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Old 06-02-2012, 05:30 PM   #1
Rabz_Rox
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Thumbs down BJ Astina Auto Transmission Annoyance

Not sure if this is a fixable issue. But I am finding that when I get up into top gear (4th) my transmission goes to sleep!!! It's like the car decide, ok, you're in top gear now, my work is done!!!

It feels like some kind of economy mode, or a 5th gear overdrive. Basically, as your acceleration stops and you get to a constant speed, the revs will drop, and then sit there. If you go to climb a hill, you either wait forever or pump the accelerator, it then "changes gear" but you're still in 4th!! If you manually change from 4th to 3rd its a massive difference.

It is definitely a 4 speed transmission. But there is no overdrive button. Is there a way to fine tune this? Once you get into this overdrive the car is as responsive as a mule!!
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Old 06-02-2012, 06:03 PM   #2
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the "hold" button act as the overdrive button
it sounds like the torque converter is locking up too soon... it maybe some sort of electronics issue or your throttle sensor out of adjustment
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Old 06-02-2012, 06:38 PM   #3
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sounds like most mazda auto boxes. when in overdrive, it take forever to think. i think it is just one of those thing when owning a auto. you really have to plant your foot on the accellerator pedal for anything to change in a hurry.

the auto in the 3 has the same issues with overdrive in 3rd and 4th. but lucky it also has a sequential sports mode and that blocks the overdrive function when being used.
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Old 06-02-2012, 06:53 PM   #4
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Thanks boys. I'll keep playing with the TP sensor. Mazda had adjusted it but is sucked big time. As always, it's up to me!!!
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Old 06-02-2012, 06:54 PM   #5
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You don't have to push hard to change down just all the way and quickly to activate the 'kick down'. You are explaining why I don't like autos on smaller engines.
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Old 06-02-2012, 06:58 PM   #6
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There's no excuse for it. It should be fixable. There must be something tweakable...
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Old 06-02-2012, 07:07 PM   #7
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Yeah, use the kick down. It's how autos have been built for the last 50 years at least.
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Old 06-02-2012, 10:05 PM   #8
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Once the lockup engages it can be a little bit sluggish.

Note that the computer pays attention to not only how much you press the pedal but how quickly you press it. If you start going up a hill and gently feed in more power it will stay in lockup until revs drop too low. If you jab at the pedal it'll be more likely to kick down.

But yeah, there might be some room for adjustment. I don't find it too bad but I will occasionally go for the manual override say in hilly environments.

The computer is programmed for efficiency. If you want a sporty auto, get the 3 and use the sports shift mode.

Last edited by phunkdust; 06-02-2012 at 10:07 PM.
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Old 06-02-2012, 10:12 PM   #9
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By the way, has anyone tried this kit? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ford-4F27...ht_1285wt_1137

I've always wanted to put on the Lentech valve body but they are pretty hard to find and exxy.
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Old 07-02-2012, 07:23 AM   #10
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the sport shift mode does nothing special over you manual shifting a conventional automatic shifter.... I rather have a conventional shifter in an auto instead, that way I can skip gears if I want!
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:09 PM   #11
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one little detail that's being overlooked... the gearbox you are using is NOT meant to be used with the FS-DE, that's on top of the fact that you're using a FP-DE ECU

even though the gearboxes are the "same", the torque converter stall speed is different, so it will probably never work properly

and it's also possible that the final drive ratios are different, which makes the problem worse
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Old 22-05-2014, 09:30 PM   #12
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Old issue. Old post. Old user.

Still having these issues. Which I'm sure you are all not surprised by. Car is ok. But it has never been quite right.

Can you simply fit a Auto Control Module from an SP20 to a BJ1.8 gearbox??
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