Test for lockup on 700r4?

[Swearbody]

So ive never had a 700r4 before this truck and do not know its characteristics . That 1-2 shift is something to get used to for sure. The trans feels fine as far as I can tell but what do I KNow.....I dont know what its supposed to feel like.
I cant really feel the 3-4 shift at all but can feel it downshift from od occasionally so I know its happening. Mind you its possible I havent gotten in to the throttle long enough to "feel" a 3-4 shift. TV cable has been adjusted and it downshifts fairly often(when it should it seems) so i assume its matching pressures properly.
However I have quite a few suspect looking wires under the hood and the vacuum lines dont look any better so I cant be sure the lockup is even connected. Ive seen posts claiming the lockup is tied into the egr system somehow but could be misreading that. I have a edelbrock carb and the egr has been removed along with anything pertaining to the quadrajet and oe air cleaner/filter housing.

SO my question is: How do you know if lockup is happening. What are the characteristics of one where the lockup is malfunctioning. What is necessary for it under the hood.



Thanks ALL!!! I promise I confused myself by looking for the info elsewhere,LOL

 

[Matt69olds]

There should be a 200-300 rpm drop when the converter locks. If you lightly tap the brakes (just enough to turn on the brake lights, don’t let up on the throttle) the engine rpms should jump up.

 

[Vbb199]

(redundancy on my part)

 

[Ricko1966]

Take 2 LED's twist them positive to negative , negative to positive. LED's only light with correct polarity so 2 twisted end to end 1 will always be correct polarity. Solder6 ft of speaker wire to the ends and solder 2 straight pins on the other end.Now you have the coolest test light ever. You can back probe the lockup wires at the transmission stick the LED's under the wiper arm and go for a drive watch for an LED to light.No light means no lockup,and you have a problem before the transmission.Do you feel it lock and unlock with the light? All good then.Light but no lockup the problems in the transmission. That light is really handy when checking electrical stuff alone or while driving.And by using LEDs it's computer safe, meaning you check injector pulse on injected cars.

 

[Swearbody]

Take 2 LED's twist them positive to negative , negative to positive. LED's only light with correct polarity so 2 twisted end to end 1 will always be correct polarity. Solder6 ft of speaker wire to the ends and solder 2 straight pins on the other end.Now you have the coolest test light ever. You can back probe the lockup wires at the transmission stick the LED's under the wiper arm and go for a drive watch for an LED to light.No light means no lockup,and you have a problem before the transmission.Do you feel it lock and unlock with the light? All good then.Light but no lockup the problems in the transmission. That light is really handy when checking electrical stuff alone or while driving.And by using LEDs it's computer safe, meaning you check injector pulse on injected cars.

Hell yeah man. Thats some good chit.

I finally got a good look at everything when i took the 305 out. The lockup 4pin socket wasnt plugged in at the trans nor the 2pin at the vac switch. furthermore there is a date on the trans 0f 9/10/16 and a newer converter as well. Now i need to verify the converter isnt a non lockup since it has all been left that way on purpose by the PO. I damn sure hope that the converter is a lockup capable and plugging in the wires will get it back to happy.

The truck is in the garage and the engine is out. Im prepping the bay and installing a bunch of new parts. ONce thats done I can address the trans.

I do have one more question before I start cutting out wires. Is the cruise control needed to make the lockup work. Ive read that the brake switch runs through the cruise system somehow and is needed to disengage the lockup

 

[Matt69olds]

There are 2 sets on contacts in the brake switch. One set is normally open (brake lights) and go closed when the brakes are pressed. The other set of contacts work the opposite way, they are used for the converter. There is usually a second brake switch that has a set of normally closed contacts that open with the brakes applied, along with a vacuum valve.


To answer your question, you should be able to get the clutch to work with or without the cruise control.

 

[Camatruder]

About your first note, the hard 1-2 shift. I had the same issue with my stock '91 K5 with 700r4. I adjusted the tv-cable multiple times as described but that changed nothing. Until somebody gave me the advice to adjust it one notch further manually and after that it felled like a new transmission. Apperently the adjusting system and spring gets tired after x years. However if you adjust it too far, the shifting will be too soft and you'll burn the tranny.

 

[Matt69olds]

The textbook procedure is to start by ensuring the throttle plates actual go to WOT with the gas pedal. If a floor mat, carpet, or linkage misadjustment prevents the throttle from opening all the way, your TV cable adjustment won’t be accurate.