Originally Posted by
Barrman
Chris,
I don't remember what kind of vehicle you drive daily. It was a white car, right? I just don't remember what it was. I was pretty tired by the time we met. But, say it is an automatic. Say it is a 4 speed auto matic. If you watch the tach as you drive, you should be able to count through the gears. But, if you are driving at a steady speed above about 35 mph, you will see the tach drop another 100-300 rpm like it shifted into a 5th gear. That was the lock up torque converter working.
A normal torque converter can best be explained as two fans sitting facing each other. If you turn one of them (engine) on, it will blow air at the other one and the other one (Transmission) will start to spin. But, it will never spin as fast as the "engine" fan. Substitute transmission fluid for air and that is how a converter works.
A lock up converter works exactly the same way. But, it has a clutch that locks the two "fans" together. Just like an a/c clutch locks on and off to drive the compressor. A functioning lock up will reduce your engine rpm, eliminate slip in the converter, reduce transmission heat, give you better performance and better milage.
I think the valve body kit eliminates the auto matic lock up of the converter. You can still run a wire to the transmission so you can lock it up with a switch. You just have to use the lock up inside the speed and gear paramaters it was meant to be used or it will burn up very fast.
This make sense?