Luvn737s Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 After getting a few miles under her, I think I've discovered why the GL is SO gutless. It shifts almost immediately from 1st to 2nd and then bogs its way up to the 3rd gear shift point. Any ideas how to reset the 1/2 shift point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Push on the pedal harder. ;-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 Eh, that's another issue. No kickdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhorse001 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 No kickdown means the trans defaults to hi gas mileage mode. Is this a 3at, or 4eat? This is important cause they work VERY differently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonist Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Have you checked the vacuum line running from the engine to the trans? I'm guessing cos of 85 that its a 3AT, which is vacuum operated for kickdown & other things. Checked the fluid level & quality recently? When was the trans filter last changed? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) I agree, check the vacuum line which runs from the intake to the trans. This does not sound like normal operation. My 3AT shifts like a typical tranny depending on how much throttle is being applied (Generally 2500-3000rpm for normal driving) Could this also be a band issue? Edited April 15, 2014 by TheLoyale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhorse001 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I think the 3at has an electric kickdown through a microswitch on the gas pedal. That would control a vacuum solenoid which will open the power valve in the trans. I'd start there. With no kickdown the car will feel plain lazy. Mileage will suffer too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 There is both An electric kickdown solenoid. Hydraulic solenoid, not vacuum. Operates when gas pedal is depressed all the way. Also, there is a vacuum control diaphragm, or "modulator" it would be called on old american 3spds.........It should hold the shift point higher as intake vacuum goes down (Full open throttle) I would guess your problem sounds more like the vacuum "modulator". Check the vac line to it and check that it holds vac when applied with a pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) Would a bad vac modulator have any other symptoms in other gears? Edited April 15, 2014 by Luvn737s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonist Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 What other gears? The vacuum solenoid would hold the gear change point depending on how much the throttle is pressed. ie open her up = give more vacuum in the intake = holds the shift point until later. Broken vacuum pipe = no vacuum = gearbox "thinking" you're only operating on very light throttle = it shifting as early as possible Considering there's always "vacuum" in the intake, even at idle, I suspect that the vacuum solenoid is designed to hold the gear shift (even at light load) to something higher than what you've got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 What other gears? ie open her up = give more vacuum in the intake = holds the shift point until later. You've got it backwards. It operates off manifold vac....not ported vac. Ported Vac (above throttle) does increase with throttle opening............but... Overall vacuum in the intake goes down with open throttle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 The transmission shifts very smoothly through the gears (obviously too smoothly 1st-2nd) and if I try to manually shift 1st to 2nd it doesn't like that (although that's the only way to get any off the line acceleration) and makes a hard shift even at speeeds as low as 15 mph. My governor was sticky and prevented me from getting into 3rd. Could this be a similar issue traced to a faulty governor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 The FSM describes my symptoms with a band loosening solution. Followed all the instructions and.... Nothing. Actually it may have been worse, so I tightened a little and... nothing. Replaced modulator with new and nothing. It cruises (eventually) at highway speeds. No kickdown, even though the kickdown switch seems to have cotinuity. BTW, Modulator has plenty of fluid behind it. Make sure someone is close enough to hear you yell "HEY GET ME A BOWL TO CATCH ALL THIS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 I've changed the governor and no change in symptoms. I've adjusted the bands per the FSM and still no 2nd gear. The manual says that for my symptoms I should loosen the bands but that doesn't seem right. I tightened them so much that it wouldn't move in Reverse. so I backed it off a little and it went back to its old symptoms. Then I adjusted per FSM and still nothing. I am not sure AAMCO would even touch this thing. I hate to trash a really nice car over a bum tranny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 The transmission shifts very smoothly through the gears (obviously too smoothly 1st-2nd) and if I try to manually shift 1st to 2nd it doesn't like that (although that's the only way to get any off the line acceleration) and makes a hard shift even at speeeds as low as 15 mph. My governor was sticky and prevented me from getting into 3rd. Could this be a similar issue traced to a faulty governor? I do know that on my healthy auto in my Loyale, it has never ever liked manually shifting from 2nd to 1st while moving. Even at speeds as slow as like 5mph, it shifts very abruptly and rough, usually so bad that it chirps the tires. From 3rd down to 2nd has been okay though. Going up has always been smooth as well. Is yours shifting rough going up AND down? Or just down? Is there any possibility you can get somebody to take a video of you driving while you accelerate at Wide Open Throttle from a stop? Very curious situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) Just the opposite. It doesn't roughly shift, it immediately jumps through 2nd and goes into 3rd at about 12mph, leading to a very sluggish car. And it won't kickdown. But it will manually run in 2nd so I know it's still there. What about a clogged filter. Does a Subaru AT of this vintage have a filter or do they just use the ground up bits of the existing tranny to filter the fluid Edited May 30, 2014 by Luvn737s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Dropped the pan and cleaned everything including modulator rod and downshift solenoid (which was stuck). Sealed it pu and put in new fluid and voila' it worked just right - for about 2 minutes. Then right back to the same thing. I have the vacuum line attached where the diagram specifies, but maybe I need to try somewhere else. Also, where can I get a new downshift solenoid? If it stuck again, maybe that's the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Replaced the kickdown switch (it was in pieces) and still nothing. Can someone post a picture of the exact port that the shift vacuum line taps to? 85 GL AT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Wow, I commend your persistence lol. You've been at this for quite awhile now. I can't offer any more advice but I do with you the best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Sounds like the solenoid may be the problem. I've always driven my 3ATs using the shifter to up shift when I want it to, because even when working normally, they up shift too early for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 just rear of the tran pan - how many plugs have you got facing downwards to ground ? It is there that a diagram points to to fit adaptor to pressure line to an inboard pressure gauge - they suggest the bung plug from clutch cable hole in toe board (firewall) is used to run the pressure line. That stepped piston governor thing can be deburred to fix a few problems too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 The kickdown switch is working properly. The solenoid doesn't click when the gas pedal is stepped on with the engine off, but maybe it needs to be moving or at least running. The vacuum diagram is not clear for the AT line connection. I thought a photo would help clarify. I've moved the line to various vacuum ports with no luck. Normally I could live with this, but if I am planning to use it to get onto freeways in this area, it just is too sluggish to be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvn737s Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 just rear of the tran pan - how many plugs have you got facing downwards to ground ? It is there that a diagram points to to fit adaptor to pressure line to an inboard pressure gauge - they suggest the bung plug from clutch cable hole in toe board (firewall) is used to run the pressure line. That stepped piston governor thing can be deburred to fix a few problems too I;m not exactly sure what you are asking. I don't have any plugs facing downward. I have a modulator with a vac line and a solenoid with 2 wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 I should declare I have owned three automatic cars and no zip about auto trans - other than to remove and dispose of. I had a 3AT 4WD box in my 85 EA82T sedan. It had two things on your passenger side. Both leaked, one had vac line to it. These test ports are not indicated to be there with these things, more between the pan and the rear section of the gearbox, like there is a mid section of the auto tranny with test ports plugged up. I never tried to fix mine when it would hold on to second for too long with foot flat , wait for the change up. Never even changed fluid or looked at filter, so just looking at diagrams to try answer some of your question. Just how clean is the underside of your tranny ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hush777 Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Vacuum line for trans Should be attached to here. There is a screw inside the modulator that adjusts the shift points also. You may have to adjust it a bit. Last time I put a new modulator in I had to adjust 1/4 turn at a time till I got the shifts where I wanted them. The screw is accessed through the hole for the vacuum line. Check you vacuum line also to make sure it doesn't leak or isn't plugged. Hush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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