Turbo 350 Kickdown Cable (Proper Name Detent Cable)

[89Suburban]

 

[johnunger1001]

Ok, I have the kickdown cable all hooked up and ajusted. I cant tell any diffence. When I stomp it running 50 it doesnt downshift. Im not sure whats going on. My carb I think is a P.O.S... I am getting a new one in a few days. Going to see if that hepls.

 

[crazy4offroad]

HotRodPC has several threads about transmission builds and troubleshooting, instead of buying parts and throwing it at it and not getting anywhere maybe you should search his posts or the threads he has under the Transmission & Transfer Case section or private message him directly. Even though he is a moderator and supposedly on the ball (haha just ****** with ya HR) he dont catch every thread about every trans problem.

 

[HotRodPC]

Ok, I have the kickdown cable all hooked up and ajusted. I cant tell any diffence. When I stomp it running 50 it doesnt downshift. Im not sure whats going on. My carb I think is a P.O.S... I am getting a new one in a few days. Going to see if that hepls.

Is this on a Th350 or 700r4? I'm assuming 350 since the thread title is Th350. IF its adjusted right, you should certainly notice a difference. Is it by chance shifting late? I mean way late. Sometimes you can get a kink in he cable and it holds the detent valve depressed all the time causing a late shift, but then of course you won't have kickdown. If its still shifting early, and no kickdown, then its not getting a full pull at full throttle. When you pull the cable out by hand, do you feel spring tension on the cable to confirm its hooked up in the pan? If you don't, then its not connected in the pan, or the cable inside the cable housing is broke. When I adjust my Th350 cables, I actually have a full pull on the detent valve by 3/4 throttle instead of full throttle. I like the shift point drug out a little bit when I'm gettin on it a bit. It also makes for a firmer shift. Keep in mind, the Th350 detent cable is different than the 700r4 TV cable.

 

[johnunger1001]

Thanks for the reply. It is a th350 for sure. The cable only pulls about 1.5 inches. Im sure its hooked up and moving the valve. I had to pull the pan and replaced the little wire with the hooks on the ends. Ill try to take more slack out of it. If I get it any tighter it will shorten the pedal.

 

[HotRodPC]

hmmmm, it sounds like you have it right then. 1 1/2in is about right. Is it shifting late or early?

 

[johnunger1001]

It does shift early

 

[johnunger1001]

You must have seen this problem before

 

[HotRodPC]

You must have seen this problem before

Not really. I have just built about humpteen million Th350's and I know their charachteristics.

So if its shifting early, then that eleimates the possibility that the detent valve is stuck depessed inside the bore,' If its shifting early, and NO downshift, that says the detent valve isn't feeling any pressure from the throttle. The most common problem with that, is the wrong bracket on the intake for the cable. 2nd most common problem is using the wrong provision on the carb linkage. You'll need to use the lowest possible hole for your cable connector. You'll need to verify that when you push down the throttle, it is for sure pulling the cable.

 

[johnunger1001]

Ill check it in the morning. Im on night shift. Thanks, Ill let you know what I find. Thanks

 

[johnunger1001]

It still shifts early. I did just have a new rear end installed. I went with 3.73 gears from 260's. Is there something I need to change with the trans?

 

[HotRodPC]

Nope. The governor takes care of the need for making any adjustments for gear change. 2 things you can do drag the shift out. #1, pull the vac line off the vac modulator at the rear passenger side of the trans. With a tiny screwdriver, put it inside the vac line port, turn that screw in one full turn to make the spring tighter. That will drag the shift out. #2, adjust the detent cable where its starting to get pulled as soon as you come off idle. Adjust that cable to how you like your shift points. Also, the tighter you make the cable, the sooner you will grab passing gear.

 

[johnunger1001]

Good info. I will try that tonight.

 

[johnunger1001]

I only get about an inch and a half of travel in the kick down cable. That will limmit my throdle travel

 

[HotRodPC]

I only get about an inch and a half of travel in the kick down cable. That will limmit my throdle travel

If you see the big spring on the back end of the throttle side of the cable housing, that is to allow the cable housing to move also, so once the cable has bottomed out and moved all it can move, now the housing will move to make sure you get full throttle pull. The spring is on there to help the cable housing go back to original location. So it actually works like a 2 stage pull. You should be just fine if the cable is working properly.

Also, if you can find a 700r4 cable, that might be better to use depending on your bracketry since its shorter in the cable area. If not, just find a tiny clamp to use as a stop on the Th350 cable to make work like its shorter. Meaning it runs out of cable sooner.