Looking for some input as to how the 46RE is "supposed" to shift and how it should react under certain circumstances, especially downshifting. I just got back from Carlisle All Truck and didn't realize how annoying my truck is to drive in hilly areas. I rev around 2200RPM at 70ish MPH and naturally, the truck needs to kick down to the next lowest gear for more power to maintain up steep hills.

The problem (or what I perceive to be a problem) is my truck wants to drop a full gear each time it needs a little more power to maintain speed, which causes me to rev just over 3000 RPM. Once it catches up and maintains again, it will change a gear and hold at 2600 RPM, then 2-3 seconds later it will go into overdrive again and rev 2200RPM as before. This downshift-upshift gear change process will sometimes repeat on hills where there is not enough load to require holding and revving 3000 RPM all the way up the hill, so it is a constant battle and I end up having to manually take the tranny out of OD with the button on the dash to keep it at 3000RPM.

These are my questions:

-What is this mystery gear I am in at 2600RPM for 2-3 seconds which refuses to hold and immediately switches back into OD? Is it partial lockup of some sort? Or is it 4th (overdrive) gear with TC not locked up?

-Why does the transmission not automatically first kick down to this gear (2600RPM) and hold, then kick down again to 3rd (3000RPM) if it requires more power to maintain? This would make way more sense.

-Is this abnormal and is something wrong with my trans?

Really starting to regret not grabbing the rebuilt NV3500 at the swap meet!

 

My truck does the same thing, usually never holds 3rd gear, can hold 2nd at 3krpm or on a slight/moderate hill (overdrive off) 4th gear 'round 2500rpm. If overdrive L/O is off, it goes from OD to 2nd and holds that FOREVER

 

I would start by adjusting your throttle valve, sounds like its adjusted in to far, making it very sensitive to throttle position, if this doesn't help , there are shift kits that will help a lot in this area, there's an aftermarket governor solenoid also, I think it fits a gm solenoid to the 46re and is supposed to cure all your shifting issues, check out cascade transmissions for these items..

 

The GM governor pressure solenoid was considered an upgrade piece mainly because it is self cleaning, and doesn't clog up like the stock fellers seem to do..... It's about a 300 dollar conversion though, and just getting the BW Heavy Duty Governor Solenoid, with a new trans pressure sensor as well, for around 100 bucks, is a much better option.

Sonax Sure cure (shift kit) takes care of most of the rest. Combined with the transgo kit, (mix and match parts for how you want your trans to behave) takes care of ALL the rest. Beyond that, you would need to start in on PCM tuning to tweak it further.

 

But the sequence should be 1-2-3-4-4TCL (TCL torque converter lockup). However this changed in 2000 with the new style transducer that replaced the governor solenoid, the new one was 1-2-3-3TCL-4TCL.

 

^I believe 3-4-4TCL is the shift sequence I am experiencing on the highway after it downshifts. Essentially I want to cut out the harsh downshift to 3rd and just have it do a 4TCL-4 downshift but the thing never wants to hold 4th gear unlocked, it wants to just lock up all the time.

I have been researching about the governor pressure solenoid as well as shift kits / cure kits and I am lost to say the least. The descriptions for these products / kits all blend into one and don't really explain what practical benefit they have to offer or what differences they make with regard to driveability. I'm not very interested in upgrades or firmer shifts as my motor is not far from stock and it is my DD. I just would like to cure this annoying downshift cycle.

With respect to the governor pressure solenoid upgrades, I found the general description as follows:

I'm not sure what this means driveability wise and what differences it will make. I've read that this swap may be required for guys running higher HP setups that require increased flow at WOT but I haven't read many reviews on what improves for normal use. Can anyone elaborate? My tranny does not currently miss shifts, slip, or act funny.

I am not afraid to touch the valve body as I have installed a shift kit before and am due for a tranny service. If anyone can suggest one that might improve what I am experiencing I am all ears. I might try and play with the TV cable to see if it is out of adjustment but the truck is down at the moment (A/C clutch bearing - always something with this damn thing).

 

Shift kits and such can alter shift points, to a degree..... make them firmer, (less clutch wear) but that's about it. Sonax sure cure, and a few others, also modify the valve body to flow fluid in park, to charge the torque converter. (thus, you can check fluid in park, instead of neutral, and, if you have eliminated the check valve, trans will engage quicker the first time its put in gear from a stone cold start.)

Now, if you want to alter the shift PATTERN, that is going to require reprogramming the PCM...... For that, you would need to chat with Hemifever, or Flyin' Ryan, the only two folks I know of that do custom tunes for our trucks, for reasonable prices. Other option would be to spend the money to get the stuff you need to do it yourself, and then start experimenting....

 

That's somewhat true. Most shift kits come with a new manual valve and that's what allows them to flow fluid in park, if you go to PATC website its like candy land. You can buy the manual valve separately as well. The big thing is that most shift kits and the sonnax sure cure will get fluid to the O/D unit more effectively so that it doesn't burn up. Apparently it was an issue. You can turn up the line pressure as well to firm up your shifts a little without a shift kit, the shift kit will have you do this anyways if you go that route.