My wife keeps telling me the car has been running funny. She describes symptoms of a Lock-up converter that doesn't wanna let go. Possibly its trying to lock-up prematurly going uphill too?. I can't get it to do it, but we drive differently too (she drives like a 78 year old lady). Anyway, I unplugged it and we are gonna run it like that a few days. But unplugging it apparently trips the check engine light. I don't wanna pull the bulb since this alerts me to other problems, so I'm thinking I can ground out the plug somehow. Its a four prong unit. I don't really want to experiment since I don't want to catch our good car on fire, so does anyone know the proper way to do this? o No:
If it feels like it's not wanting to upshift properly, you can check 2 things. Get both front wheels off the ground, preferably with the lower control arms supported, disconnect the TV cable at the throttle plate, start the engine, drop it in OD. Go back under the hood and accelerate the throttle while working the TV cable back and forth quickly. Sometimes the extra TV pressure will help free a stuck valve in the valve body. Don't be afraid to hit the redline a little bit. Second thing I've seen is the vacuum fport or line to the modulater get clogged with carbon. Now, if it's upshifting properly, but feels like it's engaging the TCC as soon as it hit's 2nd gear, you need a $2.00 orifice filter and o-ring for the valve body spacer plate, valve body spacer plate gaskets, side-cover gasket, some new fluid (a bottom pan gasket and new filter probably wouldn't hurt), and about 8 hours or so laying on the ground to fix it.
Dan - When was the fluid & filter last changed? Low fluid or clogged filter can cause some strange symptoms. Try unhooking the 4 prong connector briefly to see if the problems seems to go away. It's possible to have a bad TCC solenoid also. Nice write up Dwayne. :TU:
Scott, I changed the fluid shortly after I got the car. Which is like a year and a half ago. Or about 12K miles ago. I did unplug the four prong connector, and it seems to work fine. I wanted to know how to ground the unplugged connector so the engine light would not come on.
Dan, I think it would be easier to work using a differant angle. If a problem with the TCC is your concern, and you want to disable it, there is a brake switch for the TCC mounted where the brake light switch is mounted. It is used to disengage the TCC when you step on the brakes and the ECM anticipates a stop. If I remember right, it is a normally closed switch, so making it open, ie-unplugged or not in the bracket, will keep the TCC from engaging. But you need to check and see if it is that simple. The cruise control may also have some wires in this switch's connector. If you can simply disable the TCC this way, and leave the connector at the trans plugged in, it should keep the CEL off. It would be like someone driving with there left foot on the brake continously. The other wires in the trans connector should be for a temp sensor, and 1 or more pressure switches. Harder to trick the ECM for these. Also, I think I was taught that the trans fluid is cooled better when the TCC is functioning properly. I'm not sure if I remember that correctly.
