Harsh 1-2 shift w/ trans upgrade?

[tmac1337]

Guys, I thought I would post this in case any of you had been experiencing the same thing. After completing the upgrade to the transmission with the level 2 kit I was experiencing a very hard shift from 1st to 2nd gear. It was nice chirping the tires at that shift at WOT but at normal driving, low rpms the whole car would shake, shudder, lurch, whatever you want to call it. Too harsh for me. I know a lot of you may like a much harsher shift so this is not a problem with the kit, more like personal preference.

I repeat this is not a problem with the kit but personal preference.

Carfixer removed the pan last Saturday to put the 1-2 accumulator springs back in to soften the shift a bit. The top spring can either be a blue color coded one for milder shifts, or a brown one for more aggressive. The bottom spring is purple. If I am not mistaken Carfixer had all 3 springs on hand and a transmission specialist at the garage picked the brown and purple to be re-installed. The 1-2 shift is about half as hard as it was (there was a bolt inside the blue spring) now...perfect. But much firmer than stock.

I researched the modulardepot and tccoa forums and found a lot of the same concerns ref. the 1-2 shift after the j-mod.

http://forums.tccoa.com/showthread.php?threadid=49710&highlight=accumulator+spring+s hift

[CRUZTAKER]

I did the same mod as you and added the stallion 3000 as well. I enjoyed the massive shift for awhile, but as you stated, it becomes cumbersome and somewhat worrysome at low speeds. Also makes my wife car sick.

Lidio fixed this via programming. Programming is the quickest and easiest way to change the shift pressures.

If you can get to someone with the software for your chip, or program, you too can fix this issue with a couple keystrokes in a minute or two.

[tmac1337]

Your quick shifts may have been because of line pressure adjustment in the first place. Mine was the removal of a spring and a bolt placed inside a remaining one (which probably limited it's flex). The car shifts great now. Still firm, but nowhere near as aggressive as it was.

[CRUZTAKER]

Glad to hear you got it squared away. I wasn't quite sure if you solved your problem, and no one had replied to your thread, so I just posted anyway.:D

You seem to know what you are doing, and you are definately in good hands with Claude, he's quite a gentleman, and a great mechanic from what I've heard.

Drive on man....!

[tmac1337]

I am very happy with all the mods on my car. And yes Claude is an excellent mechanic. Were glad to have him in S. Florida. The tranny upgrade was a good mod, just needed to tweak a teeny weeny spring to my taste.

[gonzo50]

After completing the upgrade to the transmission with the level 2 kit I was experiencing a very hard shift from 1st to 2nd gear. It was nice chirping the tires at that shift at WOT but at normal driving, low rpms the whole car would shake, shudder, lurch, whatever you want to call it. Too harsh for me. I know a lot of you may like a much harsher shift so this is not a problem with the kit, more like personal preference.

Carfixer removed the pan last Saturday to put the 1-2 accumulator springs back in to soften the shift a bit. The top spring can either be a blue color coded one for milder shifts, or a brown one for more aggressive. The bottom spring is purple. If I am not mistaken Carfixer had all 3 springs on hand and a transmission specialist at the garage picked the brown and purple to be re-installed. The 1-2 shift is about half as hard as it was (there was a bolt inside the blue spring) now...perfect. But much firmer than stock.

I researched the modulardepot and tccoa forums and found a lot of the same concerns ref. the 1-2 shift after the j-mod.
Is the j-mod part of the Level II Trans. upgrade, can you have one upgrade without the other, or must you have both upgrades done to be complete ?
Was their (tccoa) harshness due to the Level II Trans. upgrade or just the j-mod ?

I did the same mod as you and added the stallion 3000 as well.
Lidio fixed this via programming. Programming is the quickest and easiest way to change the shift pressures.
I see both of you have the Stallion Torque Converter, does the converter contribute some to this harshness in low rpm's, or is it just the programming ?

Your quick shifts may have been because of line pressure adjustment in the first place. Mine was the removal of a spring and a bolt placed inside a remaining one (which probably limited it's flex).
Can you re-program this harshness or in this case since the one spring had a bolt in it, you have no choice but to go in the trans. ?

The tranny upgrade was a good mod, just needed to tweak a teeny weeny spring to my taste.
Could you have tweaked it by programming ?

THANKS :cool:

[tmac1337]

Gonzo, the J-Mod tranny upgrade is an upgrade to Jerry W's specification, someone correct me if I'm wrong. They mean the same thing. The change of the TQ converter may have an impact, and probably does. Tranny pressure can be programmed.

[SergntMac]

Gonzo, the J-Mod tranny upgrade is an upgrade to Jerry W's specification, someone correct me if I'm wrong. They mean the same thing. The change of the TQ converter may have an impact, and probably does. Tranny pressure can be programmed.
You are correct, Tim, but you shouldn't have both.

The tranny can be setup with more aggressive line pressures with software programming such as the Stage I chip, which is the way most of us go. However, once you upgrade the tranny with a Stage II kit, the software has to reset to factory settings because the control is now in the hands of hardware inside the tranny. If you don't reset, it gets to be too much to live with in a daily basis. Torque converter control is a separate issue, and software adjustable, except for the physical stall. Hope this helps...

[CRUZTAKER]

Yes...I agree Mac...

I wasn't the best person to answer those questions. I only know what I have learned from my own experiences. I didn't do springs when I did the j-mod, so I am out of the loop on that one, and dare not attempt to give advice.

[tmac1337]

You are correct, Tim, but you shouldn't have both.

The tranny can be setup with more aggressive line pressures with software programming such as the Stage I chip, which is the way most of us go. However, once you upgrade the tranny with a Stage II kit, the software has to reset to factory settings because the control is now in the hands of hardware inside the tranny. If you don't reset, it gets to be too much to live with in a daily basis. Torque converter control is a separate issue, and software adjustable, except for the physical stall. Hope this helps...

Mac, I had the chip and stage 1 upgrades by Reinhart first (first trip up). Second trip up I had the level 2 tranny upgrade and the PI converter installed. I still had the same program installed in the car and it was not changed out until recently (9100 tuner). The 1-2 shift was too much on a daily basis. This is the first I have heard of having to reset line pressures in programming AFTER the tranny upgrade. I still am running a BMDO Reinhart program via 9100 tuner. All I can say is that by reinstalling the springs without the bolt has cut in half the aggressive 1-2 shift. The subsequent shifts past 2 are still the same and were great after the trany upgrade. In researching the harsh shift I was experiencing I did not read on modulardepot or Tccoa that line pressure should be reset after the upgrade. Thanks for the info.

[JohnE]

I'm running the stock 1-2 accumulator springs and have the 2-3 lower accum spring removed. Separator plate has been drilled to the "300hp" setting. With the SCT Racer package, I've lowered pressures to around stock under light throttle. It drives civillized, but harder than stock.

My 1-2 is fast and firm, but not too harsh. At WOT the 1-2 is now, but doesn't cause wheel spin. The 2-3 is great too even w/o the springs.

j-mod was well worth it for me.



John

[mrogerc]

I found the same thing after the J-Mod. In heavy traffic, a sharp 1-2 shift that I definately felt. However, I no longer notice it. I wonder: Is it gone, or have I adjusted.

I have the SCT software, and thought about lowering the pressure at low speed. Anyone here try that?




I'm running the stock 1-2 accumulator springs and have the 2-3 lower accum spring removed. Separator plate has been drilled to the "300hp" setting. With the SCT Racer package, I've lowered pressures to around stock under light throttle. It drives civillized, but harder than stock.

My 1-2 is fast and firm, but not too harsh. At WOT the 1-2 is now, but doesn't cause wheel spin. The 2-3 is great too even w/o the springs.

j-mod was well worth it for me.



John

[F-250 Driver]

The first question you have to ask is where did this bolt go? Next go back and reinstall the blue spring. The blue spring allows for faster piston stroke and a faster shift. Next go back with your programmer and decrease line pressure to make it not shift so hard.

[tmac1337]

I was successful just by replacing the spring, without going back and adjusting the line pressure.

[SergntMac]

I was successful just by replacing the spring, without going back and adjusting the line pressure.
Could be accomplished either way, what's important is that you like the way it drives now.