Re: Trans Shifting too high out of 1st
Well, I just wasted my afternoon at the stealership. They wanted a deposit of $87 for "diagnostic" fee in case there was nothing wrong with the trans (no problem since it is obviously the friggin tranny). I ask if they have the correct manuals for a Typhoon to get the shift point specifications. She goes back to talk to the technician, then returns and tells me that it is the exact same transmission and specs as a regular Blazer. I explain that the transmission is calibrated differently, and I have the Typhoon manual supplement which explains it. She tells me she will make a note of it and make sure they look up the correct specs. After waiting an hour, the technician finally shows up and tells me there is nothing wrong with it. I ask him if he ran any WOT shifts, and he said he did. I ask him if it hit the rev limiter, he says yes, but that is normal on a WOT shift (WTF???!?!!!?? Maybe in Idiot Tech World, but not on Earth). I ask him what speeds it shifted at with minimal throttle, and he admits to 20-22 mph, but claims that is normal. I remind him that it just started doing it and shifted fine before, then show him the sheet in the factory Typhoon manual which lists 12-14 mph range, and point out that it is shifting when the 2-3 shift should happen. He reluctantly agrees to head back out and take a second look.
After another 40 minutes (and 12+ miles on my Typhoon), he sends the service writer in to tell me that it is a bad TV cable. I tell her that I have already checked the TV cable, and there is nothing wrong with it. She comes back out after talking to him, and says that it is badly kinked and that it was extremely loose. I mention that I am aware of the kink (I'll post a photo of it if I can figure out how to on this forum), and that it has been that way all along (since I bought the truck 7+ years ago). I have never worried about this minor kink since it immediately straightens out when throttle is applied (the spring tension of the TV cable is much more than the kink). I also mention that a severely kinked TV cable would be the same as being adjusted too tight, which would cause higher shifts but much firmer shifts due to the increased line pressure. I also explain that being too loose (as this moron tech claimed) would result in too low of a shift. She tells me that his tech is "World Class, one of the best in the world at what he does. He knows everything about these cars". I tell her that he obviously doesn't know that much or he would have known that a tighter TV cable would result in harsher shifts. She tells me that the TV cable MUST be replaced, that it is not covered under the tranny warranty (obviously not a part of the rebuilt tranny), and that GM has discontinued the cable. I ask her what happens after I fix the TV cable and the problem is still present (now that I'm out my $87 AND 2 hours of my life), she assures me that it is the problem (after all, this guy is one of the best in the world), but finally agrees to put in writing that they will refund my $87 and fix the problem if it is not the TV cable. I note that they list my truck as "1992 GMC Jimmy".
I'll give them one chance to make it right before telling everyone which stealership this is.
I was able to eliminate the kink in the cable with about 10 seconds and 2 pairs of pliers. I readjusted the TV cable (wow, it ended up back in the exact notch that it was in all along!). Surprise, surprise, the problem still exists!
Just in case I need to buy a new TV cable (but I think I'll get my lawyer involved before I waste any more of my time), does anyone have the part number handy? Are they still available from GM?
Thanks,
Michael Pliska
