So ive just recently purchased a 1985 olds toronado and its running really nice, not too many hiccups so far. I do have a few problems here and there unsurprisingly. Ive come to the conclusion that the car is haunted by its previous owner... It honks upon arrival to a destination. Nomatter where im going the entire ride is problem free until i go to pull into wherever im going and HOOOOOOOONK!!!!! Every time. Without fail.

Anyways, onto the reason for this post. It seems to shift a bit rough, i believe being directly related to the speedometer being off. The speedometer reads between 5 and 10 mph over what im actually doing so for example when im taking off from stop the tranny doesnt shift into second gear until the speedometer reads alittle over 10-15 and the car is actually going 20-25 which results in a bit if a kick. The same goes for all gears.

Anyone know if a simple speedometer calibration would fix this issue?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

 

Also, ive got the whole dash apart because the stereo is scratchy and the left side is wayyyy more quiet than the left. I swaped the speakers around as well as moved some wires and ive come to the conclusion that the speakers and wires going from the radio to the speakers have no problems as well as the speakers themselves. When i move the wires plugged into the stereo itself the problem moves speakers. Is it more likely the stereo has an issue in itself or is there a better possibility that there is a problem between the antenna and stereo?

 

If Im understanding the question correctly your trans is shifting at to high on the RPMs on 1-2 & 2-3...not rough.
Check the line to the modulator for leaks or blockage. Is the line hooked up to the correct port on the engine?

 

It's entirely possible on speedometer calibration. These cars have a little propeller wheel back of the speedometer that inputs to the ECM (computer). Being an early ECM car, shifting may be computer controlled, esp since Toros were Oldsmobile's gadget-mobiles. NC, try disconnecting battery for a minute or so and then reconnecting. That should reset the ECM to default. Then see if shifting improves.


80s GM radios were never noted for high performance. You want good tunes, just put a CD head unit in there. Scosche makes adapter plugs and dash faceplates to connect newer units to existing car radio wiring, and Walmart usually has those. Keep in mind if it has the BOSE amplified speaker system, that requires a special connector.

 

Thought 1984-85 was the electronic? Anyways good catch.

 

You are understanding correctly, it can be rough from first to second depending on actual RPMs at point of shifting but thats besides the point.

Im quite new to this, and dont know what exactly those are or their locations. Would you care to explain where to look for these? Just to clarify, im not stupid. Im just ignorant on proper names. But im working on that

 

To clairfy, im not exactly experiencing poor performance, more like there is a bad connection somewhere. The right side of the car, up until i started moving wires around, was at about 15-25% the volume of the left side, the rear right speaker being no more than a whisper at all times. When i moved the wires from the speakers around where they were connected into the radio the problem moved speakers, thus eliminating an issue in the wires connecting the speakers or the speakers themselves.

Edit:

Also, ive disconnected the battery a few times for at least a few minutes before for unrelated reasons and it made no difference

 

And thanks droldsmorland

 

NC, you did move the balance and fader controls around to make sure they weren't set to full right or left or full front or back? Is it a factory radio or aftermarket? Either way sounds like an internal radio problem.


Morland, I couldn't remember if all 85 Toro had electronic speedometers but I think they all have that propeller and mirror thing that affects shifting and converter lockup.

 

Its the factory radio and id hope to keep it that way, and yes i had them cranked full blast for the problem speakers as i was working on them this morning and never could get more than a whisper out of four specific connections. If you were to imagine them in two columns of six it would be connections 1&2 and 4&5.

 

First thing I would do is go over the entire engine and insect and replace all vacuum lines. They are likely cracked and hard. With the mix of analog and digital technology in that car a vac leak can cause all sorts of drive-ability problems.
After doing that I would recommend reading the OBD(On Board Diagnostic) computer. See if any codes are present or pending. Then take it to a trans shop well versed in older front wheel drive transmissions. Inspect the trans oil pan and fluid for condition. If the fluid looks ok no junk is present in the pan, then have the line pressures read. The line pressures will spot internal trans problems. Rough up shifts are generally attributed to worn clutch packs or low line pressures or both as worn clutch packs will inherently have low pressure. Trans likely needs to be serviced anyway. Have all the fluid flushed with a power flusher.
I suspect you have a vacuum leak somewhere under the hood, likely several.

 

How would i read the OBD? Theres nothing digital on the dash except the radio. And i don't believe i have any obvious vac leaks as the gentleman that owned it before me did a pretty good job of replacing all of them and putting them in their proper place. It seems to perform perfectly other than the late shift. Its not exactly rough, just delayed more than it should resulting in higher RPMs than normal when the car thinks it should change gears. Its directly related to the speedometer. Whether its the speedometer affecting the trans or the other way around i have yet to conclude.

 

if it's a "bose" you may have problems with the amps that are mounted on each speaker. your trans shifts aren't controlled by the ecm,that trans has a detent or throttle pressure cable and if not adjusted properly it won't shift right. the cable should be fairly taught at wide open throttle for starters.

 

jcd good catch on the TV cable. I wasn't sure, been so long since I looked under the hood of the early 80s Toros.

Nothern since this car has a TV cable controlling the trans this is likely the culprit.
Google or YouTube TV cable or Throttle Valve cable adjustment procedure.
Yours is turned up to high. There is a tab you push in and it allows the TV cable to ratchet in or out in relation to the throttle cable. If you push that tab down it releases the cable housing allowing it to slide in and out. Adjust it in towards where the cable end attaches a click or three Ill bet your up shift RPMs will come down. Mark the original position before adjusting. Only do one click at a time and road test. Too low isnt good either there is a sweet spot.

See this link(s) below. I think the upshift MPH is a little high in the first link as its more performance oriented but it should get you where you need to be. Just shoot for lower MPH upshifts

http://www.monstertransmission.com/7...ons_ep_62.html

http://www.cpttransmission.com/tech_tvcable.htm

 

But thats the part that has stumped me, if i unplug both rear speakers (one works perfectly and the other is a whisper) and swap their locations the problem stays in the same place and changes speakers. They both sound fine when plugged into the right side connection. If i swap the location of the wires where plugged into the radio the problem moves wires and stays on the same connection. Leading me to believe that its either the radio or further up the line, theres only so far i can get in the dash before ive got to remove the fender to get to the antenna itself.

And ill give that cable a look that sounds like it'd do the trick, however i cant drive it until i receive more solvent from dorman because i was replacing the cv boot and ran out... So ill have to wait until monday to check it out on the road..

The speedometer wouldn't be related to that would it?

 

is it a BOSE radio? it does sound like it's in the radio.if it is bose the speakers are wired differently than a regular delco stereo.

 

No its a delco, two wires to eack speaker. The problem speakers being light and dark blue and green.