Another possible trans issue?

I notice when im on the highway or doing at least 40 mph, it feels like the tranny gets stuck in a gear, ill feel the tranny shift around that speed and if i press the gas pedal down slowly i can hear the engine bog like it wants to move. it will only pickup and go if i stomp on it or have the pedal pressed all the way down. any ideas???? it doesnt do this from a complete stop fyi...

also, theres never been any hard shifting, the fluid is clean and at the right level too

Is the trans a 2004R or 700R4?

Sounds like it could be kicking into 4th a little early (should around 45 or higher), and the TCC is engaged. If it 'hunts' between 3-4 a little before settling into 4th and it's a 700R4, there's a spring that can be removed from the valve body that will cure that.

My '86 Estate Wagon did the same thing. Reprogramming the TCC cured that.

Unfortunately i dont have a spid lable, i read that other thread on how to identify things though without that lable, im thinking since mine is a civi model its probably got a 200R4 trans. also would reprogramming the tcc be something i can do myself?

DIY programming is possible, and is actually pretty easy on a 1988. Before you go that far, however, you need to determine if it is in fact the TCC causing the symptoms or the 3-4 shift. You can disable the TCC solenoid valve and take it for a test drive. Don't leave it that way, but it will be safe enough for a test drive to determine if the TCC is the issue.

There are a couple methods you can use to disable the TCC solenoid valve: Remove the TCC connector from the transmission. The connector should be a 4-wire connector with a black (or black/white) ground wire, a light blue or green wire for the internal 4th gear switch, a tan/black striped wire for the TCC solenoid ground from the ECM, and purple wire supplying power to the TCC solenoid. Remove the purple or green wire from the brake pedal switch inside the vehicle. This will prevent power to the TCC regardless of what the ECM does to enable it. If you are really lucky, there will be a separate switch from the service brake light switch, and you can simply remove the switch or connector to disable the TCC. A third, perhaps more elegant diagnostic method is to keep the TCC circuit intact and monitor the action of the TCC with a test lamp. Connect a 2A fused +12VDC source to a test lamp, and ground the lamp at the "F" terminal of the ALDL connector:

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/ALDL.gif

The test lamp should illuminate whenever the TCC solenoid is energized. If this coincides with the behavior you are reporting, the problem is with the TCC operation and not the 3-4 shift of the transmission.

Your other option is to connect a bi-directional scanner to the ECM and monitor the TCC operation while on a test drive, but that will tell you no more than the test light, and I presume that if you had a scanner at your disposal you would not be wondering about the transmission any more.

It would also help immensely to know the model, make, and year of the vehicle in question.

DIY programming is possible, and is actually pretty easy on a 1988.
This is actually on the '83 caprice, its got the standard 5.0 engine, sorry forgot to mention

Programming the 1983 won't be anywhere near as easy. There is not a lot of support for the early binary mask files, and reprogramming without a test bench is a crap shoot.

With an '83, the TCC is still controlled by the ECM output as described above, so diagnosis would be the same. However, the brake pedal switch will have a purple wire for the TCC and a green wire for the cruise control input, so make sure you get the correct wire if you decide to disable the TCC with that method.

Once you determine if it IS the TCC or the 3-4 clutches, you can proceed to the fix.

Unfortunately i dont have a spid lable, i read that other thread on how to identify things though without that lable, im thinking since mine is a civi model its probably got a 200R4 trans. also would reprogramming the tcc be something i can do myself?

you can check by the trans pan

http://vintermossen.se/cheva/1024/auto/pan_id.jpg

1: Aluminum Powerglide 14 bolts
2: TH200 Metric 11 bolts
3: TH350 13 bolts
4: TH400 13 bolts
5: TH200-4R 16 bolts
6: TH700-R4, 4L60, 4L60E 16 bolts
7: 4L80E 17 bolts

Ok to clear up what kind of tranny i have now, i looked under the car and the pan looks like a 700R4. Silicon said theres a spring that can be removed? Im gonna do the check of the TCC sensor soon too, i jus wanna diagnose everything first. where is this spring and TCC sensor located anyway?

mike what percent tint is that on the car in your sig?

mike what percent tint is that on the car in your sig?
Dont wanna get off topic, but its 15 percent all around

I notice when im on the highway or doing at least 40 mph, it feels like the tranny gets stuck in a gear, ill feel the tranny shift around that speed and if i press the gas pedal down slowly i can hear the engine bog like it wants to move. it will only pickup and go if i stomp on it or have the pedal pressed all the way down. any ideas???? it doesnt do this from a complete stop fyi...

also, theres never been any hard shifting, the fluid is clean and at the right level too

on the driverside of your carb is the transmission shift cable...check to see it its not binding...this may need adjustment if you feel the transmission does not down shift with a know amount of throttle...

ok i just got back from driving and im pretty sure its a TCC solenoid problem. i notice when im doing about a steady 40 mph, ill feel it lock into a gear and bog down, while it was doing that i gently pressed on the brake just enough to disengage the tcc and i felt it release and accelerate normal again. If i do disconnect the purple wire from the brake switch what kind of harm would i be doing? what kind of work am i looking at here to replace (or reprogram) the solenoid also?

Blue bowtie, if you could help me out cus i think you know the best about all this. im also getting a check engine light only if i sit at a red light for a few min, when i start moving it goes back out. last i checked i got a code for the tps sensor, could that too be causing a tcc malfunction? i also read i can short out the F and A terminals on the ALDL connector...

If you don't allow the TCC to engage, the transmission will run hotter.

The TPS signal does affect the TCC lockup. You can enter Field Service Mode by shorting pins "A" and "B" on the ALDL with KOEO:

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/ALDL.gif

So until i can get over to a trans shop, is it ok to leave the tcc disabled? or will i risk overheating the trans and causing dammage?

With the TCC disabled, it probably wouldn't overheat, but it will run hotter on longer trips.

ok i might leave it in tact then. what am i looking at if i decide to replace the solenoid dyi, is it a big job? any instructions or pics would be helpful

Blue bowtie, if you could help me out cus i think you know the best about all this. im also getting a check engine light only if i sit at a red light for a few min, when i start moving it goes back out. last i checked i got a code for the tps sensor, could that too be causing a tcc malfunction? i also read i can short out the F and A terminals on the ALDL connector...

when I used my vehicle to tow 4,ooolb boat I installed the tcc disable switch ..this was done at the brake switch ,where the tcc wires are located...this was done to reduce transmission shifting and heat....this worked excellant as my transmission never needed repairs....you will use more fuel though as the engine will turn more rpm's...

since you have this bogging down problem I would suspect the engine....is the problem....you must extract the DTC and then this may help find what's not working correctly with the engine....

your transmission 700r4 1984 is not the best vintage for sure...there is a govenor gear made of plastic in their that caused many failures...this transmisson needs a transmission cooler and frequent fluid/filter changes if you expect no problems with it....

I dont think it could be an engine problem since when i press the brake i feel the tcc release and it accelerates normal again as it should

I dont think it could be an engine problem since when i press the brake i feel the tcc release and it accelerates normal again as it should

with the TCC engaged you have removed any slippage with in the transmission,,,,at about 42 mph with a light throttle this should engage...If this causes a hesitation then this goes to the engine,,,,usually spark/distributor/plug problems....this could also be other problems though..may be a vacuum leak...or low compression,,,spark plug loose plugged cat converter,,,,,