Squee the automatic transmission guru!

 

He only has it stay in gear longer when he floors it not during normal driving. This is 100% normal and is the way it should shift at WOT, it should hold each gear alot longer than it does during normal driving. In my Roadrunner during noemal driving it's in 3rd by the time it gets to 35 MPH. However, if I'm punching it (WOT) then it shifts into 2nd at 45 MPH and it doesn't shift into 3rd until 90 MPH. So as you can see this is how an automatic transmission is supose to work and your tranny is just fine and operating normally.

 

Yeah, but remember you've got a 71 Road Runner. Your transmission is built totally different than our 31Th transmissions.

You don't have a computer controlled tranny. And you don't have a torque converter lockup. If his transmission is revving high in 3rd and taking forever to shift back to 1st (passing gear) then he's got a problem. It could be as ssimple as changing the fluid to correct it or adjusting the bands.

I'd really suggest he service it. Especially if he doesn't know when it was last done or if it had ever been done.

 

I'm not fighting you, I say he should get it serviced just because of the noises. :P But the gear's holding longer when he floors it, which is normal in any automatic tranny I've driven. From my old Volvo to my Grandmother's new Alero, if it's at WOT it'll shift just before redline, compared to normal driving, which it shifts for maximum gas mileage. Just my two cents. I'm not the ATX guru. :P I'm just saying, I know that my cousin's maxima does it as well. Floor it, and it winds out, drive normal, and it shifts low. ^^

 

Old or new, automatic transmissions function the same regardless of computer control or not. BTW: I have driven many new cars with automatics including the autostick and I was simply using my Roadrunner as an example, and they all function the same.

He has not mentioned having any problems with it lagging when he punches it at freeway speeds, so the kickdown is not an issue here. He is talking about flooring it from a dead stop and it taking longer than it does while driving it normally to shift up to the next gear, which is exactly what I was explaining and it is 100% normal. Go back and read his post #4, this is what he is talking about, he is not talking about running steady at 55 MPH and then punching it and it staying in 3rd and not downshifting like it's supose to. He even made diagrams to show you exactly what he is talking about and what he is talking about is 100% normal and correct automatic transmission functioning.

 

I misread what he wrote I s'pose. The little diagram he put up made it look like he was having an issue at WOT. But yes, from a dead stop the tranny is going to take a little longer to switch gears naturally.

I guess I've been driving a performance ATX for so long I've forgotten about the dead stop crawl. I don't have that problem.


bUt he should still get it serviced especially if it's never been done or he doesn't remember the last time it was done.