Thread: 700R4 Hard 1-2

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First of all, many thanks to Denny and Brian for the great help on my axle bolt circle problem question - all is well on that and I'm back on the road! With that 383 in front of a 700R4 with 3.08 gears in the third member, I just need to find somebody that needs a house moved! With gas near $3, thank heaven for OD!

Now I have another problem. The 700R4 (Monster Transmissions' type 2 rebuild) has a very hard 1-2 shift at light throttle. I have researched this and I'm confident it's a TV cable issue. But the more I read, the more confusing it gets. I have seen kits to correct the linkage geometry for Holleys and Edelbrocks, but this is a 1901 Q-jet. The guy who installed the tranny for me did an admirable job on the install, including some creative bracketry engineering, but I think it's really not quite right. I don't want to destroy this tranny. Formerly had a TH350.

The competition among these aftermarket performance tranny builders is just a little ridiculous. Bowtie Overdrives has a kit that looks like it would do the job on a Q-jet very well, but they say you MUST change the TV spring in the valve body or your tranny will basically self destruct. Why? I guess I'll call them, but there is so much conflicting information out there I don't know what to believe. The BO people seem reluctant to even sell you one of their wonderful trannys unless you burp it over your shoulder regularly. They actually require you to phone them with pressure test results or they won't warranty their trans. I think that's a little ridiculous, which is one reason I went with Monster Transmissions.

I understand that the linkage has to swing through the proper arc for the cable to move properly, but does anyone know of a good kit that will do this without having to take the pan off and make changes in the valve body? There has to be an easier way. Also, must I park the car in the mean time, or is it OK to drive? The cable is fully extended at WOT and does not run out of travel. The harsh 1-2 is annoying and nearly a slam, but my gut says it's not something that will cause immediate damage.

Any help or ideas are appreciated.

Sounds like it has a shift kit. What is the 2-3 shift like?

The 2-3 is soft at light to medium throttle. I haven't really tromped it yet. It's definitely supposed to be tricked, but the 1-2 is more than just a firm shift, and at such a light throttle, I think the pressure is too high.

the 700r4 i have now, the shift kit said to remove the low gear band servo "spring" to make it shift harder, which i did, but put it back in because it was way to hard, and thats probably whats wrong with yours. as far as the cable adj. if its right at one place it should be right everywhere, if its the cable that making the shift hard , you need to adj. the cable longer. you rather have it a little hard than soft though.

Bowtie Overdrives makes a TV linkage for your carb.

http://www.tvmadeez.com/ez_solution.php

If it turns out to be a cable problem, look into theirs. They DO know what they're doing.

They actually require you to phone them with pressure test results or they won't warranty their trans.

Actually, that's why I bought one from them. Having the tech department verifying the setup and pressures seemed like a really good idea to me.

At what mph does your trans shift at light throttle from 1-2, 2-3.
Terry

It shifts to 2nd very quickly at light throttle - maybe 15mph, but with 3.08 gears, the timing seems OK, it's just real hard. I'm pretty sure it's the cable and bracket geometry. I guess if I can't get it right using some of the diagrams and methods I've seen, I'll need the kit from Bowtie. I'll call them and ask why you have to change the TV spring in the valve body. That just doesn't make sense or seem necessary to me. If the external geometry is correct, how does the tranny know or care what kind of carburetor is on the motor?

But if it's supposed to be that hard, I don't want to go to a lot of trouble for nothing. Mainly, I don't want to tear it up.

why not contact the company where you bought it from or where it was rebuilt ask them about the spring or why it shifts so hard. u did say type two rebuild now that i look at ur post again. may type 3 is ven harder and type 1 is softer and if the rebuild company cant help contact the rebuild kit company but my guess is that it is the way its supposed to be. who installed the brackets and tranny? the shop? i bet that they took it down the road to see if the adjustment was right JIMO

I'll do that, Jimo. I see you're running a stroker, too. Monster Transmissions actually calls it "heavy duty performance" - it's one up from stock and one down from full blown race, supposed to be good to 450 hp. My GM crate motor is the HT383 with 340 hp and 435 lbs/ft so should be OK on that. It's in a '78 Caprice, hence my username!

Yeah, the guy who put it in for me tried to do right by me - he said it took him nearly a day to get the tv cable mounted and adjusted, with numerous test drives. I guess what puzzles me is that the only maker of an aftermarket tv kit for a Q-jet that I can find (Bowtie Overdrives) says you have to change the tv spring in the tranny. Guess I'll call them, too. Just want to have all my ducks in a row, so I wanted to ask the experts here first!

i had i stroker at 1 time yes with a rebuilt trans with the b&m strip kit and it slammed hard never broke anything though (knock on wood). i dont know what kind of power i was running but last year i had a 406 in front of the trans running 12.54s at 3560lbs. banging the gears with radial slicks. but i was running a th350. i realy think your 700r4 is allright unless you dont like the hard shifts

A lot of trans companies will make it shift 1-2 very hard like that for performance. It won't hurt it. Its all on the servo thats in the side of the case on the passenger side. My truck does the exact same thing that yours does. On hot days with my 102,000mile, 20 year old, worn out 305, I can get a second gear scratch on brand new Eagle GTII's...

If you don't like it, fix it. But personally I love that neck breaking jolt that you get when it hits second. And yes, the adjustment is in the TV pressure. If you turn it down, the shift will be more mild. The more you give it, the harder it hits. I have mine turned all the way open to help with milage on the highway. TV pressure in the 700r4 makes it shift later and more firm. If you like it, leave it alone because it won't hurt it. I've had my trans. in my truck for about 40,000 miles and it has had that very obnoxious 1-2 shift since day 1.

Actually MOST tranny shops replace that servo with what's called a "corvette servor" because it firms up the factory wishy washy 700r4 1-2 shift. Thats just my take on it. If your worried, you should call your builder and ask him about that monstrous 1-2 shift.

Have you adjusted the tv cable any? If you would adjust the cable going toward the carb it should soften the 1-2 shift and it should shift (Quicker)
lower mph if it does this the tv cable is not the problem. You will have to make some changes inside the trans 1-2 servo, accumulator,etc.
Terry