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1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Early Eighties Bullnose Ford Truck

running high rpm's?

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Old Jan 4, 2011 | 05:24 PM
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running high rpm's?

im 16 and just recently started working on cars i have a 1986 F250 with a 460 and a tci automatic tranny and was told it had a shift kit in it. is it normal for it to be running 3000rpm's at 30-45mph??
 
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Old Jan 4, 2011 | 05:59 PM
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Are you sure it's shifting into 3rd gear?

You should be under 3000rpm at 65mph, even with 4.11 rear gears.
 
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Old Jan 4, 2011 | 06:23 PM
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Might want to make sure it's actually changing gears.

Aftermarket transmissions like that one can get funky with manual and reverse-manual valvebodies.
 
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Old Jan 4, 2011 | 06:51 PM
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From: patricia ab canada
your factory tach might be misleading you.i have had trouble with them before.my 91 ranger shows 3000rpm in overdrive.hook up an aftermarket tach to get an accurate reading.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 03:02 AM
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my 84 f150 runs just under 3000 rpm's at 70 with no overdrive.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 03:45 AM
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Your truck shouldn't be revving that high for the speed. Try shifting through the gears manually and see if you have all your gears. If it does, leave it in drive and verify that it's shifting itself through all the gears by counting the shifts out. If everything is good, I'd verify that your tach is in working order. You should be able to tell by listening to your motor if it's revving up that high.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 08:31 AM
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Here's a question... Does it SOUND like it's revving that high? As was said before the tach could be misleading due to a ground short or a needle that has moved.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 09:34 AM
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is your speedometer correct? does the truck have larer then stock tires on it?
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 01:47 PM
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Assuming the tach is correct, running that high RPM at only 30-45 would suggest it's still in First...my truck's stock and in Third gear, I'm doing about 75 or 80 at 3000RPM....

If it's got a manual valve body, you might have lost the automatic shifting function, since a manual valve body is just that, manually controlled. You could be able to shift manually with the shifter if that was the case.

I would give the previous owner a call and ask them about the transmission. See if they have any paperwork, receipts, manuals, etc. That way you're not scratching your head as much.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 02:10 PM
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I have to concur. Either the tach is reading wrong, or the trans is staying in 1st gear.
Not familiar with the TCI built C6, but stock they won't shift out of 1st gear until about 3,000 RPM if the vacuum modulator is either bad or has no vacuum source. Even trying to manually shift with a bad or disconnected modulator doesn't always work.
You also need to make sure the kickdown linkage isn't jammed in the WOT position. If this happens, the trans doesn't want to shift, as it thinks you are hammering the throttle.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 08:43 PM
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yes it does have 33s on it and i no it at least shifts out of first im assuming it is the tach it dosnt sound like its revving that high im gonna try shifting it manually like you guys have said to make sure that it is getting out of 3rd to
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 08:50 PM
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I know you're a new driver, but does it "sound" like it's at 3,000 RPMs?

Just about any big block is going to be making some serious noise at 3000 RPM.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 09:05 PM
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no it dosnt sound like it is, and i get around 90 miles to a tank of gas if it was running 3000 would it get that many miles to a tank of gas?
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 10:54 PM
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19 gallon tank? You should get double that if all is well.
Something's not right......even if your rev's are OK.

Do you think your speedo is accurate, with those tires?
 
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Old Jan 5, 2011 | 11:21 PM
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A good way you can tell if your speedometer is off is to go somewhere with a speed limit of around 30-40, keep up with the flow of traffic. Or have a friend or someone drive alongside you at 30, for example, then take note of what your speedometer is reading when you're going the same speed as your friend (judged by the fact that both vehicles are staying even with each other). OR, eliminate all guesswork and borrow a GPS unit and just see what it says your speed is. lol

My tires are just a little bit bigger than stock (29" instead of 27 or 28), plus my speedo cable is shot, so my speedo is about 10mph slow.
 
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