alright, this is in relation to my daily driver, a 1994 2.2 cavalier. i doubt anyone is really versed in the operation of a th125c, but i'm just looking for some general help. it had been shifting sloppy between 1st and 2nd for awhile, and a little while ago it finally gave up the ghost and refused to stay i gear. the fluid smelled extremely burnt. so, the tranny was pulled out, disassembled, and inspected (by me, with aid from those more experienced). the clutches were worn, the accumulator spring* was broken, and the we suspected the valve body of acting up. i reassembled it with a new set of clutches and steels (as well as most seals), a new accumulator spring, and a new TCC solenoid (had already been acting up, locking the converter at the wrong time.). the converter itself was also new. the valve body was disassembled and cleaned, as well. first test drive was yesterday. it seems to be fine, but when i wound it up, it wasn't shifting. the TV cable seemed a bit loose, so i tightened it up as much as i could. the car now shifts at about the right time, going into second and third without fuss. i still have two issues, though. one is that it seems to be looser upon takeoff. it has been suggested to me that the new converter just may be stalling a bit higher, and that would fit with what i'm feeling. but, i also have another problem, and that is that the tranny is slipping out of gear at low speed. i think it is not engaging properly when it downshifts. if i'm doing 40 down the road, and get to say a 15mph school zone, the motor will sometimes rev freely for a moment before it clicks down back into gear. i'm thinking there's a problem with the line pressure inside the tranny. even when tightened all the way, the TV cable has a bit of slack at idle. is this normal, or just it be pulled tightly even when the throttle is closed? the only other explanation anyone can come up with is that the valve body is sticking, or maybe it's something as simple as the filter coming lose. (the tranny may have been jarred around a bit when we put it back in, but for the filter to drop, it would have to rotate out its holdown, and then slide out of the o-ring that holds it. i feel doubtful about that, but i may check, anyway) if anyone who is a pro at this kind of stuff could offer some advice, i'd geatly appreciate it. sorry for being so long-winded, just want to cover everything. *this is a servo-like mechanism in the front cover underneath the valve body. someone from a tranny shop told me it basically works to soften the shifts. in there opinion, they said it didn't cause the death of the tranny. in fact, i was told that if i couldn't find a new one (i did), i could actually assemble the tranny without it, and it would not hurt performance. the shifts would merely be harder. is this correct information?
To adjust the TV cable properly- push the locking tab and shove the cable all the way back into itself. Release the locking tab. Next open the throttle completely. A good cable will pull itself out to the proper position. TV cable adjustment is critical for proper shifting, and is a good/simple place to start, however it may not be the only problem. I seem to recall that 1 notch on the cable (in or out) changes the line pressure something like 5-10 psi. To much either way causes various problems like early, late, soft, or hard shifts, no shifts, or a neutral feel.
