I Know that this thread is going to make some people think I am really stupid or just think it is a waste of space! To those I am very sorry! I hear people talk about hooking up their Switch Pitch to all sorts of things ..i.e....Light dimmer on the floor...brake lights...a button...... , My question is what do you do with the other wires ? I have a 66 TH400 and it is the plunger style I have two plugs that connect to it, giving me a total of four wires (two to each plug) One I thought was for the Kickdown and the other was for the Stator. What happens with the wires that you don't hook up ? I Know this may sound like a real dumb question but I think I am missing a point here o No: ,Maybe if I understood this better then I might be able to walk out of this Fog I have been in over this Switch Pitch thing? I am really sorry to post this thread ,But I am really confused about it! The other thing is if I did hook up my S/P to a device would that mean I could get rid of the Plunger all together and not worry about hooking it up to my throttle linkage on my Edelbrock Carb which has driven me crazy? I feel embarrassed about this, but the only way to learn is to ask questions so please forgive me for sounding stupid. Don
Don, There's no such thing as dumb questions on this BB. If you don't understand, ask away until you do. I've never worked with the old plunger style switches, but I do know this much. The kickdown and stator functions are really very simple. When 12 volts is applied to the vertical tang on the trans, the trans will kickdown. When 12 volts is applied to the horizontal tang on the trans, the stator in the torque converter will change angle/stall speed. I would say if you have 4 wires, 2 of them always have 12 volts. 2 of them will lead to the transmission electrical connector. You should be able to figure out which ones are which with a cheap multimeter. The plunger switch, and idle switch turned on high stall at idle, and at 60% throttle to WOT. In between you have low stall for economy. That is the way I understand it, I may be wrong. Are you having problems with the stock setup?? Do you want to keep it? You can eliminate it if you want, and wire the kickdown and stall functions separately. You may be able to mount a gas pedal switch like we have in our GS's to control the kickdown. You can also run a simple on off switch for stall speed. One side of the switch gets 12 volts from the fuse box, or one of your stock wires. The other side of the switch goes to the horizontal tang on the trans. I use a timer box that I got from Poston Enterprises. It wires to the brake pedal, 12 volts, ground, and transmission. When your foot is on the brake, the trans gets 12 volts, and the converter is in high stall. When you remove your foot from the brake, the timer counts down to 0 (adjustable from 0-11.5 seconds), and discontinues the 12 volts, and the converter goes back to low stall. It has a manual mode to switch stall speeds with one switch. It's pricey, but it's hands free, which I like. Hope that answers some of your questions.
Thanks! Larry, Thanks for the reply! Yes it does answer most of my questions, Here is what I am up against. I have a 1966 401 with a S/P 400 and I am trying to run a Edelbrock 750CFM Model #1407 wich does no come with a hook up for the Plunger part for the Switch. I have made a bracket for it and I Think it will worko No: , Is there away to test it with out the motor running? Or should I just follow the instructions that you said in your reply? I am now working on the firing order as I write this,It is Hot and Muggy here in Pa where I live so I came into take a break too cool off and check the BB for more info. I am not quite sure that the firing order is right which is a whole another story!:af: I have the Manual but I am not not sure if I am reading it right I really want to thank you for your answer and clearing up the mystery behind the Switch Pitch...:TU: ........I feel a little smarter:Smarty: . Have a good one and thanks again, Don (TRYING TO LEARN) R
Don, My pleasure, glad I could help. You can test the switches if you want. Both the kickdown and switch pitch use electric solenoids. If you enlist the help of a friend, you can have that friend operate your linkage, and then position yourself under the car near the transmission pan. When the solenoids energize they emit an audible click. Check it with the engine off, and ignition switch in the run position. You should be able to hear the solenoids click. One solenoid is mounted to the case near the valvebody(detent- kickdown), the other is mounted to the front pump(stator change). They are similar type solenoids, but not the same. BTW, the firing order for the 66 401 is 1-2-7-8-4-5-6-3, the #1 cylinder is on the passenger side, and the cylinders are numbered 1-3-5-7 front to back, and 2-4-6-8, on the drivers side front to back. Distributor rotation should be clockwise.
YaHooooooo! Larry, First off I want to thank you again for your help with the Switch Pitch :TU: Second I want to tell you that she roared to life yesterday afternoon at about 5:15 p.m.! What a beautiful sound!:beer Third I have a Blown water pump! But that is no big deal as of yet! I am sure I will find one! I tell you when she came to life and the sound thru those Flowmasters my Heart was running along with her! Everyone told me that there is nothing like a BB Buick Wildcat purring and they were right! Thanks again and also thanks for the firing order, I have the manual so I had that but thanks anyway!:TU: Don
