soft shifts

[kietzman]

I have owned an 86 Grand National for 2 years with 130,000 miles. It runs great except I have never been able to break the tires loose on shifts as with other Buicks I have owned. Turbo is fine. Powerbraking will smoke tires and go great. Transmission has always shifted soft. I know it was rebuilt by previous owner, but have no details about it. Have adjusted TV cable, but still all shifts are soft. Any ideas about what is needed, or does it sound like a total rebuild is in order? Thanks for the input.

 

[chris718]

if the trans is in good working order there is a sure way to wake it up in the shift department.ckperformance recalibration kit.visit customer feedback on my website.its dedicated to the performance of our one of a kind product.

 

[kietzman]

any thoughts from anyone on what may be wrong with transmission, rather than just the aforementioned upgrade possibility?

 

[77 cruiser]

Might be low on line press.

Jim

 

[kietzman]

How can this be detected? Transmission shop or any garage?

 

[chris718]

if it was low on pressure for a long time you would have fried the thing already more than likely.install a pressure gage and then recalibrate it

 

[kietzman]

I was just reading about transmission features and saw how turbo regals have a slightly different governor than was in standard regals. I had problems with the speedometer cable registering accurately in my car last year. My mechanic noticed that the plastic governor gear was not the correct orange one. Once the correct gear was installed, speedo has worked fine. Now I wonder if the governor itself is the wrong one. Could this be what is causing the soft shifts?

 

[RegalX2]

It's hard to say for sure but you might want to try installing a HD pump regulator valve and spring , they are inexpensive and easy to do in car, I've seen them work wonders. CK and Mike Kurtz carry them. Even if you end up needing an overhaul you will need this anyway so its worth a try.

Jim

 

[kietzman]

Does anyone have contact information for Mark Bowler of Bowler Transmissions in Lawrenceville, Illinois? I saw he is mentioned as a moderator of this forum, and not too far from my location. Would appreciate any info to get in touch with him to figure out my transmission problem.
Thanks.

 

[2quiktocare]

Mark's phone number is (618)943-4856. Hope this helps you out.