1985 corvette shifting issues
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 672
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From: Chesapeake Virginia
1985 corvette shifting issues
hey guys,
I just got back from picking up my "new to me" coupe, it has 44,000 original miles on it and the interior reflects it. mechanically it needs some maintenance type stuff, mostly tune up related. I do have one issue that I'm hoping you can help me with.
average driving--- the car shifts through the gear pretty fast which tends to bog it down alot. it also "hits" pretty hard with every shift but worse going from second to third. I've tried the TV cable adjustment which didn't help much. I'm also having an issue when cruising at 40 or 45 and slowing down some (not stopping) like going around a corner, it doesn't seem like the overdrive is dis-engaging and the motor acts like it want's to stall out, really chugs bad until I really get into it then it downshifts and smothes out. the speedo works fine to.
I read somewhere that there is something in the valve body that can cause some or all of these issue, is there any truth to this??
thanks guys.
I just got back from picking up my "new to me" coupe, it has 44,000 original miles on it and the interior reflects it. mechanically it needs some maintenance type stuff, mostly tune up related. I do have one issue that I'm hoping you can help me with.
average driving--- the car shifts through the gear pretty fast which tends to bog it down alot. it also "hits" pretty hard with every shift but worse going from second to third. I've tried the TV cable adjustment which didn't help much. I'm also having an issue when cruising at 40 or 45 and slowing down some (not stopping) like going around a corner, it doesn't seem like the overdrive is dis-engaging and the motor acts like it want's to stall out, really chugs bad until I really get into it then it downshifts and smothes out. the speedo works fine to.
I read somewhere that there is something in the valve body that can cause some or all of these issue, is there any truth to this??
thanks guys.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 672
Likes: 0
From: Chesapeake Virginia
thanks, I tried that on the way home with it, it helps with the downshifting thing obviously because it never engages, it doens't do anything for the rapid or hard shifting though.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 10,036
Likes: 346
From: Anaheim CA
The trans probably has a shift kit in it.
My car used to shift VERY hard from 2nd to 3rd (even at very light throttle) after I put in a shift kit. I helped that somewhat by reducing the sizes of the hole in the separator plate after I found out I used the "full race" sizes by mistake (poor instructions from the guy who supplied the kit), but it's still quite hard.
My car used to shift VERY hard from 2nd to 3rd (even at very light throttle) after I put in a shift kit. I helped that somewhat by reducing the sizes of the hole in the separator plate after I found out I used the "full race" sizes by mistake (poor instructions from the guy who supplied the kit), but it's still quite hard.
Last edited by Cliff Harris; Nov 3, 2013 at 02:57 AM.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 672
Likes: 0
From: Chesapeake Virginia
thanks guys, I've been doing some research and from all the symptoms it sounds like I'm having what they call "short spring syndrome", basically, the sping in the valve body has lost it's designed length, either from breaking (common issue) or from loosing some of it's resistance (age). either way that sounds EXACTLY like what it's doing. it's going into the transmission shop Tues. to be checked out. I'd rather pay a pro to look at it and check it out with gauges than to guess it's ok and tear it up.
