Moparts
Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage
Posted By: MonGoo$e
Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/17/10 06:23 PM
my 73 Duster, I have the 77 or so Aspen/Volare linkage on the 904. My shifts are a little hard to "read" I think they are a bit early though, i need to lengthen them out. ITs been a few years but I'm thinking that adjuster on the lever at the transmission should be made shorter, correct? (Spring compressed more) for it to push back it'd take longer to shift.
Not wanting to burn my clutches up..thanks
Posted By: Pacnorthcuda
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/17/10 06:31 PM
To shift at a higher RPM you need your throttle travel to result in MORE travel at the lever on the tranny. You want it to push the lever farther back (towards the rear of the car) for a given amount of throttle.
Posted By: MonGoo$e
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/17/10 06:42 PM
thanks, I was sitting here thinking how I used to have a Dart And I adjusted it to make shorter shifts, and I remember the spring being more compressed, but I was thinking I was backwards, at least this clears it up, thanks again.
Posted By: MonGoo$e
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 02:52 AM
bring this topic back up.. i still think my shifts are to short. It's got a B & M shift kit and that little Transgo thing to allow the shifts to 'feel' softer, almost to much, I feel one very early on and the 2-3 is rather quiet. I have the arm adjustment rod on the transmission nearly maxed out, that little block with the bolt in it it near the tip. I knew compressing spring and making lever shorter made for a shorter shift. Am I missing something?
Posted By: ademon
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 02:56 AM
trans is going to shift early, no mater what you do the kickdown linkage does almost nothing for shift points if its on and somewhat close to the right adjustment, the governor is what needs to be changed
Posted By: hooziewhatsit
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 03:11 AM
With the throttle at WOT, how much farther can you push the kickdown lever by hand? There should only be ~1/8" left, IIRC.
Posted By: MonGoo$e
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 03:31 AM
when i dd that I could shove it back about 5/8" it seems to sloppy to get that 1/8, the lever on the trans has about 3/4 of play. and yes, it was rebuilt about 150 miles ago
Posted By: 383man
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 06:34 AM
Quote:
trans is going to shift early, no mater what you do the kickdown linkage does almost nothing for shift points if its on and somewhat close to the right adjustment, the governor is what needs to be changed
Kickdown linkage adjustment does alot to shift points. It raises or lowers trans throttle press which will act on one side of the shift valve against Gov press on the other side. So if you raise the throttle press (lenthen rod) you will raise the shift points because now you need more gov pres to move the shift valve over which means you need more road speed which will give more gov press and raise the speed of the shift points. Ron
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 06:41 AM
Quote:
Kickdown linkage adjustment does alot to shift points. It raises or lowers trans throttle press which will act on one side of the shift valve against Gov press on the other side. So if you raise the throttle press (lenthen rod) you will raise the shift points because now you need more gov pres to move the shift valve over which means you need more road speed which will give more gov press and raise the speed of the shift points. Ron
Posted By: ademon
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 06:43 AM
Rarely works, you still need to to be able to reach full throttle on the carb. So if your adjusting it with someone in the car holding the pedal to the floor and carb is wide open, and lever is adjusted all the way back to an 1/8" of play then whats next? Maybe this is due to aftermarket carbs, manifold height ect..
Posted By: ademon
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 06:47 AM
i thought the normal shift out of first was between 10/15 mph and into 3rd before 25mph, seems like the mopars all shift way before the GM's. I would like to here from someone like Cope or A&A on this topic that comes up often
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 06:55 AM
If line pressure is turned way up it will effect governor pressure & that can limit the effectiveness of the T/V adjustment.. But also as you pointed out more often then not manifold/carb swaps effect the linkage ratios.. I'm not gonna say lighter governor valves don't have their place obviously they do but for most applications linkage adjustments should get satisfactory results..
Posted By: MonGoo$e
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 01:51 PM
Well i do have a TQ, so even though it's the Aspen/Volare linkage, that carb is a stock style carb, it is on an LD340 manifold, which I would reckon the location of carb to be about that of a stock piece.
Posted By: MonGoo$e
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 09:39 PM
I'm playing around with the kickdown, i made linkage rod at trans wayyy shorter, took it out and it still seems like it gets to 3rd gear way to fast, 1-2 and 2-3 I am TRYING to watch on the tact, and by sound/feel, I just can barely feel 1-2, 2-3 seems non-existant, yet when i slow down, i pop it manually into 2nd, it goes to second, telling me I was indeed in 3rd gear.
hate to screw my transmission up but what else do i do here?
Posted By: stumpy
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 11:25 PM
The trans lever should be almost all the way to the rear with the throttle wide open. Moving it to the front softens up the shifts and makes it shift sooner.
Posted By: MonGoo$e
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 11:36 PM
Thats what I thought Stumpy, but after i put the adjuster on the very tip pf the rod, it was still doing all it's shifting early. Does the fact I have 3.55's change my perception of what I was used to with 2.94 on another car?
Posted By: JonC
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 11:48 PM
Quote:
Thats what I thought Stumpy, but after i put the adjuster on the very tip pf the rod, it was still doing all it's shifting early. Does the fact I have 3.55's change my perception of what I was used to with 2.94 on another car?
Duh 
Posted By: MonGoo$e
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 11:56 PM
yeah but should be already be in 3rd gear at 20 mph?
Posted By: JonC
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/24/10 11:59 PM
Just easy cruising, yes. If you have your foot in the pedal, no.
Posted By: Pacnorthcuda
Re: Need to adjust kickdown pressure linkage - 10/25/10 12:11 AM
Quote:
Just easy cruising, yes. If you have your foot in the pedal, no.
And the MOST adjusting of the shift points (via the throttle pressure linkage/lever) is when the lever is at the end of its travel when the throttle is wide open.
Once you've done that, the tranny will shift as late (higher RPM) that the lever will allow. To make further adjustments require internal mods/adjustments.
Simple as that.
Now you can drill a new hole in the lever (closer to its center-point) which will give more lever-travel per a given amount of travel of throttle. That will change the part throttle shifts but the wide open maximum adjustment available is still at the extreme travel of lever.