4T60-E harder shifting

[wireman121]

I remember discussing this during the summer. I was looking to make my Z shift harder. I was told the easiest way, since there is no performance shift kit for our transmissions, is to add some washers between the springs and the accumulator housing for the 1-2 and 3-4 accumulators. Now that I am finally ready to do this, I was wondering if anyone else has already, what size washers they used and how many?

Also, other suggestions to get harder shifting are also open for discussion....

[dykz34]

1/2" stack of 2" OD washers in the 1-2 and 2-3.

Buy a FFP chip if you want a little firmer shifts, as it can do that.

[wireman121]

Already have all the bolt ons for this car next steps are all very expensive, and I do not yet have the funding! hah. I am going to give this a shot tomrorow and see what kind of shifting it gives me. Thanks!

[wireman121]

OK, so i did this today, 1/2" of washers was made up of 8 washers. when I saw how much it was, i decided to remove 2 washers from each accumulator and made it 6. The 1-2 shift had no change, and the 2-3 shift had a very little change.

I am curious, first off, should I have left the springs in there? (I did)

and second, will adding the remaining 2 washers create a dramatic difference from the 6 that I have in there now, or will it create an equivilant difference giving me 1/3 more then what I have now?

in other words, does the amount of difference that each washer makes change with the amount of washers you have in already?

[4spdz34]

did u put the washers on the bottom of the accumulator housing or under the accumulator piston?

[brian89gp]

If you indeed put the washers in the right spot it could be that your tranny is old and just won't shift any firmer then that. The first 1-2 washers make the most difference.

[wireman121]

ok lets see how i can explain this. if you look at it like this:

TOP HOUSING
PISTON
SPRING
BOTTOM HOUSING

this is how i installed the washers..

TOP HOUSING
PISTON
SPRING
WASHERS
BOTOM HOUSING

it would be impossible to install washers on top of the piston because they would slide all over the place, with nothing to hold them in, so I assume I installed the in the right place. I did notice once it got cold again, the shifting got a little harder. Next week I am going to try adding 3 more washers to each accumulator, and try again. I have heard people go as far as replacing the spring with just a stiff piston and having no movement - I think that would be too much for me though, so I will try 3 more washers first.

[4spdz34]

ok all u did was block off the accumulators, and since u did that it will ony effect part throtle shifts. the washers go between the spring and the bottom of the piston. they should fit right in the cup of the piston.

[wireman121]

I'm curious, what is the difference between putting the washers above or below the spring? It still produces the same effect doesnt it? compresses the spring more and doesnt allow the piston to travel all the way to the bottom?

[Lyle's GTP]

I'm curious if you have installed a tranny cooler yet. Maybe you need a higher viscosity.

Lyle

[Mitch DOHC]

shift kit

it would make the most sence to me insted of using random washere in the acumulator to make it shift harder.... to go to trans go and put their shift kit for the 4t60-e in your trans...i put it in mine and it will bark second... mine is a 1994 cutlass 3.4 dohc with the 4t60e.... jegs also has a vacume operated shift kit for the 4t60-e

[brian89gp]

Their "shift kit" does little more then correct a few problems, just so happens to improve shifts a little bit. Besides you have to drop the tranny out and take the side pan off for that.

The vacuum operated one only increases line pressure, its not all too good for the components or the pump. I've heard of multiple 60e's blowing up because their vacuum modulator went bad and was stuck on full pressure.

Think of the accumulator as a balloon. It 'T's off of the fluid line going to the bands/clutches whatever. When there is a sudden burst in pressure (ie a shift) the accumulator smooths it out, the piston will have pressure on its face and the spring will compress. This smoothing out of the burst makes the shift take longer to engauge, you stiffen up the spring so that the piston moves less and the fluid burst will get to the clutches sooner making it shift faster. Faster=harder.

If you look at the 1-2 2-3 accumulator assembly, you have the top piece that has 2 cups. The pistons and springs rid in these cups. The flat thin piece at the bottom is where the pressure comes from. During a shift the piston will get pushed upward against the spring pressure and absorb some of the initial pressure wave. You can either put stiffer springs in or shim them, for the shims you want them where they are stationary. Therefore between the piston and spring is a bad idea because they will eventually sieze up in the bore. You put them at the bottom of the cup where they never move, viola: more spring pressure.

A lot of shift kits that make the shifts harder (Intense for one) usually replace the springs with stiffer ones. Its a better way to do it but in the end the result is the same, plus you can't beat spending $3 for a shift kit

Now, making the tranny shift faster will cause it to eat itself just a little bit faster, mainly the clutch discs eating into the drum. The higher initial shock of the shift has got to be absorbed somewhere. Slow shift = clutch friction material, fast shift = hard parts.

Now, if your transmission is on its way to the grave you probably won't notice much a difference, the newer and tighter the transmission the better results you will have. I found that 5 washers was uncomfortable for antything but WOT shifts, it felt like it was going to rip the motor off the mounts.

[Mitch DOHC]

i had the vacume kit on my old trans... i think that was one of the reasons thta it is now my olds trans... my new trans came out of a 94 z34.. it has the trans go kit in it and performance valves.. hardened sprags.... a protork high stall converter 2800-3100 stall speed.. i also added the tork converter manual lock up.. that i learned about from Brians site.. it works great by the way.. also have many other hardened parts that are now being made for the 4t60-e... i have about 2000 miles on it so far and am highley impresed.....good solid shifts under normal asseleration but not so hard as to be annoying... but under WOT will bark second.... and sometimes 3rd

[Lyle's GTP]

Hey how much did it cost you to build that monster? Sounds pretty sweet I'm considering such things for my ride. But want to make the right choices, you know best preformance and price.

[Mitch DOHC]

i got the trans for 400 dollers..... also go a engin with it a dohc... im trying to sell the heads off of it if u know any body that is intrested..... the converter was aroung 500.... mine actually wasent from protork... but special built by a guy in michigan.. that my trans guy knows.. the protork one is just as good but this guy wass alittle cheeper and could get it to me much faster....athe shift kit was like 57.. the performance valve body kit was like maby 150... the sprags were.. dam i dont really rember to well ....the whole thing came to like 1200... the hardened internal parts were mosterl factory replacements for the stock parts that.... just ask your local trans mission shop.....my guy has alot of friends and knows where to get stuf.. as most transmission perople should.........and i did most of the work my self and he dident charge me any labor so all i pays was parts..... i also have an axulary trans cooler..... easely found at your local parts stoor for under 50....and i have the external trans filter and temp gadge out of jegs.. like 75 i think...