727 kickdown bracket and cable adjustment

[josephqatarcarguy]

hey guys, im trying to adjust the kickdown on my 727 - these are the issues im facing-

1)shifts to second too fast - at like 1200 rpms ( 8-10mph ) - to 3rd at 2k rpms (15 -20 mph)
2) does not downshift to 2-1 at low speeds unless i come to a complete stop .

ive got a bouchillon kickdown cable and bracket . ive set the cable up at full throttle and the lever goes fully backwards under full throttle. At WOT the shifts points are fair.

my another question is does the lever needs to be fully forward at idle?( which it is now with a spring making sure it goes back too)
i read in the below article that it needs to be put on where you start feeling pressure?90 degrees? please find the aritcle below

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/the-lowdown-on-stock-torqueflite-kick-down-linkage/

looking forward from hearing from you mopar gurus !!

cheers

 

[0DegreeEngineer]

Do you have equal travel at your carburetor and lever at the transmission? There are different length levers available on the 727 and may need to be changed out.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

Do you have equal travel at your carburetor and lever at the transmission? There are different length levers available on the 727 and may need to be changed out.

Yes it is , it's the lever that came with the bouchillon kit .
I've adjusted The lever at idle to be fully forward

But in the same article mentioned above it says it needs to be like this at idle ?

 

[Wietse]

Just to make sure, did you change anything else previously? (Engine swap, Trans rebuild? other/different governor, rear axle ratio?)

To know exactly what is going on you should measure the Line pressure and governor pressure to see if they are in specifications?
Mostly, if the original governor and axle ratio have not been changed, it would be related to the line pressure being too low.
With the oil drained and the pan removed you can adjust the line/throttle pressure regulator, there is a procedure for this mentioned in the service manual that would be your best bet to follow.

my another question is does the lever needs to be fully forward at idle?( which it is now with a spring making sure it goes back too)
i read in the below article that it needs to be put on where you start feeling pressure?90 degrees? please find the aritcle below

In the service manual it also describes the adjustment/slack for the throttle lever, this actually does already increase pressure over the travel where is no spring pressure.
I know this as i had a pressure gauge setup during my adjustments.

Using the cable kit probably makes adjustment a little different but as mentioned previously, without checking the pressure with gauges there is no way to be sure.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

Just to make sure, did you change anything else previously? (Engine swap, Trans rebuild? other/different governor, rear axle ratio?)

To know exactly what is going on you should measure the Line pressure and governor pressure to see if they are in specifications?
Mostly, if the original governor and axle ratio have not been changed, it would be related to the line pressure being too low.
With the oil drained and the pan removed you can adjust the line/throttle pressure regulator, there is a procedure for this mentioned in the service manual that would be your best bet to follow.


In the service manual it also describes the adjustment/slack for the throttle lever, this actually does already increase pressure over the travel where is no spring pressure.
I know this as i had a pressure gauge setup during my adjustments.

Using the cable kit probably makes adjustment a little different but as mentioned previously, without checking the pressure with gauges there is no way to be sure.

If u see my above post with pictures it seems that might be the reason cause if I go WOT it shifts bang on ? And the article is about when using an aftermarket cable

 

[pnora]

hey guys, im trying to adjust the kickdown on my 727 - these are the issues im facing-

1)shifts to second too fast - at like 1200 rpms ( 8-10mph ) - to 3rd at 2k rpms (15 -20 mph)
2) does not downshift to 2-1 at low speeds unless i come to a complete stop .

ive got a bouchillon kickdown cable and bracket . ive set the cable up at full throttle and the lever goes fully backwards under full throttle. At WOT the shifts points are fair.

my another question is does the lever needs to be fully forward at idle?( which it is now with a spring making sure it goes back too)
i read in the below article that it needs to be put on where you start feeling pressure?90 degrees? please find the aritcle below

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/the-lowdown-on-stock-torqueflite-kick-down-linkage/

looking forward from hearing from you mopar gurus !!

cheers

Just change the adjustment and see if the shift points change. I rarely have seen going by the book have the right shift points. Every job I have done I just ball park it in the shop and tweak it on the road as needed.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

UPDATE: I adjusted the bracket now 1-2 seconds shifts good but 2- 3 only shifts if a slight take my leg off the throttle? any pointers?

 

[toolmanmike]

Wide open throttle should be full open at the throttle valve lever at the transmission. You might be close. You need to tighten up the adjustment at the carb to give it more pressure. That will raise your shift points.

 

[Wietse]

UPDATE: I adjusted the bracket now 1-2 seconds shifts good but 2- 3 only shifts if a slight take my leg off the throttle? any pointers?

Does it downshift to 2nd as well when you slow down?

 

[toolmanmike]

UPDATE: I adjusted the bracket now 1-2 seconds shifts good but 2- 3 only shifts if a slight take my leg off the throttle? any pointers?

It sounds like you went just a tic too far.

 

[RemCharger]

Yes at idle the lever should be just starting to press on the internal spring. So the 90 degree is close

 

[diesel_lv]

What yr 727 and valve body in it? Early pre '70 (don't quote me on dates) didn't have "PTK" (part throttle kickdown) only full throttle. Those w/out PTK also don't go down to 2nd from drive while going slow until a full stop or manually placed in 2nd. I have same issue and am ordering "PTK" throttle body for my '67.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

Does it downshift to 2nd as well when you slow down?

No unless un close to fully stopped

 

[Wietse]

Any history on the car? When did you decide to adjust it?
Just installing the cable kit? changed/overhauled transmission or rear gearing?
Knowing the last thing done could help determine what/where to look for.

 

[pnora]

It sounds like you went just a tic too far.

My thought also.

 

[Wietse]

The throttle linkage is not there to adjust the shifting points, its main job is to increase the transmission Line pressure by approx. 40 psi over the stroke length. (i.e. 80psi - 120psi)
The line pressure can be seen as system pressure in the overall hydraulic circuit.
As the throttle is depressed over its range, the line pressure increases in a linear way and should max. out just before WOT.
This is mainly to increase clamp pressure on the clutches and bands as more power is passing through and increase the lubrication process.
Shift points are a balance between the governor pressure and the line pressure, so yes, fingering the throttle linkage will affect the shifting points till a certain extend but it is not intended to do so as described above.
Therefore, a replaced governor or different rear axle ration will affect the balance effect because of a different governor pressure build up and could throw things off from normal operation.
If the only thing you changed is replacing the linkage with cable you will have to try to find the sweet spot, assuming it was working normal before.
If you installed the cable kit because the original linkage did not work, it means things are not setup correct inside the transmission and you will not succeed with using the cable setup.

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

UPDATE- Played around with the adjustment and now it shifts fine

Thanks

 

[Pool Fixer]

I have the bouchillon kit and although I put it on over 10 years ago, I don’t remember changing a lever on the trans. My ‘68 727 shifts ok but the shift points have never been great and I also have the issue when manually shifting from 1-2 at WOT, I have to lift throttle slightly or it stays in first

If I leave it in drive at WOT, it upshifts 1-2 a little too soon for my taste

Wonder if I missed something on the original install.

This is a big block swapped car and I never had the original throttle- trans linkage.

 

[Wietse]

I have the bouchillon kit and although I put it on over 10 years ago, I don’t remember changing a lever on the trans.

Chrysler used a lot of different levers, think that also had to do withthe engine/carb combination to get the geometry correct.
The throttle valve supposed to match the exact same travel as the carb does over its full range.
Best thing you could do on the outside is check that the throttle linkage is fully forward with carb closed and make sure the linkage on the transmission is almost at full stroke when the carb is at WOT. (should not bottom out)

Other than that is the governor, which was matched to the rear axle ratio to make the shifts occur in the correct time.
Swapping to a different rear axle ratio throws things off.
My car has its original engine and transmission, but the original 3.23 rear axle was swapped with a sure grip 4.10.
When i bought the car it always shifted very early, this had to do with the 4.10 ratio as the higher axle rpm increases governor pressure too fast.
I had to modify the governor spring to get it to work.

 

[Bobby D.]

I have a 1970 Roadrunner with a 727. I don't think my car came with all the carb linkages. Is there a good aftermarket easy cables for these?