brnc_bstr87

The car I just bought has a C4 tranny. It also has a B&M Shifter which has a shifter kit also. I don't know that much I just know what a mechanic friend told me. I told him that the car shifted hard when going into Reverse or Drive. When I put it in those gears the car kinda jerks, not excessively but nonetheless it does it. So he said that I had a shifter kit. What I need to know is how to identify if it does & how to switch back to a regular automatic shifter. Thanks for any info : )

projectresto83

The low/reverse band could also be adjusted too tight. To go back to a stock shift feel is simply unbolt the shifter itself and the cable and replace with stock. Then swap out the valve body for a stock one. The valve body is what is modified when a shift kit is added.

To adjust the low/reverse band you will loosen the lock nut and back out the screw some. Then tighten and torque it to 10ft-lbs and then back it out exactly 3 turns. This band is the one at the rear of the transmission on the passenger side.

brnc_bstr87

Thanks!! Couple questions though lol. What is a shift kit & could I leave it in if I go back to a stock shift? Do I have to change out the valve body or can I just put in a stock shifter & just adjust the low/reverse band. I'm eventually going to a T5 tranny anyways lol but it'll be a little while yet.

rmodel65

a shift kit is an internal modification to the way the tranny send pressure thru different passages....



the shifter is just that a shifter and isnt not making it shift hard....it only selects the gear you choose



if you truly do have a shift kit and want it gone you need a good stock valve body imho id leave alone if you are gonna upgrade to a t5 in a little while jhmo

brnc_bstr87

I think I will leave it but I might adjust the low/reverse band like projectresto83 suggested. The only thing is, I don't know what or where to look at the band. Does anyone have a detailed description of how to do it? Thanks for the info thus far : )

projectresto83

Again

To adjust the low/reverse band
1. loosen the lock nut and back out the screw some
2. torque the screw to 10ft-lbs
3. back out the screw exactly 3 turns
4. while holding the screw tighten down the lock nut

To adjust the intermediate band you do the same as above but on the other side and only back the screw out 1.5 turns.

The amount of backing out the screws is what the repair manuals say to do BUT this does cause some flare between shifts. Alot of people will only back out the low/reverse band 2-2.5 turns and the intermediate band .75-1 turn. I would do 2.5 and 1.5 turns if it was me and then drive to check for flare(trans slippage is what you will notice, the rpm will raise but it won't go faster, noticed usually under harder or high rpm shifting) BUT the less you back them out the harder it will shift into that gear when selected. This can also burn out the bands if done correctly but its not a hard process.


The small hole on the left is where the low/reverse band is (the one at the bottom, not the one the arrows are pointing). This is the passenger side of the trans with the right side of the pic being the front part of the trans. The other adjustment screw is on the driver side but on the front part of the casing. They look the same.