Our C4 Transmission Shifts Early - Can We Change That???

[@wayne7399]

Dang. Lucky girl. That’s a dad who really believes in (and actually spends) quality time with his daughter. And Ellie seems to have a knack for wrenching. This channel warms my heart.

[@Duaneoca]

"So we really didn't solve our first issue AND we found a new one." Sounds just like working on cars!

[@ElliesGarage]

Right?! Good to hear we're part of the club! 😀

[@jimcabezola3051]

You folks are awesome mechanincs! I love watching your process of discovery. It's rational. It relies on actually READING the technical data and manuals. It relies on asking the companies who actually MAKE the product for help and advice. Your process is NOT based on guessing, and I really enjoy that! Please keep up the excellent work!

[@ElliesGarage]

Wow! I don't know if I'd call us mechanics, but we definitely try to research and then just give it a shot. 😉😀 Thanks so much for the encouragement!!

[@mechtrician1]

Don't feel bad. I have been working on cars for over 20 years and I still burn myself on hot exhaust sometimes, LOL.

[@dohcivichatch]

My first car was a 1965 Falcon 2dr sprint model. I love to see that you guys are working(well worked) 3yr old video) to rebuild themis car. I have two sons and neither of them are interested in what I'm doing in the garage. I still have a few parts from my falcon if you still have the car and are interested in them message me

[@willyb8886]

I'm a retired transmission rebuilder and ford expert and I used to have vac modulator spring weight and adjusted the shift points to gain a later shift by installing a longer modulator pin. I used 1/8 inch steel welding rod. Try a 1/16 inch longer one to start with and go from there.

[@AH0160]

@ willy B.... Do you have any advice for a c4 transmission that doesn't want to shift to 3rd gear? I've had the transmission looked at by a transmission builder and they said everything is good. When it shifts itself it goes 1-2 then nothing just sits in second. If I come on and off the gas a few times it'll sometimes fall into 3rd. Thanks in advance

[@orangesharpy]

@@AH0160 If you have an early C4 that had a "Dual Range" valve body those had a small green dot on the shift selector and a large green dot above it as the next position to move the shifter to. Small green dot position would not shift past second gear and so it would go 1-2 and then not shift to 3rd. Large green dot was the normal drive position and allowed it to shift through all the gears. it could be that your shifter linkage is needs adjusting and what you think is normal drive is actually in small green dot mode or somewhere in between so that you get a 3rd shift every now and then.

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

You don't necessarily want the Transmission to shift SOFTER. Sure, it's more comfortable - but the softening is done by SLIPPING the Bands and Clutches more, causing premature wear! You don't want or need it to BANG into Gear like a Drag Car... But as firm as tolerable is always best. Ask the Transmission Shop, he will likely say the same thing or similar. 😉 For more Manifold Vacuum, you may want to bump up the Ignition Timing (up to 4 degrees more advanced than stock is perfectly SAFE). And try to get the Idle below 600. He sounded a bit faster than that in the Video. And I hope your finger has healed!! 🔥 I've had my share of those over the Decades. 😖 Carmine ✈🚂🚙

[@ElliesGarage]

Thank you! Yes, that's actually exactly what we ended up hearing from Hughes Performance--good call! Thank you for all of the encouragement!!

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

@@ElliesGarage lol I've worked on one - or 50 of those Transmissions!! Hughes Performance is an Ace Shop - and near me. I'm in Tucson, and I recommend them all the time! 😉

[@John-1984]

Watching this reminds me of watching my dad work on transmissions when I was a kid. He was an transmission mechanic professionally in the 80's before he got back into truck driving, but still did it on the side. My mom's garage is still full of old transmission parts lol.

[@briansd2772]

So great to see you working with your Dad and tackling these repairs. Bravo to you both! May I humbly offer some input on safety? When working on drive-up ramps in the future, could you please consider placing jackstands up front under the frame or another suitable jacking point in conjunction with the ramps? Jackstands are a critical safety redundancy. I use the same ramps as you but always use jackstands for added safety. Keep up the great work. I just subscribed and I'm looking forward to your future presentations..

[@steamy1225]

Nice episode, Like others said , use gloves to prevent burns or let it cool down . To change the shifting point you may be able to change the length of the kick down rod or cable that goes to the trans from the carb. I'm not familiar with the C4 trans as i never had one. On my truck I have and AOD (automatic Over Drive trans) and On it it has a rod that goes from the carb throtlle linkage to the trans shifter linkage. I was able to change my sift point that way by shortening or lengthening the rod . Loosen the lock screw and move the collar up or down just a bit and re-tighten lock screw , then drive and see. Mine shifts into 2nd at 15mph and 3rd at 25mph , 4th at 35-40. Good luck ,

[@Morgan-h5f]

Your learning & you did learn about shift pressure + how to adjust ; ) it will help down the road chin up, little lady !!

[@chrisshepherd6410]

Nice troubleshooting. Your process will help me get my 65 mustang dialed in!

[@marcbondi8462]

Troubleshooting is the best way to learn. The vacuum is not terrible, but try advancing the timing 2 degrees to see if that helps. The original specs were based on 1960's fuel blends. It's also good to check for vacuum leaks. Also look at the factory shop manual. It has a table for normal shift points in the transmission section. My 1966 book shows 1-2 shift at 7-9 mph and 2-3 shift at 10-19 mph for min throttle. This will change for wide open throttle. Bottom line is your transmission should be fine.

[@boilermaker8124]

I thought their Sniper distributor/efi computer controlled the timing. If so, is it possible to advance it? I don't know that rotating the dizzy will do much if the computer changes it automatically. Might be wrong though.

[@mechtrician1]

@@boilermaker8124 yes the Hyperspark does control it, but you actually have way more capability to adjust the curve with it than a regular mechanical/vac advance. You have startup timing, idle timing, and you can setup any curve you want. It has a 3D timing table you can fully customize. It will also vary the idle timing to work in conjunction with the fuel injection. Makes it idle really well.

[@Str8sixfan]

I love how you kept going after getting burned...that's classic. We all do that. I had never heard the 4 turns rule. I certainly need to adjust some on my C4. I always thought that the modulator was supposed to make the shifts "quicker/harder" rather than change the rpm range at which it shifts. But I'm definitely living a lot of this right now on the Fairmont.

[@2LateIWon]

Yep need to do a smoke test on the evap system

[@clifc6351]

Wow! Are those 3/8 Transmission cooler lines? Cool! Nice Video

[@mikeg9043]

Being a mechanic is just like life you think you got it good then you fiddle with it then something else changes then you fiddle with it some more …just remember to keep at it you’re stronger than any problem no problem will ever beat you🤟🖖

[@chrishorst6993]

Love watching your episodes

[@ElliesGarage]

Thanks so much!!

[@hardball107]

Leave it where it is, you should feel the shifts otherwise your slipping and make sure your hooked to manifold vacuum. You might have to put tighter springs in the governor.

[@ElliesGarage]

Thank you for that advice. I'll google it, but is the governor the same thing as the modulator, or is it something else? Thank you again!!

[@hardball107]

@@ElliesGarage It's something else, it's located inside the tailshaft housing of the trans. You pull the driveshaft and remove the tailshaft housing, it's bolted to the rear of the trans. Remove the 4 bolts that hold it and it slides right off the output shaft. It needs to be perfectly clean so you'll have to disassemble it, don't worry, it's only a few small parts and a couple springs. There is also a small screen in the oil supply passage that needs to be cleaned also. Good Luck and keep spinning those wrenches. Here's a video to help. vimeo.com/122806383

[@Paulie1232]

I think on the 65 the vacuum line could either go on the manifold or on the carb, but don't you have that fancy new carb on the car. Is the hose the correct size, I believe it's a short piece of 1/4" going to a hard tube running up the bell housing. Easy fix would be to measure a vacuum line that has the proper vacuum you need and tee off of it...this may solve your issues...

[@ElliesGarage]

Great point!

[@davidkeeton6716]

Save up and buy some safe wheel chocks. Those look like a great way to get hurt or something damaged.

[@musclebone7875]

Fix that shifter cable that's hanging down before something grab it in the road.

[@BLAKEDILLONRACINGDEVELOPMENT]

Another GREAT video, keep it up!!

[@ElliesGarage]

Thanks so much!

[@lbh002]

When you hold your hand on the top of the steering wheel, the direction you move your hand is the direction the tail of the car will go: Hand to the left, tail to the left. Hand to the right, tail to the right. When you are backing up with a trailer it is the opposite, but an easy workout is to put your hand on the bottom of the wheel: Hand to the left, trailer to the left. Hand to the right, trailer to the right. So, there you go!

[@tombob671]

Old timers tip. Get a large piece of cardboard to lie on. Large appliance boxes make excellent pads to lie on. And wear your gloves to avoid burns❤❤

[@ElliesGarage]

That's a great tip! Thanks!!

[@mechtrician1]

I’ve saved up old pieces of foam and carpet over the the years. Makes a big difference from laying on the ground.

[@Crewezing68]

Great video

[@kingleo7261]

I have a 1979 ford f100, 4.9 liter 2 wheel drive with a C4 transmission. I'm trying find the exact one for my truck. Any references?

[@JosePerez-ue9ru]

I'm putting a c4 in my falcon. Where does the modulator hose go to?

[@alanparker1598]

Have you checked where you are getting the transmission vacuum from. You may be getting vacuum from the incorrect place. Just a thought.

[@ElliesGarage]

Good call. Yes, it goes to the intake manifold and we checked it yesterday at the manifold and got 18. Sounds like that might be pretty normal from reading a little more and hearing some other comments.

[@agooser26]

I am becoming a huge fan of your show. Is there a link to the next video? Did you figure out the early shifting? I have that issue on my 200 also but I put a larger tube and I believe that may be causing a loss of suction.

[@ElliesGarage]

Thanks so much!! You can see all of our episodes here: kzbin.infovideos Yes, I think we just realized that we were overthinking the timing of the shifting a bit.

[@terjetytland884]

The c4 and c6 is made to go to 3 very soon,to save gas. The big engines was wery strong on low rpms. My lincoln with 460 stays in 3 almost all the time

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Thoroughly enjoyed this episode.

[@ElliesGarage]

Thank you!!

[@michaelau5159]

Good video When did the change, if indeed it did change, in shift start? Did it shift like this when you had the Autolite? Transmissions, especially in US cars, were deliberately set for lazy (early) shifting so that driver comfort was not impacted by hard shifts. The manufacturers set a happy medium between driver comfort and transmission longevity. To lazy would wear out the bands and clutch packs, to hard would create driver complaints due to harshness of shifts. The other thing about earl shifting is driver style, someone who is light in the accelerator will have earlier and softer shifting compared to someone who uses more accelerator (pushes further down) who would get harder and later shifting. You seem to be a little cautious so that may actually be what is happening. Your idle vacuum is fine, 18-22" isn't actually "normal" anything around 17-20" is normal. If you want to increase your vacuum you can do it a number of ways which I will explain below. 1 - adjust your idle mixture as close as you can get to the stoichiometric value for the fuel you are using. Normal petrol, you call it gas, is 14.7-1, E10 is 14.08-1. Take a look at your Sniper gauge and see where it is at when the engine is at normal running temperature. The closer to Stoichiometric you can get the better your vacuum reading will be and you'll also save a little on fuel. 2 - adjust your timing. I'm going to disagree with most people here and just say don't do this until you can properly, which means scientifically measure, chart the effects of the changes in timing and also, very importantly, check for knock. If you change the timing to much and the engine sees knock and you don't hear it because the vehicle noise is to loud you can damage the engine without even knowing it. Now that's said, you can adjust your timing no more than 2 degrees at a time and see how the car drives.

[@ElliesGarage]

I think this is really since the full overhaul of the transmission. Really, I think we're just overthinking a lot of this stuff, since this is our first time doing everything. I'm pretty sure this is how it shifted when we still had the Autolite. Thank you so much for all of this great information and advice!

[@michaelau5159]

@@ElliesGarage You are welcome, I'm an Automotive technician (fancy name for a motor mechanic :) ) by trade and a teacher by profession. I have taught many apprentices who would have given up much earlier than the point you are up to and am extremely impressed by how much you are doing with your dad and how you taking the advice on board that you are being given by the professionals near you and also the people commenting on your videos etc. You really should be proud of yourself.

[@67elky87]

I just have a sidenote, I’m really proud of you for being under the car when it started. First class Mechanic 👩‍🔧🇺🇸

[@ElliesGarage]

Thank you so much, but it was SCARY!! Ha!😆

[@dalevackar182]

If you can't get what you want by adjusting the modulator change the governor springs. Lighter springs will help it shift later.

[@jalejandrosanchez2701]

Acia a donde giro la esprea del modulador para que entren mas rapido y suaves los cambios en una c4 gracias

[@danielgallegos8869]

Keep up the good work 💪👍🏻😍

[@ElliesGarage]

Thank you, I will!!

[@FIXitBUILDitGARAGE]

Always burning myself also - sucks but part of working on cars lol -good luck finding the issue

[@ElliesGarage]

Nice to be part of the club! Thank you!!

[@FixerUpRon]

Another great video

[@ElliesGarage]

Thank you!!

[@tombryant1104]

Higher vacuum will give even earlier/softer shifts. If adjusting modulator increases shift firmness, it's doing its job. Usually the shift points are delayed as well. My guess is the springs in governor are a bit light. Transmission may be calibrated for approx a 2.80 ratio rear but you car probably has a 3.20 to maybe 3.50(check code number on door tag). That means drive shaft is turning 3.2 revolutions for each time wheels turn once. With 2.80, driveshaft would spin 2.8 times for one turn of wheels. Governor is on tail shaft inside transmission, would "think" car is traveling faster than it actually is. Other than early shift, should not cause any other issue.

[@craphittingthefan2360]

It is supposed to shift at 11-15mph and again at 22-27mph

[@pascaljeske7307]

Yes more Drive more hot exaust wait on the next Part than i Hope it works 👍👍❤️👍👍

[@jorgenlinne4183]

Gets burned and keeps going right on

[@beatrizhernandez6334]

🤜🏾💥🤛🏽💯

[@OneMechanic]

😃👍

[@snakeboren4814]

WHERE DID FIND THE FALCON? HOW MUCH DID U PAY FOR IT? ... CAME ACROSS UR CHANNEL ON THUNDERHEAD 289 CHANNEL!!!

[@andrewtikhonov6635]

🤓👍👍👍

[@charlest1178]

Ellie talks with her hands, she but be Italian...