i was actually thinking today on my home from work about starting a thread just like this as for i am having same issues after 45 i haveta kick itto make it down shift to pass someone or it boggs now i have my plenum kit and a few other things im gonna do soon im hoping it will help out some maybe servicing the trans might help me out.....anyone else have any ideas what could be plaguing our trucks......j

 

I too have a hughes kits waiting for install.. ( along with lifters, rods...) I am hoiping this will help alittle with vacuum related problems.. but I think the OD thing has been a constant source of frustration.. I am seriously thinking a shift kit might help.. but waiting from the techs here to get more info first.... right now.. my tranny is original.. never rebuilt.. 96,000 on it.. seems to work fine.... so.. driving with OD off all the time has me worried....heat kills these trannys...like I said.. constant 40-50 mph is nothing but shift to OD...bog...down shift.. shift to bog... etc..so.. I have been driving with OD off all the time...if I was camming it out right now.. ( maybe next years tax check..) I would try a tuner... but was hoping for a more daily driver fix...we'll see... by the way.. mine is a 46RE.. gears are the standard 3.55... re-gearing as a solution may be out of my price range right now...not sure

and as for the bucking or vibrations.. I have no vibrations.. but if i'm cruising at just about 45.. sometimes it feels as though the tranny isnt sure if its going to shift up to OD or not.. I usually either step it up so it does.. or let off then step down alittle on the throttle to get it to shift..... but.. like I said.. i turn my OD off as soon as I get in it now.. this has been covered in other threads....alot of guys here dont run with it on unless they are sure they will be running highway speeds constantly..

 

by the way.. I've read on several tranny sites that some shift kits stop the " in-decision" phase the truck makes at OD speeds...the bucking at just around 45...but again.. I need to hear alot more from the people running them... several have been mentioned...I am still trying to see what kits are good.. and if the tranny needs to be taken out to be installed and so on...

 

so any techs got any suggestions wish xxl was still around.....

 

I've been reading a ton of older posts....seems like the problems like this are so vague sometimes that a good diagnosis is really hard to get until it fails....And again.. I may be in not a very good place to be judgeing my tranny...I know for sure the plenum is blown.. so that may be exaggerating any vacuum problems that almost surely will affect my tranny as well.. ( ie.. my high idle and my sudden low shifting range... around 2000 under med throttle.. around 1750 under very lite throttle..)Like today... was doing some testing while driving.....with OD OFF.... I am getting sighns that maybe this thing is just on its way out...I havent adjusted the TV cable at all.. but if I go about 3/4 throttle. it will hold second until around 3000-3100....but just cruising....I am seeing the tach hold steady at around 1900 @ around 50-55 MPH..( still with the OD OFF ) then see it drop down maybe a couple hundred RPM's like the TC just locked up...( almost like it shifted a gear ) I'm thinking of video taping it the next few days so I can be more accurate about RPM's and gear changes....this way the guys here who know tranny's really well might be able to give me an idea of whats going on..I'll have to figure out how to get video posted...youtube??We'll see...

 

mine does the same thing and i have a new tranny (about 2000miles ago) with a shift kit in it. I am running 285/75 tires though and i thought that is what is causing it but mine also acts wierd from a dead stop when cold. I'll go to take off and it seems like it's in second and has no power and then it'll downshift into first and take off with more throtle. When i use the shifter and downshift it into first it will take off no problem but as soon as i shift it into second gear it hits like a nuetral spot and has nothing untill i give it like half throtle and it'll start to go. anybody know what thats about? is my second gear going out?