Always Torque Converting

[rh77]

So, I parked the Teg at the airport for 4-5 days and came back to 75-degree weather. The coolant temp was soon up to 195F, and nuthin. 10 miles up the highway, nuthin. Speed constantly at 57, nuthin. 20-minutes later finally, ka-thump: TC. What else does it need??? I've become obsessed with this hyrdraulically-controlled tranferrer of rotating energy.

I understand why it's there -- it's like overdrive without an extra gear. Why not have it engaged at speeds above 10 mph (so the car doesn't stall)? Will the full lock-up kill the tranny during shifts? I think Saturn auto's lock-up in 2nd gear (an SL2 drove and shifted "funny" when I borrowed one). It was definitely the TC working it's "magic".

RH77