TCI SSF3500 Install Finished
TCI SSF3500 Install Finished Well I got my converter installed last week after 4 days of hell installing my converter, motor mount(just driver side), tranny cooler and LCA's. Who on earth decided to use those damn allen head bolts on the stock converter, I'd like to give the man responsible a swift kick in the nuts. I stripped 2 of the 3 torque converter bolts and wasted a day and a half trying to get them out. After that and the other installs I finally got to take here for a drive. I thought damn this thing is loose but holy **** its nice when you nail it. I couldn't believe it I can now do a burnout from a dead stop in second gear without holding the brake with 2.73 gears 
. Overall its was definately worth it. I got those allen head bolts out by drilling and grinding the heads off, yea it took a while. TCI rocks! big thanks to Thunder Racing for having their group purchase! 
. Overall its was definately worth it. I got those allen head bolts out by drilling and grinding the heads off, yea it took a while. TCI rocks! big thanks to Thunder Racing for having their group purchase! 
just put in the same converter, same thunder racing group purchase 
. also with it the transgo shift kit and b&m cooler.
all i can say is **** yeah! i have a slight torque management issue from 1-2 shift but other than that it is fine. lockup is about 45-50mph in od and 35mph in d. i dropped .5 in the 1/4mile and gained 1mph already on the stock shitty goodyears. can't say i can do 2nd gear burnouts though.
i say the shift kit is harder to put in then the stall. not that it was really hard, just nerve racking. me and my mechanic (a good friend) did the install and he kept joking with me, saying "i dunno, i just hope it shifts". sure enough it did but i was nervous having never been inside an automatic transmission.
. also with it the transgo shift kit and b&m cooler.all i can say is **** yeah! i have a slight torque management issue from 1-2 shift but other than that it is fine. lockup is about 45-50mph in od and 35mph in d. i dropped .5 in the 1/4mile and gained 1mph already on the stock shitty goodyears. can't say i can do 2nd gear burnouts though.
i say the shift kit is harder to put in then the stall. not that it was really hard, just nerve racking. me and my mechanic (a good friend) did the install and he kept joking with me, saying "i dunno, i just hope it shifts". sure enough it did but i was nervous having never been inside an automatic transmission.
Hey sleeperstyle or anyone else with a SSF3500 do you notice any noise and vibration around half throttle when the converter locks up in the 50ish mph range? Its sorta like hitting a smoother version of those rumble strips on the side of the highway right when the converter locks up. Other than that I sure hope I can pick up .5 in the quarter. Oh and 99-LS1-SS I only did the driver side I couldn't bring myself to do passengers, was too tired.
i'd almost be willing to bet that "noise" or vibration you are hearing is driveline, motor mount/trans mount, tires/wheels vibration and has nothing to do with the converter. i actually felt some vibration in my car last night, and put it in N and let it coast only to feel the vibration stay there so i don't think it is the converter. my car always had some minor vibrations, probably the stock steel driveshaft. when i put in a poly trans mount it multiplied those vibrations by like 100X.
one thing i did notice was the converter bolts supplied with the ssf3500 had some slop in the flex plate holes. if they came loose all hell would break loose, flex plate cracking or worse. im gonna check on them via removing the starter in like 5k miles, i suggest everyone do the same.
one thing i did notice was the converter bolts supplied with the ssf3500 had some slop in the flex plate holes. if they came loose all hell would break loose, flex plate cracking or worse. im gonna check on them via removing the starter in like 5k miles, i suggest everyone do the same.
I guess it could be something else but it consistantly makes this under the conditions I mentioned earlier and also when I let off the gas and then jump back into the gas. I will definately take your advice and check my torque converter bolts. Though I'm not too concerned because I put loc-tite on them.
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any shifting problems? Now that my 3500 is in it bounces off the rev limiter on WOT during the 2-3 shift. I have heard reports of the ecm not liking the additional slippage and screwing things up, but I haven't gotten a GOOD description of what to do to fix it.
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
From: Pharr, TX
IF you're hitting the rev limiter than you probably have a burnt clutch. I have yet to hit the rev limiter after installing the SSF3500. I also raised the idle to about 600-700, not with any programmer but rather with the throttle screw near the throttle body. It almost seems as if I have the stock converter. No looseness what so ever. I've just got this damn 0757 shift solenoid stuck on code now. I did a search around here and all I could get was that the higher stall tricks the computer and makes it think it's stuck on because of the RPMs going higher. I hope this damn SES light goes away soon. it's annoying. And sleeper style how'd you manage .5 off your et? all I could manage on street tires was .1 off. It sucks spinning all of 1st.
put some sticky tires on three Haunted. With my 3500, long tubes, free mods, and 3.42 (from 2.73) gears I dropped a FULL second off my ET, and that's with the aforementioned trans issue And good air for the base run, bad air for the new run. I would guess in similar conditions with a good shifting trans, I probably dropped closer to 1.2 seconds.
my 2-3 shift seems later than usual like at 6100rpms or so and it is not a hard shift at all like the 1-2 shift. this does concern me a little bit but at least im not hitting the limiter yet. i say have the limiter raised a little bit and the line pressure raised, maybe even have the shift point lowered and manually shift it 2-3 ( i can't say if this will work or not but that was my plan if it started hitting the limiter). if it is toast it is toast though, you may be able to subdue the problem for a while but maybe not.
as for my .5 off of my et.. well it went 13.4 @ 104mph CONSISTENTLY with the stock converter. 1st run on the ssf3500 was the time in my sig, the rest of the runs were around the 13.2-13.3 mark with shitty 60ft times like 2.1's and 2.0's, trapping between 104-105mph. this was partially because it got nighttime and the weather got cooler out and very humid out. it is NOT consistent at all now, but i have some nitto 555r's on the way so hopefully 12.80's or better with 1.70-1.80 60ft time..
as for my .5 off of my et.. well it went 13.4 @ 104mph CONSISTENTLY with the stock converter. 1st run on the ssf3500 was the time in my sig, the rest of the runs were around the 13.2-13.3 mark with shitty 60ft times like 2.1's and 2.0's, trapping between 104-105mph. this was partially because it got nighttime and the weather got cooler out and very humid out. it is NOT consistent at all now, but i have some nitto 555r's on the way so hopefully 12.80's or better with 1.70-1.80 60ft time..
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 9,246
Likes: 3
From: Troy, AL
It's not uncommon that installing a looser converter causes you to hit the rev limiter on the shifts. The shifts are MPH determined on some cars. Well, if you have increased slippage then that MPH (whatever it may be programmed) will come at a higher RPM.
Lower the shift point or raise the rev limiter.
If you have converter clutch chatter, raising the line pressure a bit may, or may not, fix the problem. If you're sure that's what it is and you can't get it to stop, call the converter manufacturer. Clutches sometimes slip when under alot of strain or chatter as they are locking. This should not be tolerated. It's very hard on the clutch.
Lower the shift point or raise the rev limiter.
If you have converter clutch chatter, raising the line pressure a bit may, or may not, fix the problem. If you're sure that's what it is and you can't get it to stop, call the converter manufacturer. Clutches sometimes slip when under alot of strain or chatter as they are locking. This should not be tolerated. It's very hard on the clutch.
Well I increased the line pressure, or at least I think I did. I increased my TCC DC vs. line press vs. trans temp -offset to 85 and the base to 98. The vibration doesn't seem to be as bad but its still there. It also vibrates when I'm just cruising and let off the throttle then jump back into it quickly so that it stays locked and I watched my rpms jump up about 300 rpms and it had that vibration at the same time. So I figure that means that the the Lock up clutch in the verter is slippin a bit. I could take Colonel suggestion and call TCI but I feel that its not something I want to take the converter back out for. Also when I went tuning today I had an SES light about some kind of Shift solenoid performance code and it said something about not having 1st or 4th gear which doesn't make sense because I still had 1st and 4th gear and the trans shifted just like normal. I think I will just tune to make the converter unlock more often under harder throttle conditions to make it slip and vibrate less. I don't know maybe I'm stupid. Anyone have any other suggestion? Thanks for your responses keep them coming.
Last edited by 2000TransAm24; Sep 8, 2004 at 08:56 PM.
Well I checked my torque converter bolts and no worries they were real tight. After adjusting the converter lock and unlock points to put less stress on the lockup clutch I have successfully eliminated the vibrations. Thanks everyone 
12 Second Club
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
From: Central FL/ East AL
I installed my SSF3500 about 2 months ago along with the Transgo shift kit. I love it! a month later I added Lakewood LCAs and a set of Mickey ET Street Radials because traction was nonexistent with the Goodyears. My best before the converter was 13.15, last week I went 12.64. I didn't get enough heat in the tires(mid 40 degree weather) so I only cut a 1.92 short time because she spun through the middle of 1st. Also I was having issues with the 1-2 shifting early. I didn't change the WOT MPH shift point, but I fixed that this week. Hopefully tomorrow I can take a couple of tenths off of my current best.
Yea I'd like to get some MT tires, its been a long time since I've been able to get any grip in first gear. I haven't been to the track yet to see how much faster I am because theres no point when you don't get any grip. I'm glad I got hptuners because I never knew just how much a torque converter would screw with the computer.
what can you guys stall to on the brake???? i helped a friend put one in a ls1 powered 69 camero and we can only get it to stall on the brake to about 2200 rpm. i thought maybe it was do to some torque managment issue, but i guess not. anyone else had this problem. the car has rear brakes off of a 98 fbody so i dont think that is the problem.
Originally Posted by ALL UC2
what can you guys stall to on the brake???? i helped a friend put one in a ls1 powered 69 camero and we can only get it to stall on the brake to about 2200 rpm. i thought maybe it was do to some torque managment issue, but i guess not. anyone else had this problem. the car has rear brakes off of a 98 fbody so i dont think that is the problem.
