How to tell the ideal tv adjustment

[benoit454]

Well I been playing with adjusting the tv cable on the truck today and I have read 2 articles online, and one in my camaro book but NONE tell me,

WHEN do I stop adjusting? What is the ideal tension or actions of a properly adjusted in tune tv cable?

I read one thing that said something about letting it shift from 1st to 2nd, then as soon as it hits 2nd cram it, and if it shifts back down to first then it's right?

Ok truck is an 86 305 k10 short bed, 700 r4. Everything I tried below was done in Drive not OD.

I really noticed how big the changes are today, one way it hangs 1st forever, or revs high, the other it's slow and sloppy yet shifts fairly fast from 1st to 2nd. The one setting seemed right, but maybe too tight by a click or so, it would smoke em off on take off in the truck, but seemed to hang 1st, but we left pretty good though, and when she shifted she shifted firmly into 2nd. However I can't get to a spot to test it good, most places here we can't get to 60 or above to check to see if it hits 3rd or not. mainyl because he 4 lane is like 10 miles or so away. I been trying to avoid alot of miles while adjusting for fear of burning it up.

However the new carb has been on since last sept. or oct. and never had the tv adjusted since, or even since we got the truck about 2 years ago. Last fall was the first time we ever had it unhooked or changed carbs.

So any opinions or whatever? I tried depressing the button, going all the way back then letting it click forward, I don't know for sure if it did click back, but it was to tight, wouldn't hit 2nd hardly. I been adjusting it one click at a time lol. Drive it, maybe 100 yards or so, pull off, adjust it, that kinda deal, enough to get it up to 35-45 or more, then adjust, mainly because the first few seemed too tight hang out 1st for a while afraid I'd burn it up. I kept going down with it a click or two at a time til she got too loose, lazy shift, not alot of take off power, slipped into 2nd. Went back one click tighter, good take off but once in 2nd, for a little bit tried the kickdown, didn't downshift. Four barrel opened but no kickdown.

SO where should I stop guys or how do I know when to? I know dad likes it and felt it was good how it was when she smoked em off!!!!!! It did shift but kinda firm shift to 2nd.

[87 STEPPER]

Okay,

My factory maintenance manuals say to adjust the TV cable you need to depress the button and pull the cable all the way back toward the firewall.

Then with the truck in park and NOT running step on the gas peddle and make shure it go's all the way to the floor.

Thats it the TV cable is now adjusted to the proper position.

You also want to make sure theres nothing in the way of the peddle going all the way to the cab floor so if you have a floor matt take it out untill your done.

But thats with the factory set up and you say you installed another carb.

So you really need to figure out if the attach point of the TV cable on the new carb is in the same position or really close to it as it was on the old one.

[benoit454]

It is in the same postion and that adjustment is what I did and does not work for me. That is exactly what I done and it would almost never hit 2nd it hang 1st for dang ever. I oiled the tab and ensured the cable was releasing and everything. It won't adjust right like that so I'm trying to do it one click at a time just trying to see where it needs to be. Like stated to the point of where once it hits 2nd you can kick it down and go right back to first, and you knwo it's right then or what. I have no idea. Everything I read tels me to adjust it as you did but nothing hapens, I don't hear it click and some say mash the peal from inside several times, if I do that then I definately can't hear it click.

In order to adjust the cable I have to push down the button, and grab the cable/insulation on it behind the big part with the tab that's behind the cable bracket, and pull the cable out of the big part or push it in. Meaning to pull back the housing as it said I'm pushing the cable into it.

[benoit454]

Well here's how she stands right now, great take off, but 1st hangs fairly long, almost like a standard shift, however it's been very fast shift since we owned it, hitting every gear before 40 mph or so, sometimes it be slow. Now it's like if you leave hard, 1st works great, but then seems like passing gear because it lets the motor rev up good, shifts into 2nd pretty good not real hard, then hangs 2nd and shifts about 55 into 3rd, shifts smooth and perfect into third, yet once in third or second cruising, put the pedal to the floor, and no passing gear, the carb kicks in fou rbarrell you can hear it, and feel the speed raise, but the transmission doesn't downshift, and you don't get more revs, just gradual, from the carb. not like floor it and BBBAAAAAA it's downshifted, and rpms come up rapidly. Dad is Ok with it how it is, but I'm afraid since it hangs 1st that way it's too tight, but won't loosening it up make the passing gear less responsive!!! lol that's how it's supposed to be. Tighter= more respnsive, looser= less responsive.

So what would you guys say? I think it might be we got used to it being lazy over the 2 years we had it, now it's peppy. It did shift ok just fast before, lazy others, weak gear shifts, almost sliped in before, sometimes would slip. Doesn't slip now. Just don't want to burn it up. I kinda feel it's been out of adjustment since we had it.

[87 STEPPER]

Well im not shure what your trannys problem is.

A friend of mine had the same thing happening as you do after he did an eng cng in a S10 and we did the proper way of adjustment for the TV cable and it would shift really fast from 1st to 2nd so we did like you did we adj it from there one click at a time untill it shifted right or what we felt was normal and he's still driving the truck with no problems.

It shifts normal from 1st to 2nd and 3rd and hits OD @ about 55 mph and it will down shift like normal.

I would say that there is about a 1/4" of the square portion of the cable sticking out past the large part on the carb side thats the part that ratchets.

And that seemed to be where it shifted the best.

I would say adj it untill it starts shifting to what you feel is right.

[85chevy]

The way I adjusted mine, I pressed the button and pulled the housing all the way back, then released the button while holding the housing. Then pulled the throttle all the way back to WOT, make sure it goes all the way back. The housing will rachet through the slider. That should be close, but you will probably need to adjust a little. Don't go more than a click or two at a time as each click makes a big difference. Pull the housing back to shift harder and let it go forwards to shift softer. I read an article online that said the shift points should be around:

1-2 15mph
2-3 25mph
3-4 50mph

That is under normal driving. I set mine around there and it runs great.

[benoit454]

Already tried the slide back and hit wot, doesn't work for mine. it won't click back up. I think it might have once but it was way off, almost never got out of 1st.

The other thing is our speedo isn't right, we went to 33 1250's over the stock size tires LOL!!.