One pushbutton valve body won't manually shift from second to third "under load". Otherwise shifts automatically and from first to second under load fine.


So I swapped out valve bodies and now this body shifts manually and automatically fine, but drags the engine down from about 4500 rpm up. Engine comes up and starts to "stall/drag" at higher rpms.

Any ideas?

have you taken the VB[s] apart and cleaned them ? cable adjusted correctly ?
what year[s] VB ?

It is defininetly NOT in the cable or the mechanism. On that valve body, my theory is the main valve bore is wore allowing blocked pressure to push the valve to one side and hold it there. Once the car slows it easily shifts into third. I have not had it apart. But, I have to get one of these to work.

Those tranny need to have the cable adjusted so it is exactly dead on, one bolt hole wrong on the cable retainer can make it out of adjustment
You need to remove the tranny pan and don't remove the bolt on the adjustment wheel and put in neutral on the shifter buttons. Ten slowly remove the male pin from the rooster comb on the valve body and see if the rooster comb moves any at all, if it does move adjust the wheel so it doesn't not move at all when you lift the pin out of that hole. Once you have that adjustment correct check it in 1st, 2nd and high gear for movement on them also
It needs to be perfect to work correctly in all four positions
You can do this, take your time and get it correct.
The reason for the RPM drop on the gear change in the upper RPM range is the manual valve in the valve body is routing pressure to the wrong spot for a clean gear change, hence the over lap and RPM drop

Actually I did that adjustment just like that. Not that I wanted to, but the cable wouldn't engage in the "socket" for the second VB, so I changed it out with the body in place.

This "drag down" occurs prior to shifting. It feels like overlap, but it happens before I shift.


I've got another VB, and I may try that.


This is the car. I didn't realize I had a problem till this AM when I was running errands and got on it.

That's one fine-looking Savoy.

I've been adjusting push buttons a long time. Things I've learned; Unless the pan is off, adjustment is a guess. Make sure the valve body attachment is the proper style.(see pic). The 64 floor shift/65 is different. The rooster comb must return to neutral (dead center) from either end of the selector ( ie R to N, Ist to N) while pulling the park lever. The plastic style plunger neutral safety switch is longer than the steel plunger style, When the plastic switch is installed there can be interference between the rooster comb where it triggers the switch and the threaded body of the switch itself. Make sure it is a 5 position roster, not 6. You can see the rooster comb position in relationship to the detent ball with a mirror in the car with the pan off. Unless the rooster comb has been bent where it engages the manual valve proper cable adjustment will center the manual valve. If you split the valve body you can see the manual valve position. Basically it should be centered on the China wall dividing the passage ways in every gear selection location.
Doug

i have and had issues with 2-3 shifts with the TF2 kit ('65 cable trans). a lot of 2-3 overlap and not upshifting at WOT. backing the throttle pressure adjustment off helps mine a lot but 2-3 shift is never good. I suppose a lot depends on what the user wants or expects but I don't like those TF2 kits.