Retunes 700R4 upshift points by swapping governor weights and springs, so shifts land where you want after a rear gear or tire size change.
If your 700R4 bangs into second at 15 mph and is in overdrive before the engine makes any power, or it hangs in first until the tach is near redline, the shift points are being set by the governor. A gear change, a tire size change, or a hotter engine all move the speed at which a hydraulic 700R4 wants to shift, and the governor is the part you recalibrate to put it back where it belongs. This is a governor adjustment kit built to the Superior K018 pattern (also catalogued as A44681-4K): six weights and six springs, plus new weight pins with E-clip ends, so you can retune upshift speed without opening the valve body.
The 700R4 has no computer deciding when to shift. Two hydraulic signals do the job. Throttle valve (TV) pressure, set by the TV cable at the carburetor or throttle body, tells the valve body how hard you are pushing. Governor pressure tells it how fast the output shaft is turning. The governor sits in a bore on the side of the case and is spun by a gear off the output shaft. As speed rises, its weights swing outward against their springs and open the governor valve further, so governor pressure climbs with road speed. When governor pressure overcomes the spring and TV force on the 1-2, 2-3 and 3-4 shift valves, each one moves and the shift happens.
That means the weight-and-spring combination sets every upshift point at once. A heavier weight or a lighter spring builds governor pressure at a lower speed and brings the shifts in earlier. A lighter weight or a stiffer spring holds pressure down and pushes the shifts later. Everything else in the shift schedule, including part-throttle versus wide-open behavior, still comes from the TV system.
Be clear on what this kit does not fix. A 700R4 that never leaves first gear usually has a stuck governor valve, a damaged governor drive gear, or a leaking governor feed circuit, and that needs the governor cleaned or replaced, not retuned. Shifts that are soft, flared, or that slip are a line pressure problem, not a shift timing one.
Before you swap weights, check the TV cable. A TV cable that is too loose drops line pressure and lets the shifts come in early and soft, and that same low pressure is the classic cause of burned 3-4 clutches. Set the cable so it reaches full travel exactly at wide-open throttle, then road test. If the shifts are crisp but simply at the wrong speeds, the governor is the right place to tune. Our 700R4 valve body testing guide covers how to tell a calibration issue from a sticking valve, and 700R4 common problems and fixes explains the TV cable and 3-4 clutch link. If your cable or bracket is worn or the geometry changed in a swap, a Lokar KD-2700HT TV cable kit or the ATP Y-228 TV cable should be sorted before any governor tuning.
The kit services the governor used in the GM TH700-R4 from 1982 on, and the same governor family in the TH400, TH350, TH350C, TH250 and TH250C. The listing also names the 4L60 (the 1990-on name for the hydraulic 700R4). It does not apply to the 4L60E or later electronic units: they have no governor, and their shift points are changed in the computer. In the 700R4 this covers 1982-1992 Chevrolet and GMC C/K pickups, Blazer, Suburban, Camaro, Corvette and Caprice and the many swap cars that run one today. Browse everything we carry for this unit on the 700R4 parts page.
If the unit is coming apart anyway, set the governor calibration after the valve body work is done, since a recalibrated or replacement 700R4 valve body changes shift feel and can move where you want the shift points.
| Fitment | GM TH700-R4 1982-up, TH350, TH350C, TH400, TH250, TH250C, 4L60, 4L65E |
| Part Number | K018, A44681-4K |
| Kit Contents | 6 governor weights, 6 governor springs |
| Function | Shift point calibration via governor pressure |
| Package Dimensions | 3.9 x 3.9 x 0.74 in |
| Shipping Weight | 2.1 oz |
Usually not. No upshift at all points to a stuck governor valve, a damaged governor gear or a leak in the governor circuit. This kit changes when the shifts happen on a governor that already works.
Use lighter weights or stiffer springs. That keeps governor pressure lower at a given road speed, so each shift valve moves later. Heavier weights or lighter springs do the opposite.
No. The 4L60E is computer controlled and has no governor. Shift points on a 4L60E are changed with a tune, not hardware.
No. The governor is serviced from its own bore in the side of the case, so the pan and valve body stay installed. You will lose some fluid, so top up with Dexron ATF afterward.
Set the TV cable first. A loose TV cable drops line pressure and moves shifts early on its own, and running that way is the common cause of burned 3-4 clutches.
