Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) New ATS installed commander won't unlock at lower setting

[SRehberg]

We'll wait and see what the answer is and we can all learn from it. The gentleman from ATS (?) is willing to try another, and I think their company has a great reputation for standing behind their quality products. If RPM is the factor causing the problem, then how does it sense the RPM; where and when does it know it is at our hypothetical 17mph? How does the controller know the difference between a 3. 54 rear, 3. 73, or 4. 10 etc. ? I'm willing to learn here as there are a lot of things I need to know about these trucks.

 

[Andy Redmond]

Yknot



My experiences with it not unlocking were at far greater speeds than 17 mph, say 30 or so. . (smart controller)

 

[ChadHarlan]

Like I said, Just call and I will send you one out monday. And when I get yours back I will try it out on my truck and see what is going on with it.

 

[biggy238]

I understand the problem you are having, but why doesn't the controller unlock when the engine is affectively dead? I mean, from what i'm reading, the drivetrain is staying locked to a dead engine which should slow your truck below the 17mph mark. I just am wondering why the TC doesn't unlock then. I haven't checked mathematically what rpm would be achieved, but i know my truck can sustain 200rmp for a short time and recover. This would allow the truck to stop, stumble to a stop rather, slow enough to unlock and then the engine rpm return to normal idle. I don't own any aftermarket transmission mods, but this has caught my attention. On another note, i've had trouble with my stock converter choking my truck out after it's been run on the interstate for a while. This made me think that mine was heat related and maybe yours too.

 

[Will Manchester]

The TripleLok Commander is a speed sensitive lockup controller. The lowest setting is approx 18mph, the highest setting is about 55mph. The TripleLok commander will automatically unlock the TC at a speed 3% lower than the lockup point (this is to prevent a lockup/unlock hunt if you are maintaining the speed where the TripleLok Commander is trying to lock the TC).



The TripleLok Commander does not care about tire size, axel ratio, RPM, or gear; it is ONLY looking at vehicle speed. However all of these factors are directly related to one another. If you do not unlock the TC before the engine drop much below 800 RPM, the truck will start bucking and shaking (just like not releasing the clutch on a manual transmission).



A higher numerical rear end (i. e. 4. 10's) or a truck running smaller tires will be able maintain lockup with the TripleLok Commander at a lower vehicle speeds because the RPM's will be higher for a given MPH.



For example

1) A truck running 33" tires w/ 4. 10 tires @ 30 mph will be running 927 RPM in overdrive

2) The same truck with 3. 55 gears @ 30 mph will be running 803 RPM in overdrive



From this, you see that as you are coming to a stop (truck is still in overdrive), you can not keep the TC locked below about 30mph without the engine starting to buck. With the TripleLok Commander on its lowest setting, the TC will not unlock until about 15 MPH or so. The converter will try to kill the engine at this point, however it usually will not.



The reason that we have these lower settings is so that you can maintain lockup in a lower gear at the lower speeds. For instance, say you are towing a trailer through a construction zone doing 30MPH - put the truck in 2nd gear lockup and you are in the sweet spot in your power band, you are not making any heat from the fluid coupling, and you will maximize your fuel economy due to the greater efficiency.



For around town driving and towing situations, most people like the TripleLok Commander locking up about 35 MPH, give or take (usually as low as you can go without bogging the engine when coming to a stop).