Won't kick down

[Bee383]

My 69 Bee won't kick down into a passing gear.mostly stock 383 holly 4 bbl.oem linkage all in good shape.have adjusted back and forth.the vertical rod bottoms out and still no downshift.motor and trans rebuild have about 1000 miles on them.runs good shifts up and down fine.could the lever at the transmission need to be adjusted?po never even tried to kick it down.so not sure if it worked after rebuild.thanks for any opinions.david

 

[Red63440]

With the engine not running fully open your throttle and see how far the kick down linkage is moving. When the throttle is fully open the kick down should be all the way back. If you still have room to move the kick down then it needs adjusted.

 

[Bee383]

With the engine not running fully open your throttle and see how far the kick down linkage is moving. When the throttle is fully open the kick down should be all the way back. If you still have room to move the kick down then it needs adjusted.

Red - the linkage goes all the way back and pushes the rod down as far as it can go.i pulled the ball socket apart and made sure the rod bottoms out when throttle is wide open.could the lever on trans be the problem or most likely internal?

 

[Red63440]

Red - the linkage goes all the way back and pushes the rod down as far as it can go.i pulled the ball socket apart and made sure the rod bottoms out when throttle is wide open.could the lever on trans be the problem or most likely internal?

If the rod is adjusted correctly then your problem may be internal. You do say that it upshifts and down shifts ok so it maybe the shaft itself. If it were me I would take a look at the shaft and possibly remove the pan and take a look see.

 

[Bee383]

Kick down

If the rod is adjusted correctly then your problem may be internal. You do say that it upshifts and down shifts ok so it maybe the shaft itself. if it were me I would take a look at the shaft and possibly remove the pan and take a look see.

Thank you Red.not much on transmissions.looks like a trip to a shop.

 

[Red63440]

Thank you Red.not much on transmissions.looks like a trip to a shop.

Do you know who rebuilt it, was it a shop or PO?

 

[Bee383]

Wont kick down

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Do you know who rebuilt it, was it a shop or PO?

I do know who did the rebuild Red.the po didn't drive the car much and it's way out of warranty.reputable old company here in okc.i will have them look at it.thanks again for the help.

 

[Red63440]

I was hoping someone else would chime in just to make sure I am taking you the right direction...money is tight and if its something simple it could save you time and money.

 

[Bee383]

Kick down

I was hoping someone else would chime in just to make sure I am taking you the right direction...money is tight and if its something simple it could save you time and money.

I am going to get under it this weekend and check linkage and lever on trans and see if anything looks funny.

 

[Red63440]

I am going to get under it this weekend and check linkage and lever on trans and see if anything looks funny.

Great, just make sure that you can feel pressure against the lever when its pushed..if you can then it has to be internal. Are you running a stock valve body??

 

[Bee383]

Kick down

Great, just make sure that you can feel pressure against the lever when its pushed..if you can then it has to be internal. Are you running a stock valve body??

I really don't know Red.my 1st real muscle car and still learning as I go!having a lot of fun with it.thanks again for the help.a lot of good information here.this one might be beyond me though.

 

[dwayne venton]

mine dont kick down as well but i put in a shift kit that required complete removal of the valve body spring and a different worm plate and threw away a ball and added one other.have instant shifting(no hesitation ) i believe its manual valve body kit thought thats why i had no kick down and it does bottom at lever.kinda miss the kick down on the highway but dropping it in second till 6000 rpm then hitting drive is satisfactory.just seems sluggish accelerating at lower rpm like 3500 rpm range.i do love going through the gears so it dont bother me a heck of a lot.have a great day

 

[Bee383]

Kick down

mine dont kick down as well but i put in a shift kit that required complete removal of the valve body spring and a different worm plate and threw away a ball and added one other.have instant shifting(no hesitation ) i believe its manual valve body kit thought thats why i had no kick down and it does bottom at lever.kinda miss the kick down on the highway but dropping it in second till 6000 rpm then hitting drive is satisfactory.just seems sluggish accelerating at lower rpm like 3500 rpm range.i do love going through the gears so it dont bother me a heck of a lot.have a great day

Dwayne - looks like I'll be doing the same thing for now.havent had this car long and today was the 1st time I pulled it down into 2nd and WOW what a rush!thats what got me looking into the kick down.thank for the input.david

 

[64BEL]

Look down into the throat of the carb and make sure the blades are fully open at full throttle. It could be as simple as the throttle linkage needing adjustment. That's what I had happening in my case. Once I got the throttle adjusted to wide open, I was able to get the kick down lever adjusted properly and then the trans worked as it should.

 

[RustyRatRod]

The throttle valve in the valve body probably needs adjusting. Nothin to it, but, if you don't have a manual, you may not have a clue. I highly recommend the ATSG service group manual for the torqueflite. Best 25 bucks you'll ever spend.

 

[Bee383]

Kick down

Look down into the throat of the carb and make sure the blades are fully open at full throttle. It could be as simple as the throttle linkage needing adjustment. That's what I had happening in my case. Once I got the throttle adjusted to wide open, I was able to get the kick down lever adjusted properly and then the trans worked as it should.

Thank you,I will look at it.i kind of assumed that if the vertical rod was bottoming out at wot then it had to be something at the trans itself.the throttle is pulling the rod all the way Down when I pull it by hand.

 

[Bee383]

Lock down

The throttle valve in the valve body probably needs adjusting. Nothin to it, but, if you don't have a manual, you may not have a clue. I highly recommend the ATSG service group manual for the torqueflite. Best 25 bucks you'll ever spend.

Thanks Rusty.i guess I need to learn where some of these things are.and pick up a manual or two.