I have a Hurst Proshifter II. Tranny will not shift very often into 1st gear via the shifter. If I leave it in 'drive' it will always shift down to 1st. If I slap it to first it will only shift to first if I stop, slap it, give it throttle, etc. I have to play with it some to get it into first via the shifter. I don't believe the car was driven much before I purchased it in October, and at first it didn't seem to go into 1st at all. It was about 1 1/4 quarts low on fluid. After topping it off, it shifts into first sometimes as I mentioned above. I do not know a great deal about tranny's so any advice is welcome. Thanks.
Sounds like cable may be out of adjustment at least that is the first thing I would investigate. Do you know if the transmission has a shift kit in it ?
That is a good question that I cant answer. I would imagine that when you shift it or it shifts itself you have a good crisp response but a good torque converter would also cause it to shift like that if tranny is up to par
Ok, I'm not to knowledgable about trannys, someone mentioned once that perhaps the valves were sticky, but now since it goes into 1st when it's in 'drive', I'm thinking they're probably not sticky anymore.
Did it not go into 1st gear while set to drive at one time? Otherwise I think Mike nailed it. The transmissions linkage detents are not in sync with the detents on the shifter. Not sure about that particular shifter but some have adjustable stops to allow more shifter stroke lengths. Best bet would be to get the car safely in the air and see where the Trans linkage is located in reference to 1st on the shifter. PS. If you cannot find a synchronization between the 2 then you may need an aftermarket linkage arm on the trans itself to change the stroke length to movement ratio. Or if it's an aftermarket linkage arm to begin with?.. it may be wrong, need adjustment via different hole location since that arm/lever length changes the ratio of movement for the trans shift linkage movement as compared to the shifter stroke length.
Best way to do it is unhook cable at shift lever arm on transmission and shift the transmission into first gear by hand you can feel and hear it as it goes through the gears and put the shifter in first gear and then adjust and hook the cable up. Installation instructions tell you to put transmission in neutral and shifter in neutral then install cable. I am like you on the sticky valve scenario I would think it would not shift into first if left in drive. Cable stretch is a known problem with these type of shifters if you have to get a new cable get a 6' rather than 5' makes for less of a tight bend
You need a shift kit that will install as a "Full Manual" (Such as Transgo model 4o-3). You can select 1st, 0r 2nd, or in Drive it shifts as a full automatic.
You should be able to manually shift and take off in 1st gear on any c4 trans without needing a shift kit. On the reread.. I would be pulling the valve body apart on this thing. Not as hard as many would imagine and ends up being very cheap insurance in the long run. Good opportunity for an inspection too. Be aware that higher mileage deals will usually elongate the holes in the separator plate where the check balls seat as well. Pretty cheap to replace and the Torlon check balls are a nice upgrade too. Faster response and the won't hammer away at the separator plates like the steel ones do.
One full turn on cable adjustment and it now shifts into 1st ok. Have to bang it into 3rd now though.
God bless the cable shifters, they can cause many headaches and premature transmission failures if someone hasnt taken the time to set them up properly. There is one in my Bronco (B&M Quarter stick) that I had a hell of a time making custom brackets for to keep the shifter lined up with the detent spots. Any desire to go to something like a Lokar? Ive never seen one up close but I like the idea of not having a morse cable.
Had two different cars with B&M Mega Shifters and never had an issue but then I am using a reverse manual valve bodies
Been there many times. You rob Peter to pay Paul or vice versa.. and someone's always getting shorted in the deal. Might be time for a bit of modding(you can weld filler into one side of the shift arms existing hole and offset drill slightly to relocate it) or even move to a custom linkage arm to improve the cable stroke to arm movement ratio geometry. Hole located closer to shift linkages mounting loaction/fulcrum point = greater range of movement gained from the shifters cable stroke length. Further away absorbs more of the shifters cable stroke to give less shift linkage movement.
