Cable shifter and C-4 Gocha!

[blandq]

Just an expereince "look-out" concerning C-4s

This is particular to reverse valve bodies!

The reverse direction utilizes the high band in the tranny (3rd). In the reverse valve body it is possible to continue to shift past the fluid ports in the transmission. If you do that, it ports the fluid to reverse. With mechnical linkage, properly set, this over-shift cannot happen. HOWEVER, a cable shifter, a-la B&M hammer can easily stretch and be mis-adjusted and eventually lead to an over-shift condition.

This happened to me going forty miles an hour @ 730 AM in Monday morning traffic. Out of the blue about 5 seconds after shifting into 3rd, the rear wheels locked and I literally did a 360 missing on-coming and same direction traffic by the grace of God.

Not only did I have an internal shift limiter (metal stop) installed in the tranny but I re-ground the detents on the stock shifter, went back to stock mechanical linkage, and will not go back to cable sifters.

 

[allcarfan]

have you read about anyone else with these problems?

This is the frist time that i have heard anything about this. It concerns me though...i have a hammer shifter and a reverse manual valve body in a c4.

 

[blandq]

I have not heard of the issue before. ATO that set up the trans for me though was very 'all-knowing' concerning this issue and pre-warned me about my desire of using the Hammer shifter. The noted several issues, after actually buying one, I agree.

1. The shifters are mass produced and mechanically sloppy
2. Just like your ten-speed bike, cables stretch...always
3. "Energetic" shifting, like on the street in alittle dual, will lead to failure
in the shifter....they are simply not put together that well.
4. Last but not least the over-shift threat.

 

[allcarfan]

hmmmm...

possibly replacing the cable every "upteen" thousand miles should be advised then. I had to send my hammer shifter back. It ratcheted fine...then i attached the cable...i had to REALLY PULL HARD on the shifter for it to shift....it wouldnt ratchet anymore...and the reverse lockout stopped working. And thats all without even cranking the car up. B&M sent me a new one free of charge.

I know a lot of others use the hammer shifter and odnt have a problem though.

 

[blandq]

The reverse valve body I am using is considerably high in pressure than the stock. I had the car running for about three weeks and several hundred miles before the event.....it was not long in time or mileage. In addition, the expereince I had is one I will pay not to repeat.

 

[corpse]

Another hammer shifter here - only 3k miles though on my setup.. It does seem flimsey, and I would put more thought into buying a new one, but I DO like it, comfy and cool lookin, and I like the ratchet style shifting for racing, plus the reverse lock-out is nice..