We present the results of a study of the sensitivity of the transient surface temperature response to a step function solar constant increase using a globally averaged energy balance climate model which is coupled to two different globally averaged thermodynamic ocean models. The first ocean model is a box model, in which the ocean is divided into a small number of isothermal reservoirs. Experiments with this model demonstrate some circumstances in which it is important to treat the mixed layer and deep ocean separately rather than lumping them into a single reservoir, as has been the practice in a number of recent studies using coupled atmosphere-ocean-cryosphere models over 104 year time scales. The second ocean model has an isothermal mixed layer which is coupled to an advective-diffusive deep ocean having a continuous vertical temperature profile. We permit the thermal diffusivity K and the advection velocity w to vary vertically and introduce a variety of plausible feedbacks between K and the vertical temperature gradient, and between w and the perturbation mixed layer warming. We also permit the bottom water source temperature to change by a prescribed fraction of the mixed layer response. The transient surface response is relatively insensitive to changes in K and w for the nonfeedback cases, but is more sensitive to individual feedback mechanisms. When multiple feedback processes are permitted a complex transient surface temperature response is possible. When applied with a periodic solar constant forcing, these feedback processes can either significantly reduce or increae the amplitude of the surface temperature response compared to the no-feedback case.