B&M ShiftPlus

[frost5532]

I just installed the B&M ShiftPLus shift improver kit today, made sure i had all the right wires, double checked the connections to make sure there good and connected to the right wires. But between off 1 and 2 i barly notice a differnece in how hard the shifts are. Will it be very noticble or should i be looking for something else? also i havnt had time to take it on the highway and really test it so maybe itll show there. on the other hand i did the throttle cable mod, took 5 minutes, and made a huge differnce for me.

 

[96limitedX]

i have been thinking of getting one. an i had heard it made a big differance in the shifts. so im interested to hear what other people have to say..sorry im no help.

 

[DirtyDog]

The Shift Plus gives you higher shift pressure which means that it holds the clutches together tighter. This reduces slippage when 4X4'in or towing. Slippage will burn your tranny fluid and make it not work as well as it should. Hope this helps.

 

[frost5532]

i understand that, well ive read it before i dont know exactly what it means but it sounds good. what im asking is what kind of seat of the pants feeling should i notice, if any. i have noticed it shifts at higher rpms now but maybe its been doing that all along and i just never noticed it.

 

[DirtyDog]

I don't know if it changes your shift points or not. Try taking it out (if it's easy) and pay attention to your shift points with and without it.

 

[frost5532]

nevermind, i set it to off and its shifting at the same points. i just dont feel any difference between having it off and on setting 1 or 2. im pretty sure all the connections are good. does anybody have one installed, and can tell me if theres any performance change i should noticbly feel. or is it really just better for your transmission to reduce slippage but in effect theres not much performance gain or seat of the pants feeling.

 

[X24]

I had one on my 5R55E and I definately noticed a difference. The more gas you give it the harder it will shift. If you grandpa it around you might not notice anything with it on, but if you floor it it should really shift hard... and if you have a V8 maybe even chirp the tires shifting to 2nd.

 

[frost5532]

figured it out, i thought all i had to do was put the red and black wires into the connection things. i guess your supposed to strip them first even tho it doesnt say so in the instructions. figured id give it a try and now i definitly feel the differnce between the 3 settings. i just wish i haddnt thought of it 2 in the morning with rain and fog outside so i could go have some fun with it.

 

[jayhawkexplorer]

I had one on my 5R55E and I definately noticed a difference. The more gas you give it the harder it will shift. If you grandpa it around you might not notice anything with it on, but if you floor it it should really shift hard... and if you have a V8 maybe even chirp the tires shifting to 2nd.

How did you have on a 5R55E? B&M doesn't list that they make one for that application on their website.

http://www.bmracing.com/index.php?id=products&sid=3&cat=12&subcat=21

 

[X24]

I read somewhere that it worked on early versions of the 5R55E so I tried it and it worked. (Early versions meaning 97 and 98)

 

[cantspell]

i know this is an older thread - can anyone give me the part number for the B&M electronic kit they used?

 

[ExplorerBlues95]

70381 is the part number for 1995-97's i think

 

[IAmTodd]

I had one on my V8. I didn't like it at all. It worked on the upshifts. But it also sharpened up the downshifts. So when I slowed down, it would jerk. Got very annoying, sold it. I'll get a real shift kit.

 

[5.0L96Exp]

While were on the topic. Would someone mind taking a resistance measurement between the two terminals of the B&M ShiftPlus part#70381 with the switch set in each of the three positions. Preferably with a digital ohm meter and the unit not installed in the vehicle.

Thanks

 

[5.0L96Exp]

Well I have answered my own question.. I ordered a ShiftPlus, $58.88 (CDN) out of curiosity. And what would you know. Nothing more then 2 resistors and a switch. So If you would like to save some money, you can build your own with parts from Radio Shaft for under $10. You need:
1. 1.5 ohm, 15 Watt or greater wire wound power resistor
2 1 ohm, 15 Watt or greater wire wound power resistor
3. A 3 position switch

Sorry for the s*(&ty drawing.. Ignore the periods.
For EEC-IV:
......................................................Switch
.............................................................1o---------|
Terminal #81 (White w/ Yellow stripe)-o-->...2o.............|
.............................................................3o--/\/\/\--|--/\/\/\--|
....................................................................1.0.........1.5......|
...........................................................................................|
Terminal #97 (Red)-----------------------------------------------|


For EEC-V:........................................Switch
.............................................................1o---------|
Terminal #38 (White w/ Yellow stripe)-o-->...2o.............|
.............................................................3o--/\/\/\--|--/\/\/\--|
....................................................................1.0..........1.5.....|
...........................................................................................|
Terminal #37 (Red)-----------------------------------------------|

Pretty simple. The switch has 3 positions.
Position 1. The 1.5 ohm resistor is connected in parallel with the EPC solenoid. This is your Level 2 setting (firm shifts).
Position 2. (in the middle) no resistors are connected (regular shifts).
Position 3. The 1.5 ohm is in series with the 1 ohm all of which is in parallel with the EPC solenoid. This is your middle of the road firmness setting.

Yes it does make a noticeable difference in shift firmness. I would not recommend daily driving at Level 2 (too much stress on the pump).

Enjoy

 

[inh]

ASCII graphics dont show up well for most fonts... Maybe draw them up in paint or something?
Did you install the one you built or are you talking about the b&m one you bought?

 

[inh]

by the way your graphic doesnt make sense.. if the firmest shifts are just the 1 ohm resistance, and the middle of the road shifts are 2.5 ohms, then wouldnt stock be like 3 ohms or something? i think you going the wrong way... shouldnt firmer be 1 ohm and firmest be 1.5? btw i was always wondering about this... i bought one, it didnt work, called b&m and they said it just doesnt work on some models (dunno why) and i returned it.. maybe ill wire one up and see

 

[5.0L96Exp]

Ya.. I installed the B&M , then compared it to the one I built and I got the same results (no fires). Believe me when I say I took my time to be sure everything was kosher.

I thought the same thing at first wrt to the 1.5 / 2.5 ohm settings. It may seem backwards but it actually makes sense. For instance, the EPC solenoid has a resistance of apx. 4 ohms, then the equivalent resistance (Req) for Position 2 (regular shifts) is Req=4 ohms. If we move to Position 3 (semi firm shifts), then we have Req=1/(1/4 +1/2.5)=1.5 ohm. Lastly, If we move to Position 1 (hard shifts), then we have Req=1/(1/4 +1/1.5)=1 ohm. So as you can see, the shifts get firmer as the Req decreases. Like I said, I took my time, quadruple checked everything. The schematics above are correct.

 

[Gonzo]

So has anyone actually tried the resistor thing? This sounds interesting. I am curious to see if this actually works. Wouldn't the resistance measurements be different for different trannys since the shift improvers have different part #'s?

 

[5.0L96Exp]

Just to clarify.. The B&M ShiftPlus part#70381 is nothing more than 2 resistors and a switch. As can be seen in the schematic above. IT IS REALLY THAT SIMPLE. No tricks, no fancy electronics. The ShiftPlus=$$$$ ie pure profits for B&M.


"So has anyone actually tried the resistor thing?"

YES IT WORKS. I drove around all day with it connected. Theres no reason it wouldnt work. It is the same thing as the B&M.