I am no expert, but I have been doing quite a bit of this for a couple of months now. My understanding is that in general the Bowden cable controls the shift point and the modulator adjusts the firmness of the shifts. The timing of the shifts, however, can also affect firmness a bit. That is why I originally started playing with the Bowden cable to see if I could get rid of a shift flair. In my case, I had to go after the modulator.

Anyway, the Bowden cable is easy to get to and easy to adjust with just your fingers. The cable is located right next to the throttle linkage right under the hood. You can simply turn a plastic nut that will tighten or loosen the cable to achieve earlier or later shifts. Just turn the nut and drive a little to see what happens. I started by making the cable tighter, until my car would almost not shift into 4th gear. It was like a race car, even with light throttle. The tighter cable simply tricks the car into thinking you are stomping on the gas pedal. What was my car thinking? Then I loosened the cable until I had it the way I thought it felt best.

The modulator is a pain to get to in the driveway, but I turned mine one full turn to firm up the shifts and get rid of a flair. It worked, but I am thinking about backing off a half turn to soften the shifts a little. I am just afraid that the firmness of the shift may hurt the transmission. I think a shift flair must also be bad for the transmission, so it is a bit of a balancing act. It is just a pain to get under the car in the driveway to get to the modulator and then take a ride and maybe have to go back under the car again.

__________________
I just couldn't give up on my 1995 E320.

I think it might be like always going back to that same bad relationship with an ex girlfriend.
You feel you love them too much, or you are just too stupid to know any better.



Flickr slideshow of my 1995 E320
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24145497@N06/sets/72157616572140057/