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DSM ratchet shifter info...please help

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Kringle

Proven Member
113
5
Sep 29, 2015
Goldsboro, North_Carolina
Alright guys (and girls?) not sure if this belongs in this area or not, feel free to move it if need be. Anyway, ive been looking at the ratchet shifter setup for the AUTO's. (oh and i dont own a DSM yet just doing research) I understand that there are a few "shift box" mods out there for this, along with "hacking" the TCU, and some blue wire mod thing. All MOD's seem like pretty good alternatives to just leaving it in drive and mashing the gas. However, since my wife will be driving this car as well i will be needing both worlds, ratchet shift and leave in drive. Ive searched and searched, maybe I'm just looking up the wrong thing or something. Also i know understand things that can be done to upgrade the trans as well. So enough story telling and to get to my question.....

What in yall's opinion, would be the best route for maintaining the "stockish" transmission characteristics for the wife, while also allowing me to switch to full line pressure manual shifting? Also, how do the "shift boxes" that you can get (ie: forced four and road surge) work with overdrive? if its been answered before please point me in the right direction.

Thank you, and sorry if this has been answered already I've never owned a automatic car and couldn't find the answer.
 
I don't know if it'd be possible with an authentic ratchet shifter unless you got really creative with the fab-work. However it would work quite exceptionally well if you were to bolt a 3G Sportronic "manumatic" shifter in it, and use a Roadsurge "basic" shift-box with the two wires set on the proper outlets for the "up" and "down" shift on the manual portion. That way when you slide it over, it's manual full line pressure shifting. When you pop it back in D, it shifts itself. I'm caught up between this idea, or just going full B&M/Hurst Promatic Ratchet shifter in mine.
 
When i say ratchet style shifter I was (in my head) thinking Hurst style, but from what i remember there typically a 3 speed shifter (1-2-D) right, so where would OD on the DSM fit in? i could be way wrong though, its been known to happen a few times before, so ive been told. and then putting a switch on the dash to swap between "shift box" on and off.

I saw that 3g shifter in the road surge tutorial and thats kind of what im after, but the shifter sounded "cheap" if you know what i mean. but i didnt even think about hooking the side shift portion up to a switch that would turn the "shift box" on and off. that actually seems like an awesome idea and might just be the best way to go. Ill look into the idea, or maybe use a similar setup out of a different car that has a more solid feel to it.

hey man thanks for the idea. and as always more input is greatly appreciated. i need some encouragement to take a dive into the world of DSM, eruo still has my attention......LOL
 
If I remember correctly, the OD is run through a switch. So when the car is in 3rd(D), you activate the switch when you want the car to go in OD. This is if you use the ratchet shifter idea and run it with the blue wire mod.
 
I have a b&m promatic ratchet, and the kiggly wiring mod. For overdrive, you wire it into a switch since 4th is just an overdrive.
 
If I remember correctly, the OD is run through a switch. So when the car is in 3rd(D), you activate the switch when you want the car to go in OD. This is if you use the ratchet shifter idea and run it with the blue wire mod.
I have a b&m promatic ratchet, and the kiggly wiring mod. For overdrive, you wire it into a switch since 4th is just an overdrive.

ok so is the switch for overdrive used cause the B&M dosent have a fourth drive gear for it or is a transmission electric input issue?
 
An auto from a 1G DSM has two solenoids that do the actual gear shifting (1-4 that is, P-R-N-D has to be done manually). A TCU gathers info from a variety of sensors and decides what solenoid(s) get power. With a TCU removed or not working the transmission will be locked in 3rd gear (AKA "limp mode") since neither solenoid will be energized. A "Blue wire" mod refers to a rewire of the third solenoid and thus allows more pressure in the transmission for faster and firmer shifts. With no TCU it will shift at full pressure, so no 'blue wire' mod is needed.

All that being said, here is the simplest way to turn an automatic transmission into a manual: http://forums.ds-map.net/development/make-your-own-shift-box/ It's also helpful in an emergency if the TCU decides to quit working.
As you can see it's just two switches. So if you can use a modified ratchet shifter to activate switches in the right order. You will just have to add another switch to turn TCU off for when you want to shift manually. The Road Surge shift box basically does same things, only electronically, as well as showing you what gear the transmission is in.

Or use some redneck engineering and do what i did few years back :D
(that valve is a handle for a rotary switch for 1-4, original shift lever for P-R-N-D, manual shift only since TCU was bad)
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An auto from a 1G DSM has two solenoids that do the actual gear shifting (1-4 that is, P-R-N-D has to be done manually). A TCU gathers info from a variety of sensors and decides what solenoid(s) get power. With a TCU removed or not working the transmission will be locked in 3rd gear (AKA "limp mode") since neither solenoid will be energized. A "Blue wire" mod refers to a rewire of the third solenoid and thus allows more pressure in the transmission for faster and firmer shifts. With no TCU it will shift at full pressure, so no 'blue wire' mod is needed.

All that being said, here is the simplest way to turn an automatic transmission into a manual: http://forums.ds-map.net/development/make-your-own-shift-box/ It's also helpful in an emergency if the TCU decides to quit working.
As you can see it's just two switches. So if you can use a modified ratchet shifter to activate switches in the right order. You will just have to add another switch to turn TCU off for when you want to shift manually. The Road Surge shift box basically does same things, only electronically, as well as showing you what gear the transmission is in.

Or use some redneck engineering and do what i did few years back :D
(that valve is a handle for a rotary switch for 1-4, original shift lever for P-R-N-D, manual shift only since TCU was bad)
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love the shifter, pretty sweet. no joke.
i understand the 2 solenoids and how they function. i actually read that 2 switch thing a few days ago, pretty neat.

ok so theoretically lets say you bought the road surge shift box. could that be wired in to the 3g shifter assembly to work like crackedDSM mentioned in post number 2. and not have to use a separate switch for over drive? or in a more dumbed down version for me to understand the question. can you shift through all 4 gears with the road surge box on say a 3g shifter assembly like that in the road surge v3 video?
 
The Overdrive button simply tells the TCU to not use 4th gear so if you use a shift box while TCU is turned off then yes, you would be able to use all four gears without needing a separate OD switch.
 
The Overdrive button simply tells the TCU to not use 4th gear so if you use a shift box while TCU is turned off then yes, you would be able to use all four gears without needing a separate OD switch.

sweet thank you, guess ill be adding a 3g shifter or something simpler to my list
 
God it seems like I wrote that forever ago. I think those pictures are from 2006. Lol.
Must be a good write up if people are still using it ten years later :thumb:

Kringle, from looking at diagrams it does seem that you would have to add a third switch to turn off the TCU since the shifter only has two for gears.
Would also like to get someone else's opinion about on-the-go shifting (going from automatic to manual and back while driving) as well as would it damage the TCU to simply cut it's power.
 
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I don't know much about TCUs and the auto trans, but I remember reading on Foreignmuscle.com that they could burn a chip for the TCU that would allow normal shifting and manual shifting at full line pressure using the stock shifter. Overdrive being activated by the O/D switch when manually shifting. It was switchable between normal shifting and manual shifting via the eco/power switch on the 1g's. 2g's required a switch to be installed.
 
I don't know much about TCUs and the auto trans, but I remember reading on Foreignmuscle.com that they could burn a chip for the TCU that would allow normal shifting and manual shifting at full line pressure using the stock shifter. Overdrive being activated by the O/D switch when manually shifting. It was switchable between normal shifting and manual shifting via the eco/power switch on the 1g's. 2g's required a switch to be installed.

yes i have seen the chip. im going for the same idea, but on the stock shifter going from 1st to drive and skipping 2nd all together is way to easy. with a up shift down shift shifter like that of the 3g there is no chance to skip a gear.

Must be a good write up if people are still using it ten years later :thumb:

Kringle, from looking at diagrams it does seem that you would have to add a third switch to turn off the TCU since the shifter only has two for gears.
Would also like to get someone else's opinion about on-the-go shifting (going from automatic to manual and back while driving) as well as would it damage the TCU to simply cut it's power.

instead of wiring up a toggle switch to go between tcu and non-tcu i will be using the "slide function to the up down as the switch. if i can
 
yeah ive read that one two, good read and awesome destruction's (instructions) on how to install a ratchet shifter. how ever that shifter is for a 3 speed and still requires a switch for on the dash (or where ever you want) over drive.

so anyway this thread can be killed, thank you for the info everyone, and special thanks to crackedDSM for the idea. if i decide to pull the trigger on this build ill let yall know how my shifter comes out. for reference the idea is to use a 3g auto shifter with the manumatic. ill be using the stock TCU for everyday normal driving, but use the + / - side of a 3g style sifter with the road surge shift box. I'll try to incorporate both so that when you slide to the + / - side of the shifter assembly, you will be deactivating the TCU and go to the full line pressure shifting of the Road Surge.
 
ill let you know how it turns out. but again thats if i d decide to actually buy a 95 2g. still need to research a few parts to see if the creation i have in my head has the potential with out sacrificing any of my ideas. so far its looking good, but im stuck on a O2 housing and manifold issue right now. which looks is looking like i might have to fab my own stuff to work. which is fine, but ill have to sharpen up my tig welding abilities before i press any further.
 
Has anybody just cut the OD wires? I did to mine and i feel like it wont go into 4th. My SRS light came on also. I of coarse lost the OD box and have to get a new one from the dealership to try and fix this issue.

O/D OFF light is not currently on and going about 80mph its at about an easy 4500 5000 RPMs

stupid of me for not finding this thread sooner LOL
 
If the wires are cut then the tcu can't command overdrive and torque converter to lock up. Reconnect them or you will not have 4th gear ever. Then to leave it "on" all the time. All you need is any switch with 2 positions. Then all you do is leave it "on" and the tcu will tell transmission when to go into or out of 4th gear all on its own. If you want to turn OD/4th gear off then select other position on switch.
 
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