- Joined
- February 9, 1999
- Messages
- 12,050
- Reaction score
- 134
- City, State
- Vail, Arizona
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1992 XLT 4x4
Well, normally, when you install a 700r4 in a non chevy, you put a 4th gear auto lockup kit in the trans. That means, as soon as you go into 4th gear the converter locks.
You can also add a switch to force it to lock in 2nd, 3rd or 4th (it won't lockup in 1st). If you have Ground going to the trans, it will lockup in any gear other than 1st. You also wire it so when you hit the brakes you use a relay take to the trans out of lockup when the brakes on touched. I have that manual switch and the brake relay so I can manually lockup the trans, or let it lockup in 4th on its own.
As for using bowtie. I know they mean well but....
My 1st trans was built by them and they put in the wrong TV cable spring AND the 4.0l TV cable they sent me was for a 4.0 Jeep, not an explorer. I broke the basket in that trans within 300 miles.
The 2nd trans they sent me also had the wrong spring but I knew to check it first and had them send me the right one.
That trans still wasn't quite right (high rpm shifting, high line pressures). I drove out to bowtie which is in Hisperia, Ca which is a pretty good haul from Tucson, Az.
When I finally got there, they did help me swap out the transfer case that I broke on the way there (unlrelated issue.. I broke the chain in the transfer case) and even picked me up from the hotel I stayed at in Hisperia..
Then they rebuilt the trans again, and before we installed it at their shop (I helped) we checked, and they built it with the wrong spring, again..
Once that was fixed it was working but the line pressures were too high and my stall is still way higher than I want. They lowered the line pressures so it would shift better..
One thing I found out that really bothered me was that they CANNOT test a 60 degree v6 700r4. Every v8 one they build gets put into a vehicle and tested but their rolling test bed and test vehicles couldn't mount the 60 degree version..
I did go about 100k miles or so on the last trans before I started to have issues. That was almost 2 years ago. I have no engine braking.. still don't and my line pressures have dropped about 10% but otherwise it works fine. After this wheeling season I'll have the trans rebuilt locally (I said that last season too) and have a custom, low stall converter built. A converter stalling at 2700-2800 rpms is great for power, but bad for building up heat.
Ok, enough rambling....
~Mark
You can also add a switch to force it to lock in 2nd, 3rd or 4th (it won't lockup in 1st). If you have Ground going to the trans, it will lockup in any gear other than 1st. You also wire it so when you hit the brakes you use a relay take to the trans out of lockup when the brakes on touched. I have that manual switch and the brake relay so I can manually lockup the trans, or let it lockup in 4th on its own.
As for using bowtie. I know they mean well but....
My 1st trans was built by them and they put in the wrong TV cable spring AND the 4.0l TV cable they sent me was for a 4.0 Jeep, not an explorer. I broke the basket in that trans within 300 miles.
The 2nd trans they sent me also had the wrong spring but I knew to check it first and had them send me the right one.
That trans still wasn't quite right (high rpm shifting, high line pressures). I drove out to bowtie which is in Hisperia, Ca which is a pretty good haul from Tucson, Az.
When I finally got there, they did help me swap out the transfer case that I broke on the way there (unlrelated issue.. I broke the chain in the transfer case) and even picked me up from the hotel I stayed at in Hisperia..
Then they rebuilt the trans again, and before we installed it at their shop (I helped) we checked, and they built it with the wrong spring, again..
Once that was fixed it was working but the line pressures were too high and my stall is still way higher than I want. They lowered the line pressures so it would shift better..
One thing I found out that really bothered me was that they CANNOT test a 60 degree v6 700r4. Every v8 one they build gets put into a vehicle and tested but their rolling test bed and test vehicles couldn't mount the 60 degree version..
I did go about 100k miles or so on the last trans before I started to have issues. That was almost 2 years ago. I have no engine braking.. still don't and my line pressures have dropped about 10% but otherwise it works fine. After this wheeling season I'll have the trans rebuilt locally (I said that last season too) and have a custom, low stall converter built. A converter stalling at 2700-2800 rpms is great for power, but bad for building up heat.
Ok, enough rambling....
~Mark
