Carb swap with 4L80

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rampeyboy

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Boyce
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Rampey
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Guys, I need suggestions on my truck.
It started life as a 1991 crewcab 5.7tbi with 4L80 2wd.
Then I frame swapped it and made it a 4wd. I had the transmission rebuilt and converted to 4wd out put shaft. I drove it this way for two years until the 5.7 blew a head gasket.
Now I have swapped in a carbureted 454. I hooked up the tach wire, I made a bracket and mounted a universal TPS. It reads .1v at idle and 4.94 at WOT. The issue is the transmission only has reverse and first. It does not upshift at all.
I am using the stock ECM, using the original transmission. The only thing that changed is the engine. I went from a 5.7tbi to a carbureted 454 with old school HEI distributor.
My thoughts are either I hooked up the wrong wire for the tach signal at the HEI distributor or the signal from the TPS or tach is the wrong data type(serial vs whatever else they call it). I have thought about simply plugging in the distributor from the 5.7 to rule out the date type sent from the distributor as being wrong. I guess the ECM can control timing well enough for the 454 to run down the street. You guys have suggestions? I see no reason to buy a stand alone computer to run the transmission when the ECM I have has run it for 250,000+ miles just fine What I need is to fool the computer into believing the 5.7 tbi is still in it. Right?
 

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Frankenchevy

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Now you have me thinking…my 88 burb v20 has a th400 from the factory. Could my stock ECM be swapped for a 91 ECM to run a 4l80 and the factory TBI 350?

Hopefully someone smart comes along…
@NickTransmissions , @Matt69olds
 

77Dmax

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You have no rpm signal to the trans. It's in limp mode, which is second gear. You'll need a standalone controller for the trans.

Edit it might shift if you swap in a four pin ignition module. The tach wire has nothing to do with the ecm/tcm function.
 

Frankenchevy

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You have no rpm signal to the trans. It's in limp mode, which is second gear. You'll need a standalone controller for the trans.

Edit it might shift if you swap in a four pin ignition module. The tach wire has nothing to do with the ecm/tcm function.
Curious where it got the rpm signal from when it was stock?
 

NickTransmissions

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@rampeyboy - if you are 100% certain you’re in first gear and not second gear, first thing I suspect is lack of VSS signal. The ecm looking for it but can’t see it so it locks out all upshifts from first. Check vehicle speed sensor wiring to make sure it’s connected then check the wire going to to ecm to see if it’s frayed/damaged, etc.

If you’re actually in second gear, the unit is in limp mode.
 

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