CD4E valve body pan removal

[cclngthr]

Did my trans pan gasket (valve body) today. Not that difficult, especially with a 2 post hoist, but it was easier to get it off from the top, although accessing the bottom bolts were easier with the car in the air. How I accessed it, a 2 hour job, was pull the battery, its tray and the radiator fan assembly. Not sure if anyone has thought of this yet. While I was in there, I decided to pull the valve body and modify it a bit to improve the shifts, although there was a shift kit already in it, that created somewhat of a gap in how it shifted, what I did was change a size of the hole in a couple places to put in a slight overlap in the shifts, where it grabs the next gear slightly sooner. It still has a firm, crisp shift, but it does not jump from one gear to the next, what the shift kit does. The mod also allows the TCC valve open/close better, and with slight throttle, it holds better, without releasing the TCC as quickly, and it releases under low speed better. It used to lock up at 30 MPH, but now locks up about 33 mph.

 

[amc49]

What shift kit would that be? I have the Transgo CD4E kit installed and it does nothing at all to increase the shift firmness, in fact, on this trans that can be a mistake since it so easily breaks the forward clutch pack snap ring groove to then pretty much destroy the whole trans. Kit has been working fine since 2007 as well as the entire trans rebuild I did when that forward clutch exploded. I lucked out and found one of the rare forward clutch drums modded to stop that breakage forever.

 

[cclngthr]

What shift kit would that be? I have the Transgo CD4E kit installed and it does nothing at all to increase the shift firmness, in fact, on this trans that can be a mistake since it so easily breaks the forward clutch pack snap ring groove to then pretty much destroy the whole trans. Kit has been working fine since 2007 as well as the entire trans rebuild I did when that forward clutch exploded. I lucked out and found one of the rare forward clutch drums modded to stop that breakage forever.

It is the CD4E kit from Transgo. It was installed before I bought the car, I felt the firmness was a bit too harsh, especially on a sudden deceleration after a rapid acceleration where it would pop into a higher gear. After a slight rework in 2 areas that Terry suggested (he is the owner of the trans shop I work with) in the valve body, the shifting is exactly what I think it needs to be. What the mod does do is lower the pressure during the shift, then increases it after it shifts as well as shorten the gap in the shift so it overlaps a bit; like while it is in 1st gear, spins up 2nd gear before releasing 1st gear.