not too much experience with automatic transmissions here.

My truck feels like it's starting in too high a gear.

From a stop, I get rolling, but real sluggish - keep pressing the gas and it just feel real bogged down then suddenly it'll down shift and I'll move right along.

Shouldn't I be STARTING in the lower gear to begin with?

I haven't gotten too scientific with it yet - but I'd guess it down shifts once I get around 20mph with normal accelerator pressure (if I stomp on it, it'll down shift without waiting)

I have replaced the throttle position sensor recently, and that made the overall situation much better (it had a bad sputtering dead spot unless I stomped on it). So now the engine's much smoother through the full accelerator range of travel - just this odd transmission behavior.

(I think anyways - again, not too use what an auto trans is supposed to do in one of these trucks)

Thoughts?

 

What trans does it have?

If you're not sure refer here,

http://www.fordification.com/tech/transID-auto.htm

 

sorry - should have mentioned that.

It's a 302 with an AOD

One important (maybe) side note - when I took the throttle body off - the orignal owner had put in one of those vortex spacer things.

I pulled that - and then realized the throttle cable - and transmission cable - were way off. They're on little standoffs to make up for the thickness of the spacer.

I was having too much trouble removing the offset brackets - the little screws WERE going to break off in the manifold if I kept going - so I just turned the brackets to try to get the geometry correct without the spacer.

Problem is - I don't know exactly where the transmission cable was set - so I'll probably need to re-adjust that.

BUT - my thinking was that that just was only kick down when you accelerate at a higher speed.

Might it have something to do with starting from stopped?

Come to think of it - I have no idea how an automatic knows how to shift at all!

 

Ford AOD TV cable adjustment - YouTube Here is how to adjust the TV cable, important to get it right.

 

The transmission (or TV cable) is not just for kickdown. It controls every aspect of the transmission, including when it upshifts. The TV pressure is probably so low that it's instantly shifting into 2nd (or just staying in 2nd) when you take off.

 

Wow...never knew how they adjusted or set those up. Thought there was ALOT more to it.

My truck always shifted really quick, and got into OD at about 35 mph. Way too quick for me. I removed the lock and slid it up a couple clicks and relocked it. Now it goes about 45 before going into OD. Doesn't lug the motor as much. It would rattle it's brains out at 700 rpm in OD at 35 mph in town. Hated it(still do, but more livable).

 

if a picture's worth a thousand words - video's got to be worth a million.


I had read online how to adjust the linkage, and it sounded like a job I wanted to put off for a few days. In fact, I thougth the adjustment was done on the transmission side.


I'm embarrassed to see how easy it is.


So I adjusted the linkage - it had a lot of tension on it.

Truck now drives MMMMUUUCH better off the line. Looks like that was the problem.


Thanks very much - that was a big help.