hits fourth, and unlocks a couple of seconds before it bails out of fourth. I also have a 'manual' switch that lets me lock the converter in second and third. I need to figure a way for the transmission to automatically lock/unlock in 2nd, 3rd, and fourth, so I don't have to babysit it, and make sure it doesn't shift while locked.

[fatfords]

I just did something like this to mine last weekend, and it works great (72, original, tired engine, '86 700R4). The $120 and "yeah, I carry Painless Products, but I'll have to order it" sent me to the junk yard.

I scored the vacuum switch and vacuum restrictor for $5 from a late 80's sub. Went to the AC Delco store and got a harness pigtail (pn PT143-$14), a two terminal, normally open/pressure closed switch ( GM 8643710-$7) and a two wire TCC solenoid (not name brand-$14).

I used the 12 volts from the TCS solenoid wire (brown/white) to the pigtail harness and to the red wire on the TCC solenoid. The black wire was routed tothe pressure switch (installed in the 4th gear oil galley) and the other terminal was wired back to a different pin on the trans connector. The same pin on the pigtail harness was extended up to the vacuum switch and spliced to one of the terminals, it doesn't matter which one. Get the electrical connector for this vacuum switch at the junk yard too, as the terminals are different. The wire to the other terminal is grounded. That's it. Simple and less than half the cost. Almost forgot, filter and pan gasket for aoubt $17. Still pretty cheap.

It locks only in fourth and when you step on the gas to accelerate or pull a hill, the vacuum switch opens and the TCC unlocks, and you get ~500 RPM jump and torque multiplication of the converter. I have the brake switch, but after driving it, I don't think I will bother to install it. Also, from what I have read, I would not run one without a lock-up of some kind as it can cause over heating problems.

Good Luck,
Kent

[Project1970]

Everyone else hit it well - you don't need the Painless kit at all, but you really should wire it up for lockup. They run hot when unlocked; the slip in a 700R4's converter, especially at lower RPM's, is greater than in a normal converter, because it's designed to be locked...

On mine I have a vacuum and brake switch; no toggle. Haven't found a need for it yet, really.

[mooneyes]

.....wow...thanks for all the info guys...i would say my buddy's problem was the t.v. cable too except..he played with it in many different positions with no change ..he even routed it inside the cab and moved the cable by hand while going down the road with no luck..i've seen the 700r has a 4th gear pressure switch..maybe it could be bad in his case......thanks again