RE: 61 olds 88- Can someone explain 'slim jim' roto-hydramatic PNDSLR and how it feels to drive?

I'm on number two tranny, whats this actually supposed to feel like when driving?

What is the "S" and what is it supposed to do?

 

The "S" is alternately referred to as either "super" or "second". In any case, it IS second. D(rive) accesses all three gears automatically, S(econd) accesses first and second only, and L(ow) accesses only low (first). You'd downshift into "S" when descending a long hill, for example, to use engine braking and avoid burning up your brakes.

 

Would an improperly adjusted TV rod cause 2nd and 3rd to slip?

 

Yes. A misadjusted TV rod will make a SlimJim do all sorts of hateful things.

Most SJ in my experience have a rather abrupt 1-2 shift with a steep RPM drop and an almost imperceptible 2-3 shift.

 

Times two on the adjustment. I've had three of these in my lifetime and have been lucky that they all worked quite well. They feel like they are slipping in low because I think they really are due to the design. The 1-2 shift is very noticeable and at low speeds feels slow because of the clutch engagement and the major ratio change, it is positive enough to make a cold engine want to hesitate. The 1-2 is not as noticeable with harder acceleration. The 2-3 shift is very rapid and soft unless you get on it but it should never be hard. You should not notice any slippage in second and high.

 

I had a Slim Jim in a 62 Pontiac. The 1-2 shift feels more like a 1-3 shift.

 

And it may just be that if the TV rod is out of adjustment. My old 63 shifted fine till it had to be rebuilt then I experienced that jump- bog every time it shifted. I couldn't ever get it to work decent after that rebuild. I still think something was broken and not fixed after the rebuild. These are not my favorite transmission..Tedd

 

The TV rod on my '63 F-85 came out of the arm on left side of transmission and I guess it spun around enough so it needs to be adjusted again - is there a rule of thumb for adjustment? I know to make the adjustments in small increments but which direction (legnthing vs shortening) will help if trans slips when I accelerate too quickly?
Taking her on a 2 hr road trip this evening so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

I had a 64 Dynamic 88 daily driver back in the early 70s. When I first got it I had some shifting issues so I went to the library and found a Chiltons or Motors manual that covered that year. It described a simple way to adjust the TV linkage that did not involve any special tools like the FSM. I think you put a drill or rod through a couple of holes and adjusted another rod to a specific dimension. Unfortunately I don't remember the details but I know I tried it and it solved the problems, that car shifted great the whole time I owned it.

 

http://forums.aaca.org/f138/slim-jim...lp-186570.html Here is a link from a sticky that may or may not help in finding a solution to your problem. This is from the AACA forum...Tedd