Quick

[n00b on demand]

Originally posted by Mr. Pockets


I give up. I don't need to be dissed like that by somebody I'm trying to help. Enjoy.

Yeah but sometimes you come off as sounding too harsh.

[drivemusicnow]

Mr Pockets Rocks.. you two pipe down.

face it.. in the first 7 posts of this thread nothing informative, or completely accurate was stated. guesses and random jumps to conclusions were made. sooo if you want to actually find something useful, explain the full situation, and then figure it out from there...

he A) gave you a great way to figure out if it was actually locking up or not. and B) some other info that is needed to make accurate suggestions.

First, has the tc not locked ever since the rebuild?
are you getting a power light on startup?
any other random wierd things going on with your car?
not that the cardboard idea was all THAT bad, but like Pockets said... its better to base things off facts rather than random guesses.

[NikFu S.]

The thread did everything I needed it to do. In 4th gear with the TC locked you should be doing about 45mph at 1500, 1900~2000 without lock.

This confirmed for me 2 things: the tc locked that one time at that speed after that distance at that temperature, and has never done so any other time since the rebuild under any condition.
I know because I drove around for 14,000 miles with it acting like it's supposed to.

I don't need to dip the throttle because I can feel when it locks (just like a shift) and I am very accustomed to certain engine and exhaust noises at speed and can immediately tell when something changes.

Trust me on this I know what it isn't doing and I have a fact-based theory why, which just happens to be the simplest solution.
I'd much rather try the easiest thing first as per the guidelines of basic troubleshooting, then if no conclusion can be made move on to the more technical details like error-checking the TCU or getting the transmission guys to talk.

Nothing else is going on with the car and i just lack in-depth mechanical knowledge of how things on the car work as I'm so conveniently made aware of every time I have an issue.

[RojoRocket]

If an "outsider" might ask, is the stock cooler still in the system, or have you completely bypassed it?

Glenn

[NikFu S.]

What stock cooler?

[RojoRocket]

The one in the radiator, that allows the trans fluid to rapidly attain operating temp, warmed by the engine coolant. You may be on the right track blocking the auxiliary cooler if it's the only one in use at those temps. I might suggest that you plumb the original cooler plumbing back into the system.

Glenn

[NikFu S.]

It's bypassed.

Maybe if there are unwanted side effects of having a transmission running under 150 degrees I will change it to be in-series.

Worth it or not?

I'd be happy just knowing it would work if it were warmer.

[thundering02]

Just a thought but has anybody tricked the TC to lock up namely say shorting/switching/resisting a paarticular line in order to lock it up more efectively? Also since winter has hit I only see TC lock up on the way to work when it gets above frezzeing or I drive for like 25 mins and then it barely locks up at the end.

[RojoRocket]

Since I've read repeatedly on this board, and my manual states specifically that there is an ATF temp sensor controlling "inhibition" of lockup, there is definitely a disadvantage to running the ATF at too low a temp, as far as the TC lockup is concerned. Mr pockets was also trying in his own way to tell you there is also a throttle sensor input to the Eletronic-Hydraulic Control System that "determines shift points, line pressure and lock-up vehicle speed according to engine load".(quotes indicate verbiage straight from the FSM).
I can't help but think you may be in fact causing other wear issues with your trans by preventing it from attaining optimum temperatures earlier in each driving cycle, if at all on short runs, in the winter temps in which you're operating the car.

Good advice to read all you can on the subject.

Glenn

[NikFu S.]

Originally posted by RojoRocket
[B]I can't help but think you may be in fact causing other wear issues with your trans by preventing it from attaining optimum temperatures earlier in each driving cycle, if at all on short runs, in the winter temps in which you're operating the car. [/B

I guess that's a possibility, but I don't make short trips. I auto or key start, idle a few minutes til the dash thermo tells me I've got heat (or after the acc belt stops squealing), then I head to work or home, which is about 15 minutes at speed limit (40-50).

I don't think it gets that cold to be detrimental but it's worth investigating.

What's this about throttle sensor input? You think it could be malfunctioning?

[SilverSpear]

Originally posted by NikFu S.
Idunno.
I ask because my TC has not locked since the tranny overhaul, but today I was cruising for about 2 miles at around 45-50, then BAM rpms dropped to 1500 and my exhaust was growling.

Just want to know if my TC locked or if I just hit 4th and it felt different than usual.

that's like the second gear shifting in Drive... like overdrive
I have it also in my car, it's normal, at 63 mph (100Km/hr), I will be at 1900 rpms (when overdrive is running)....

[RojoRocket]

On the General Troubleshooting Table the following components are listed if no lock-up occurs:
Control Unit
Throttle Sensor
ATF Temperature Sensor
Control Valve
Lock-up facing
Engine Revolution signal

That's not to say that the listed components are defective, one or all, but that those are the components that are involved in the proper operation of the lock-up TC.
The Troubleshooting section of the book is 45 pages plus the TS Table, and most steps are associated with error codes read with the select-monitor.

I would think with the ambient temps involved, the symptoms listed, and no other trans problems, the ATF temperature factor is still the most likely and easiest to pursue. Your cardboard idea, to test the issue is actually not a bad idea as long as it's only used to test.
Assuming you capped the hard lines into the radiator cooler, preventing foreign matter from contaminating it, I would reconnect the stock cooler into the system. Just my $.02.

Glenn

[n00b on demand]

http://www.leemyles.com/faq.htm

read up on this....lotta go info.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by RojoRocket
Mr pockets was also trying in his own way to tell you there is also a throttle sensor input to the Eletronic-Hydraulic Control System that "determines shift points, line pressure and lock-up vehicle speed according to engine load".(quotes indicate verbiage straight from the FSM).

Just so I'm not misunderstood, that's not what I was trying to say 'in my own way.'

Some time ago, Nik thought that sometimes only one side of his throttle body was opening. He went so far as to say that he could tell when both sides opened by the sound and performance of the car.

It turned out that he didn't know that one of the cables connected to the throttle body was for the pedal, and one for cruise. So when a friend pushed the throttle pedal down, and he only saw one cable move, he just came on the site saying only half his throttle body was opening.

I'm not trying to make fun of him again for it, I just thought it would help illustrate my point. He makes stuff up and jumps to conclusions. We don't get the actual story without quite a bit of questioning. Even then it's difficult. I've tried to help him help us help him ( ), but Nik's not interested.

I'm sorry if I came off harsh, but I'm frustrated by trying to help this guy. I try very hard, and he never learns his lesson. I don't like to see misinformation spread on this forum.

Apparently I don't give 'decent advice.' That's fine - I don't have to try any more.

[RojoRocket]

Never mind. Obviously falling on deaf ears.

Glenn