TCC Lockup -- By Manual Switch?

[ford4wd08]

@RonD I was thinking about this again last night....

It wouldn't be very difficult to piggy back off the brake switch to make it open the circuit for the controller and make it unlock as well right?

It might not be needed at all, just a thought. I know the PCM used a lot of info to make the decision whether to lock it or not on later models, just wondering if a speed only is enough to make it function properly??

 

[RonD]

Yes, you could add a failsafe to unground the TCC when brake pedal was down

 

[ford4wd08]

Yes, you could add a failsafe to unground the TCC when brake pedal was down

What would that circuit look like?

Does the brake pedal complete a ground to make the lights work? Would I be able to wire it to the controller, or have a separate circuit that interrupts flow down to the solenoid?

Trying to think of the easiest way out loud to do it lol.

 

[RonD]

You would need to add a switch to the brake pedal, and pass the ground from the speed unit thru it to the TCC solenoid

Or you could add a relay that was activated by brake light 12volts, relays only draw 1/2amp so not a power issue
You would use a 5 post relay, so ground is passed thru the relay when it is OFF, and ground is cut when relay is ON
And no it wouldn't use power with key off

 

[ford4wd08]

You would need to add a switch to the brake pedal, and pass the ground from the speed unit thru it to the TCC solenoid

Or you could add a relay that was activated by brake light 12volts, relays only draw 1/2amp so not a power issue
You would use a 5 post relay, so ground is passed thru the relay when it is OFF, and ground is cut when relay is ON
And no it wouldn't use power with key off

Thanks for the info. I think I like the relay option better. Would be easier I think as I would like to just use one brake light switch.

 

[ford4wd08]

@RonD I'm circling back to this.

How much harm would there be running without locking the TCC for a while?

I know more heat and in trans and less MPG, but it is only a couple of hundred RPM correct?

I am thinking of wiring a manual switch to start, but I don't think this rig will see much speed above 65 mph as it will be primarily driven on 4 lane roads, but not interstates.

 

[RonD]

No harm at all, the torque converter will still lock up just not as soon
TCC was added to improve MPG, manual trans has better MPG numbers because its always "locked", a direct drive

Torque converters allow slipping so you can stop "in gear" and then will "lock" eventually when at cruising speed, but the sooner it "locks" the better for MPG
When computers were used then TCC could be added because computer has engine load and speed info so can lock and unlock as needed

 

[ford4wd08]

No harm at all, the torque converter will still lock up just not as soon
TCC was added to improve MPG, manual trans has better MPG numbers because its always "locked", a direct drive

Torque converters allow slipping so you can stop "in gear" and then will "lock" eventually when at cruising speed, but the sooner it "locks" the better for MPG
When computers were used then TCC could be added because computer has engine load and speed info so can lock and unlock as needed

So you are saying when the torque converter operates it locks itself at higher rpms?

The TCC circuit is just used so that will occur sooner and work better for MPG? My current MPG is 0 lol, so I can live with lower as long as it functions properly.

I still think I will add a manual switch so I can utilize it if I see fit when driving long distances.

 

[ford4wd08]

@RonD is the above info correct??

 

[RonD]

Yes, torque converter will still lock on its own, just not as soon as with TCC control

 

[ford4wd08]

@RonD

Do you think this could be made to work for the A4LD?

B&M 70244 B&M Converter Lockup Controller

The B&M converter lockup controller provides dash-mounted control to govern converter lockup at any speed between 30 and 90 mph. These kits eliminate converter lock and unlock cycling and premature unwanted converter lockup.

www.holley.com

https://documents.holley.com/70244_instructions.pdf

Seems like it would work to me... I'm in no hurry on this, but this could be an option as well as the one mentioned earlier.

 

[RonD]

You might be able to make it work
The speedometer cable interface is GM not Ford and the turn rate of the speedo cable will be different so not sure how much leeway there would be for speed matching
You would need to look at GM speedo cables and rotation rates compared to Ford

It looks like it has one 12v out to activate TCC solenoid, so it would be better to add your own relay that is activated by that 12v to GROUND the Ford TCC solenoid

At $240 it seems excessive for the work involved to get it to "maybe work"

You didn't see anything for Ford Lockup?
I have never looked

 

[ford4wd08]

You might be able to make it work
The speedometer cable interface is GM not Ford and the turn rate of the speedo cable will be different so not sure how much leeway there would be for speed matching
You would need to look at GM speedo cables and rotation rates compared to Ford

It looks like it has one 12v out to activate TCC solenoid, so it would be better to add your own relay that is activated by that 12v to GROUND the Ford TCC solenoid

At $240 it seems excessive for the work involved to get it to "maybe work"

You didn't see anything for Ford Lockup?
I have never looked

That's all I've found for TCC lock up.

I'm still digging around. Your original idea with the VSS is the best so far.

I agree, if it is not pretty much plug and play at $240, I don't believe it is worth it.

 

[RonD]

Found this article: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/a4ld-pressure-switch-for-lock-up-torque-convertor/

 

[ford4wd08]

Found this article: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/a4ld-pressure-switch-for-lock-up-torque-convertor/

Drilling that hole is what wound me up getting my trans rebuilt in the first place..... Drilled the hole, no more shifting....

I would prefer to not be that invasive this time.

I am strongly considering a manual switch that I can wire up to be interrupted anytime I hit the brakes. I would only use it at 55 or 60 mph, and then whenever I needed to come to a stop the brakes would trip the circuit. I just need to figure out how to get that out of my head and wired into a system. I think it can be accomplished with relays.

Sort of similar to how the stock cruise control works.