Hughes and their Manual Valve Body

[Begle1]

Decided to buy a manual valve body; have heard good things about Hughes, bad things about TCI, and the local hotrod shop is a Hughes distributer. So I decide to buy a Hughes unit.

Looked at their website, (http://www.hughesperformance.com/transvalvbodies.asp), and notice they don't say if their units provide engine braking in first gear.

Went to the shop, their distributor catalog doesn't say, so I call up Hughes direct.

First guy puts gives me to a trans specialist, who doesn't believe I have a 1990 727, then says that he wouldn't know because he's never driven a manual valve body before. So then he puts me onto the third guy, who I guess is a Specialist Specialist, and he says that he'll have to ask the Specialist Specialist Specialist down the hall... So he puts me on hold for a few minutes, comes back and confidently says "The forward-pattern units have full engine braking, the reverse-pattern units don't".

Not that it was a bad experience with Hughes, I was on the phone for under 10 minutes and they answered the question.
But I don't understand why they wouldn't mention such an important detail in any of their literature? I mean, isn't engine braking something that most people would consider before buying a manual valve body? I would think that'd be a question they'd have to answer all the time.

[KTA]

I don't know what you mean by engine braking. A manual valve body will only select a particular gear, it has no other function. With a manual valave body its either in 1,2,3 R N or Park. You can select any gear at any time regardless of speed and it goes to that gear. If you are running 90 with a manual valve body and shift to 1st it WILL go to first, and then probably explode, but it will do it as a manual valve body is just that manual control of the gears.

[seeker1056]

Full manual valve bodies 101

If you have a reverse pattern bodie it is most likely no engine braking in first, which means if you let off the fuel, the motor is not loaded as the trans free wheels. This is because to get the reverse pattern, only the roller in the sprag are engaged, and not in combination with low gear clutches as a normal valve bodie does.

There are some reverse manual bodies that do have engine braking but not many.

Now, full manual forward pattern bodies fall into two groups, modified stock, and custom made .

So some forward bodies also only engage the roller sprag for first gear

Now, Good custom made forward pattern bodies do have engine braking because the cuircutry does engage both the roller and the clutches.

For our purposes you MUST have a valve bodie that engages both as just the roller style will break after about 600 ft lbs in many cases.

there is much more to this , but u get the idea.

I have the sprag only no engine braking type and it is very disconcerting to let off the fuel and coast, then step on the fuel and have the motor pick up rpm till it catches up with the tranny

[Rebel Ram]

A manual valve body will only select a particular gear, it has no other function. With a manual valave body its either in 1,2,3 R N or Park. You can select any gear at any time regardless of speed and it goes to that gear.

So how does this work for the OD shift? Does this type of VB only work on 3 speed autos?

[KTA]

I have had a 47RH and a 47RE both with full manual valve bodies. They both applied the band to have true low gear, not starting gear which is what you get in 1st gear in drive. You will rip the sprag out of the case if you dont have the band applied in my experience.

[Begle1]

So now that I got this thing, how do I drive it?

Typically, you can put the transmission into first gear while coasting backwards... Is that a big no-no with the manual valve body?

Let's say I'm in first gear and want to go to neutral... If I slide the shifter up to neutral from first, won't it bump through second and third on the way? Is the effect jarring, or is it not that noticeable at idle?

If I turn off the engine while in gear, what would happen?

How do I tighten the shifter so it doesn't have so much up-and-down slop?

[Begle1]

What if I were to slow down by downshifting from 2nd to 1st while going 30 MPH, with the foot off the throttle. I'd assume that without blipping the engine RPM it'd feel like you hit your front teeth with a ball peen hammer?

[charger 69]

So did you get the Forward pattern or the reverse pattern valve body? have you driven it yet??

[Begle1]

I got a forward pattern, as that's what I'm used to and I'd like to maintain the engine braking.

I haven't installed it yet because I couldn't find directions and I'm intimidated by not knowing what driving it is going to be like.

[dpuckett]

Ok simple questions-

What is a manual valve body? How is this different from stock?

What are the reverse/ forward valve body differences?

DP

[RumbleFish]

A manual vb means you gotta shift it yourself. A reverse pattern is just that, it goes PRN123 instead of PRN321. The purpose of the reverse pattern is for race cars. When shifting manually, you shift away from reverse instead of toward it.

Either way, I don't think your mom would like it

[Philip]

What is a manual valve body? How is this different from stock?

DP with a manual valve body.

There is no auto upshift it stays in the gear you select.
There is no aculmator in the upshift circuits anymore. All upshifts will be hard.
The trans internal hyd pressures are set for max the apply seals can handle.
There is no throttle valve cable/kick down cable anymore. In stock form the cable controled trans line pressures and 2nd gear kickdown.

There is probably a couple of other small items I forget. But those are the main areas.

[dpuckett]

Thanks, guys. I figured it was probably something she didnt need, but it is nice to know what people are talking about when I happen into a conversation.

DP

[Rebel Ram]

A manual valve body will only select a particular gear, it has no other function. With a manual valave body its either in 1,2,3 R N or Park. You can select any gear at any time regardless of speed and it goes to that gear.

So how does this work for the OD shift? Does this type of VB only work on 3 speed autos?

One more time?