Is this a kickdown issue?

[John_Kunkel]

I just did the test and it only goes up to ~1750 rpm. Bad torque converter?

No, looks normal for a cammed 12" converter.

So far, it seems that your problems are engine related.

[Dino]

I just did the test and it only goes up to ~1750 rpm. Bad torque converter?

No, looks normal for a cammed 12" converter.

So far, it seems that your problems are engine related.

That should rule out any transmission problems then. I've just had two people on the Pro Flo board tell me they had similar issues and it turned out to be a bad injector. I will be checking those tomorrow. Thanks John!

[Dino]

Injectors checked out. I erased everything from the ECM and started over. It starts up without touching the throttle, at least when hot, I haven't tried yet when cold. In neutral it revs crisp as it should, and it settles down to 750 rpm, where I set it. Vacuum is around 12-13 at idle with timing at, goes up to about 16 when opening the throttle, and spikes to about 23 when I let go of the throttle. This is the reading on the Pro Flo app. I was about to hook up a vacuum gauge and play eith timing when the passenger HP manifold started smoking. Looks like a leak between manifold and pipe, or possibly at the heat riser but I think I welded all that. Anyway, that will have to come off and get fixed. The car still accelerates slower than it should, but it may be a little bit better. I'm not sure.
Once the manifold leak is fixed and I have timing set with good vacuum, would another torque converter be something to try? By the way, what should vacuum be at idle with my specs?

[TexasStroker]

Glad to see you got the Pro-Flo 4 installed.  Mine is still sitting in a box, but I am close to finishing the truck so I can get back to the cars.

What did you run for the accelerator cable?  If I remember right that was a hold up for me when gathering parts because it was going to be so much longer than stock as it was a RH TB mount.  Lokar was supposedly going to make one, but I'm not sure if it came to fruition...haven't checked in a year or two.  Any chance you've got slack there?  Does the pedal feel seem the same as when you were last driving?

Have you checked any of the plugs?

Hopefully it will be an easy fix.

[metallicareload99]

I would expect more vacuum than what you're seeing. That cam seems pretty mild. The computer is controlling the timing, correct? Were you able to verify the timing with a timing light?

Is the exhaust leak on the side with the O2 sensor?

[Dino]

Glad to see you got the Pro-Flo 4 installed.  Mine is still sitting in a box, but I am close to finishing the truck so I can get back to the cars.

What did you run for the accelerator cable?  If I remember right that was a hold up for me when gathering parts because it was going to be so much longer than stock as it was a RH TB mount.  Lokar was supposedly going to make one, but I'm not sure if it came to fruition...haven't checked in a year or two.  Any chance you've got slack there?  Does the pedal feel seem the same as when you were last driving?

Have you checked any of the plugs?

Hopefully it will be an easy fix.

For the throttle cable I used a long cable intended for hi rise manifolds. Easy install and works well. No slack. It pulls the butterflies as soon as you push the pedal. Pedal feels the same in till I put the kickdown spring on it, then it feels harder. Throttle bracket is on the driver side though so it shouldn't be an issue.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294869565198?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=kPPcbxlDSP-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=jzlomRlWSES&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Old plugs were black from all testing so I replaced them with a new set just last week.

Hard or easy, I hope there's a fix and I didn't go through all this to have worse performance than what I started with!

I would expect more vacuum than what you're seeing. That cam seems pretty mild. The computer is controlling the timing, correct? Were you able to verify the timing with a timing light?

Is the exhaust leak on the side with the O2 sensor?

I thought it should be more. The cam is only slightly more than stock. I had more vacuum with the old purple cam.
It does control timing, but you still have to tell it what idle timing is, what it is all in, and by what rpm. I did verify it with a timing light.

Yes it's on the same side. Looking back at the video, I wonder if I created an oil leak from revving it so hard and it's dripping on the exhaust manifold.

[metallicareload99]

Yeah, I had a Lunati 10230703 with 226°/234° in my 440 and it made 20"+, but I do have a manual transmission and idle was set @ around 950 RPM

If you have an exhaust leak, I would assume that you would hear it

[Dino]

Yeah I'm thinking this is oil on the exhaust. I won't have time to check it out until Wednesday but will find out. I would think manual or auto would be the same vacuum in neutral. At 950 rpm I don't make anywhere near that vacuum. I just ordered a smoke machine. If there's a vacuum or exhaust leak, I'll find it.

[Dino]

No exhaust leak. It's a bit of oil from the corner of the valve cover.

I tried readjusting the kickdown cable, or throttle pressure as I think it's called, and it made the kickdown a bit more sensitive, with a slightly harsher 2-3, but otherwise still a dud from a standstill. If I shift it into 1st gear, shouldn't it stay there until I move it? Mine shifts into 2nd gear without moving the shifter. IT stays into 2nd until I move the shifter to D.

Some people say that may cam is retarted. It was installed per Crower specs and the whole ordeal is in a sticky here. If the trans turns out fine then I need to dig deeper into the engine itself, but I'm not convinced yet the trans doesn't have an issue. Can I drop the pan and filter and check things or is it more complicated than that?

[Dino]

I think I found the problem...

I thought I had the Crower 32240 cam but Ron convinced me to get the 32243. I just found the order email from Summit. It was from 2015 so I just forgot the details. This changes everything.

Crower recommends a tire and gear that keeps the car at higher rpm, and it needs compression of 9.5:1 to 10.5:1. I'm lucky to get 9.0:1.

The 3.23 gear and 28" tall tire do not help.

Here's the specs:

Crower 32242
INT/EXH - Dur @ .050" Lift: 222°/234° RR: 1.5/1.5 Gross Lift: .486"/.496" LSA: 112° RPM: 1800 to 6000 Redline: 6500

I think the easiest mod right now is to install a higher stall TC. Any recommendations?

I recently picked up a Wilcap adapter for a GM trans to a Mopar BB so that will allow me to stick some better gear in the back and enjoy higher rpm on the street while keeping it highway friendly. That's not something I can pull off in a weekend though.

I don't want to deal with aftermarket heads. Would I benefit from advancing the cam or should a high stall TC do the trick? The cam has 4 degrees ground in so it was installed at 108.

While the trans is out, what else do I need to do besides filter change and checking the bands? What would prevent it from staying in first gear with the shifter in first?

[John_Kunkel]

If I shift it into 1st gear, shouldn't it stay there until I move it? Mine shifts into 2nd gear without moving the shifter. IT stays into 2nd until I move the shifter to D.

Yes, it "should", but there are combinations of governor weights and engine rpm that will override the lever position. At what rpm does it upshift uncommanded?

[Dino]

If I shift it into 1st gear, shouldn't it stay there until I move it? Mine shifts into 2nd gear without moving the shifter. IT stays into 2nd until I move the shifter to D.

Yes, it "should", but there are combinations of governor weights and engine rpm that will override the lever position. At what rpm does it upshift uncommanded?

~2000 at light throttle, up to ~3600 WOT.

[Dino]

I think this one may be worth a try.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tci-141200?srsltid=AfmBOophwIo_nrgGX1hNHXVFmHMwhptFCXpQwDSxZiCkh3NtlkWPyqVP