!!!!!STUPID QUESTION TIME!!!!! HELP

[Pharozen]

Since this site is full of wise and well educated people that are highly familiar with gbody's and all that they encompass, I am hoping that I could get a few questions answered about my 2004-r transmission that I am considering installing behind my Olds 350 rocket with a 3.73 gear ratio, posi rear end. I'm a new enthusiast and I need help.......

1. What is a converter and why is it needed behind a 2004-r?

a. What is the difference between a 1800 and 2200 stall, and which do I need?

2. What is a Thermometer Valve (TV) System and why is it needed?

3. What does the speedo gears do and what kind should I get?

 

[my86442]

Since this site is full of wise and well educated people that are highly familiar with gbody's and all that they encompass, I am hoping that I could get a few questions answered about my 2004-r transmission that I am considering installing behind my Olds 350 rocket with a 3.73 gear ratio, posi rear end. I'm a new enthusiast and I need help.......

1. What is a converter and why is it needed behind a 2004-r?

a. What is the difference between a 1800 and 2200 stall, and which do I need?

2. What is a Thermometer Valve (TV) System and why is it needed?

3. What does the speedo gears do and what kind should I get?

Sounds like a nice set up you got goin on there. 200r4's are good trannys that alot of these guys have in there cars due to some of the mods they have done to each specific vehicle. Also they're great for gas mileage and abuse. The Convertor your talking about actually doesnt go be hind the transmission but in front. Its purpose is to transfer energy, Power being made, from the engine thru the transmission to the rear wheels. It acts as a clutch so to speak and a locker between the engine and transmission when variable speeds are met. The thermometer valve, Im assuming your talking about a temp gauge is used to measure how hot or cold fluid is. Usually the temp gauges for the engine, transmission, gas, etc., etc. Your speedo Gears are actually one gear located at the back of the transmission, inside, mounted on the tailshaft. Its used to show you your any given speed in your gauge cluster thats in the dash. Its either run by a cable or wirings. Im not really sure what type you would need for your set up but whenever a transmission is built, there is usually one already provided in the trans.

 

[my86442]

Sorry bout that but i forgot to mention the torque convertor stalls for ya. Mostly the 1800, and 2200 are mainly mild convertors. depending on how your gunna build the motor will reflect how much stall you will need. If your gunna run a mildly built 350 olds, Depending on what you use for internalls, say you built it to 350 hp. the 1500 to 2500 torque convertor will be just fine, If your gunna build the engine as a everyday runner, than the stock torque convertor will do. If the engines gunna be a wheel hoppin, thunder from down under, burnin nothing less than 93 octane, than id go 3000 or better. The more stall you get the harder your car is gunna take off, which in turn, the more its gunna put you in the seat. All a stall convertor does is keep the transmission from engaging to take off at low rpms. The bigger the convertor, the less stall you have. The smaller the convertor, The more stall you have. the convertor also gives you more vacuum play in your motor. the more lope, or thump, you have in an engine, at idle the less vacuum you have at idle in gear. so if your running power brakes and your engines loping something crazy and you dont have a stall, you wont have enough brake power to hold the car back in gear. The more stall you have the easier it'll be to apply the brakes. Im sure there will be more from others that will post about this to help correct me on these issues as I too, am still learning, but ive messed around enough of the cars ive built to know that Bigger is not always Better. Hope this helps.

 

[Evan11]

Sounds like he got u covered pretty good. As far as a 1800 or 2200 stall torque converter goes, it's really up to you on what you want. With a 1800 rpm converter, the engine will rev to around 1800 rpm before the car takes off from a dead stop. Same thing with a 2200 rpm converter, except the engine will be at around 2200 rpm before the car moves.

 

[my86442]

Sounds like he got u covered pretty good. As far as a 1800 or 2200 stall torque converter goes, it's really up to you on what you want. With a 1800 rpm converter, the engine will rev to around 1800 rpm before the car takes off from a dead stop. Same thing with a 2200 rpm converter, except the engine will be at around 2200 rpm before the car moves.

X2

 

[CWPottenger]

Since we are discussing a 2004R, the TV system he is asking about is probably the TV cable which is important because it varies the pump pressure in the transmission based on throttle position and loads. Very important to be set up and adjusted correctly or you will damage a transmission over time, especially if you are throwing decent HP trough it.

Speedo gears have two components which have different teeth counts that allow you to match rpm output of trans to actual mph. This varies for every combination and can only be figured out once you know all gear ratios and tire diameters or do real world testing and dial it in.

Converter and stall are the same device. It is the device that couples the engine to the transmission and allows engine to run when car is stilling still in gear. An 1800 or 2200 stall are both basically stock street converters. To choose the correct one you have to decide primary use of vehicle, engine HP, vehicle weight, gear ratios. Basically the higher the number the higher the engine can rev before the converter starts forcing the transmission to turn, this is just the basic concept reality has many variables that vary the result.

 

[shanghaismith]

Most any street car with an automatic transmission will move when you take your foot off the brake, you don't have to reach the stall speed of the torque converter to start moving. The best way I can explain it is this. Put your car in gear and hold the brake down while pushing on the gas. If you have a combination that is low on power the engine will rev to a certain RPM and go no higher, that is the stall speed. Your car will likly start spinning the tires and the RPM that the tires start to spin is the stall speed. You should select a converter and stall speed to match your engine combo. You want the torque converter to "flash" to the stall speed where your engine is starting to make the most torque. On some engines that a mostly stock the is around 1800 rpm. an a mild performance build it may be around 2500 rpm. on a high performance race engine it may be 4,000 rpm or higher. The choice of a torque converter with the wrong stall speed can be real disapointing. Too high a stall speed will never apply your peak power to the wheels and too low will increase the time it takes for the engine to get into its peak power. I have a 2500 rpm stall speed torque converter and it works fine for my car because the torque curve is very flat but I could use a higher stall speed to put me closer the my peak torque which occurs at about 3600 rpm

 

[MPac]

Here's an easier way to help choose your converter. Your biggest factor for choosing a converter is your cam. Say the power band of your cam is 2,000 to 6,000. You would want a 2,000 to 2,500 stall then.

Also a converter that has a higher stall doesn't nessarily not move to you reach stall. I run a TCI 10 inch converter rated to 3,000. It will take a bit more gas to get it moving but the stall rating is when it's fully locked up. That being said when I hit 3,000 rpm there is no slip then between the engine and transmission. It is fully locked. The reason for a converter is to keep the engine from stalling out.

A good way to look at it is spin a bike tire. Then set it on to the ground while it's spinning. It stops. That's what would happen if you had a zero stall. Or if you ran a manual transmission and just let the clutch out with out touching the gas.

The speedo gear spins the cable to your speedometer on your dash. You can swap yours out in about 2 minutes. But we really can't advise you on what gear you need without more info. The way you choose your speedo gear is based off of the height of your tire and your rear gear ratio.

 

[Pharozen]

I would like to thank everybody that has responded so far. In fact, I've read everyone's post SEVERAL times processing each detail. This site is highly resourceful and I appreciate everyone taking out the time to help me out. I'll keep y'all posted on the project!

 

[Pharozen]

What y'all think about this quote???


Listed Items Qty Cost
Transmission: 2004R Level 2 1 $1,395.00
Torque Converter: 2200 2004R Heavy Duty (C24HDT) 1 $175.00
Crossmember: $0.00
Inspection Cover: 2004R Universal(K35803U) 1 $25.00
Dipstick: 2004R Universal 1 $30.00
TV System: Quadrajet [1902/1903/1904/1905/1906] Throttle Bracket Single Non Braided 1 $139.95
TCC Wiring: TCC Brake Switch Kit 1 $35.00
Transmission Lines: , $0.00
Speedometer Gears: New Set 2004R Drive/Driven Gears W/ NEW Housing Drive Gear: Driven Gear: 1 $115.00
Installation Tools Cost
Installers Kit(Pressure Gauge Temp Gauge Inline Filter) $69.95
Misc Items Cost
~ $ $0.00
Crate Fee $60.00
Special Special - free torque convertrer to $ 175.00 value $-175.00

Sub Total $1,869.90
Tax $0.00
S&H $175.00
Total $2,044.90