Early/sloppy shifts

[OneBadLSE]

The 02' LSE is/has been having a shifting problem since i bought it. If you feather the gas, overdrive will come in at around 31. Mind you this is how the shift pattern is until 31 mph...

1-2 shift - 6 mph

2-3 shift - 18 mph

3-4-then-OD shift - 31

Anyone come into a shifting problem like that? Information would be greatly appreciated.

[88grandmarq]

If the check engine or O/D light is on or flashing, the first thing you need to do is check the trouble codes.
If there is no check engine or O/D light, service the transmission, drain the torque converter and re-fill with Mercon V.

Once you have determined there is no mechanical damage to the trans, the easiest way to raise the shift points and firm it up is a hand held programmer from SCT or Blue Oval chips.

[OneBadLSE]

All of that has been done on the rebuild. I think i will get the programmer. How much do they run, and are they user friendly?

BTW : no flashing OD light/check engine light ever.

[BigTomZ]

http://www.blueovalchips.com

Lonnie will make you a very nice tune and you can load it from an Xcalibrator. I think it is like $300, but will take up your car.

[merc6]

http://www.blueovalchips.com

Lonnie will make you a very nice tune and you can load it from an Xcalibrator. I think it is like $300, but will take up your car.

XCal 2 woke my car up and tq lockup is at 63 mph. Shiftpoints I don't remember cause I keep changing them when I race or swap out tires. When I went back stock I hated my car and the way it acted. The tune will grow on you so you will feel like it stopped working when it still is.

[OneBadLSE]

XCal 2 woke my car up and tq lockup is at 63 mph. Shiftpoints I don't remember cause I keep changing them when I race or swap out tires. When I went back stock I hated my car and the way it acted. The tune will grow on you so you will feel like it stopped working when it still is.

I know im gonna sound like a bit of a noob, but what does torque lockup mean exactly (at 63 mph) ... Also, why 63 and what it means for milage

[88MercWagon]

It means the torque converter locks, forming a solid connection rather than a fluid one. It improves gas mileage for the most part.

[Chevyguy]

Mwahha

My chip has the 2-3 shift at 33 mph
3 -4 is 50 !!!!

The 2-3 is way too fucking high, I keep lifting the throttle trying to get an upshift. Aint happenin till 33 MPH

[OneBadLSE]

Mwahha

My chip has the 2-3 shift at 33 mph
3 -4 is 50 !!!!

The 2-3 is way too fucking high, I keep lifting the throttle trying to get an upshift. Aint happenin till 33 MPH

I wouldnt mind a SOLID 2-3 shift at around 25.

This is the way i would like to see my shift patterns go:

1-2 shift = 13
2-(3)-3 shift = 20/25
3-4 shift = 42

[HwyCruiser]

I went back and forth with my tuner trying to get my shift and torque converter lockup schedules tuned in just like I wanted them. After about a half-dozen adjustments to the tune they are finally right on for the way I drive my Marauder.

The shift schedule has 10 points of adjustment for upshifting and downshifting through each gear in relationship to mph versus throttle position. Here's a screen snapshot of the SCT shift schedule graph as an example:



There's just as many points to tweak with the torque converter schedule. There's also adjustments that can be made to part-throttle and wide-open throttle shift firmness. There's a bit of finesse to getting these dialed in for personal preferences and can be pretty time consuming, but since the stock schedules are all about fuel economy even a "one size fits all" aftermarket tune can really wake up the drivability of a car.

[Chevyguy]

I like those curves alot, I really want to get an SCT and replace the chip I now have.

[OneBadLSE]

I went back and forth with my tuner trying to get my shift and torque converter lockup schedules tuned in just like I wanted them. After about a half-dozen adjustments to the tune they are finally right on for the way I drive my Marauder.

The shift schedule has 10 points of adjustment for upshifting and downshifting through each gear in relationship to mph versus throttle position. Here's a screen snapshot of the SCT shift schedule graph as an example:



There's just as many points to tweak with the torque converter schedule. There's also adjustments that can be made to part-throttle and wide-open throttle shift firmness. There's a bit of finesse to getting these dialed in for personal preferences and can be pretty time consuming, but since the stock schedules are all about fuel economy even a "one size fits all" aftermarket tune can really wake up the drivability of a car.

I honestly have no clue what im looking at , LOL. Sorry.

if you want to bother to explain it i would like that, but if not...thats ok too =)

[Johnnyiroc]

I wish someone local had an SCT tuner as I would like to change some of my settings as well.

[HwyCruiser]

I honestly have no clue what im looking at , LOL. Sorry.

if you want to bother to explain it i would like that, but if not...thats ok too =)

The chart I posted isn't my shift schedule exactly, but it was where I started with my Diablo tuner. I wound up changing only a few shift coordinates, mostly at the higher end to compensate for 4.30 gears and some off pedal action, but it really saved a lot of time over starting from scratch.

The above shift schedule illustrates at what speed the car shifts in relation to the position of the accelerator pedal. The PCM converts the 0-5 VDC signal from the throttle position sensor to a/d counts, which is the horizontal scale on the graph. The vertical scale is mph.

Wide open throttle (open loop fuel / spark control) kicks in about at 700 a/d counts, so that's why between 700 and 1000 there's not much changing in the shift schedule. This would correspond to shifting at a maximum of 6000 rpm for 3.55 gears.

If just off pedal converts to about 70 a/d counts, which if you look at the shift schedule chart shown above, the 1-2 shift is at 12 mph, 2-3 shift is at 25 mph, and 3-4 shift at 45 mph. Keeping OD from kicking in until 45 mph seems to be pretty well accepted, but after living with it for awhile I like mine to kick in as little as 38 mph off pedal while cruising around town.

What I would consider moderate pedal, about 1/4 pedal travel, converts to about 200 a/d counts. The 1-2 shift is at 20 mph, 2-3 shift is at 40 mph, and the 3-4 shift is at 65 mph.

Aggressive pedal, about 1/2 pedal travel, converts to about 400 counts. The 1-2 shift is at 45 mph, 2-3 shift is at 80 mph, and the 3-4 shift is at 20 mph.

Points between off pedal and 1/2 throttle are fairly linear (only slightly more aggressive as you get more into the throttle), so this lets you control the shifts by feathering the throttle. Get into it 1/2 throttle and the transmission hangs in there with you until you decide to throttle back and let the car shift. Especially with the DOHC, where the the hp is in the higher rpms, this really is a neat way to become more engaged with how the car shifts through the gears. This lets you decide whether the game is on or off, versus being disappointed by a quick shift.

Another thing to recognize on this shift schedule is the 2-1 downshift shift. You really want to have it because you need to go more than 1/2 throttle to get it to 2-1 at speeds over 10 mph, and then it won't allow a 2-1 at speeds over 38 mph. I lowered the top end of the 2-1 to 32 mph because any higher mph I get so much instantaneous boost from my centrifugal that the car will break loose and go sideways on me and/or immediately bang off the rev limiter. The downshifts can be used really nicely to curb enthusiasm, especially on a boosted car.

I hope this helped. Either way, the stock shift schedules are set more for optimal fuel economy versus a "tuned" schedule that let's you enjoy the full range of the engine's power band. This is why so many people find that nothing more than an aftermarket tune really wakes a car up. Taking it to the next level - having a custom tune tailored to the way you drive your car - will make you fall in love with it all over again.

[merc6]

yeah I don't have access to those menus(lidio tune). I just barely figured out dataloging.