Kickdown cable play

[treehuger]

Ongoing tranny issues

At 100K the A4LD (auto) decided to act up on me (94 XLT 4x). It will only shift out of 1st gear if, after reaching high RPM I let off the throttle slightly and in most cases it will kick back down into first. [THIS IS NOT THE STUCK IN FIRST GEAR WHEN COLD SITUATION OTHERS HAVE REPORTED]

Anyway I dropped the pan and it was full of sludge, etc. I replaced the filter, popped in new fluid and Im hoping something frozen or stuck will free up in the coming days. (There were no metal parts, etc in the pan)

Question: While doing the throttle mod, I noticed that the kick down cable has at least 2 inches of slack before it is engaged by the excelerator pedal!
Is this normal? and if not, how does one adjust this slack out of the cable. The Haynes manual I have is vague at best with regard to this.(and everything else for that matter)

Any suggestions or experiences would be greatly appreciated as I believe this may be the problem.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[treehuger]

bump

 

[NH25]

To adjust the kickdown cable you will need to go under the hood. Where the kickdown cable passes through the fire wall there will be a white connector with a small button on the top. Press this button and either push or pull the cable until you get the desired length. However this does not sound like it is your problem. It sounds like you have a stuck or plugged governor, or something may be stuck in the valve body. What color was the trans fluid when you changed it? If it was gray in color with lots of flakes in it, then it is time for a rebuild. Good luck!

 

[treehuger]

Mike,
The trans fluid was still pink/red and short of gray sediment in the pan there were no metallic chunks or fleks.
I replaced the vacumm modulator as well and no fluid in the vac hose either. The weird thing is, since dropping the pan and putting a new filter and fluid Im only taking seven quarts and the new stuff [B&M synthetic] is blue, but everything on the dip stick is still redish pink? and it looks to be overfilled...
Appreciate the 411 on the cable adjustment I think I will be looking to pull the tail shaft and see how things look.
Thanks again,
Doug

 

[NH25]

Hmm... Sounds like the trans fluid is ok. If it is reading overfull that can be the cause of your problems as well. The Haynes manual says the trans takes 9 quarts of fluid but that is also filling the torque converter. Normally you will only be able to get about 6.5 to 7 quarts in the trans after a fluid change (sometimes less).

Since you are pulling the tail housing you may as well check the governor. You can remove it after you take off the tail housing with a 10mm socket. It is located on the tail shaft just behind the parking pall. Make sure that it is free of any gunk and that the passages are clean. Use a can of brake cleaner and clean it off really good before you reinstall it. Make sure you get all of the brake cleaner out of the passages as well.

 

[treehuger]

Mike,
Thanks for the clarification on the fluid level. Oddly my Haynes manual lists 3 quarts which could be potentially damaging. Luckily I consulted the Ex owners manual because this seemed to be less than what the pan alone can hold.
At any rate I will use your suggestions when I get to the tail shaft/governer.
Thanks again,
Doug

 

[treehuger]

drive shaft removal

Help!
What does one typically use to get the driveline bolts loose?
I can see they are 13mm 13point rear and 9mm[?] 13 point front, but it almost seems like I need air tools to get these buggers free. Any thoughts?
Im pretty confident I will snap a box wrench and wouldnt be surprised if I didnt snap all but the heaviest of ratchets with a cheater bar.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[treehuger]

Got it

Figured it out, its 12mm [12pt] driveshaft and 5/16 [12pt] 4xshaft....

 

[NH25]

Use the closed end of a 12mm box end wrench and then use another wrench as a cheater bar. That should break the bolts free. Then you can use a 12mm socket to remove the bolts.

 

[treehuger]

summary of trans problems

OK, So I got the governer inspected and cleaned, etc and though my fluid seems to be reading the correct level now, Im still more or less stuck in first gear.

Actually if I slightly let of the throttle it will shift up to 2nd, occasionally it will kick back down to 1st again but not always and I can drive normally [but cautiously]? If I do not let off the throttle it continues to rev higher and higher in 1st.

This seems weird, it will shift to 2nd [ie, the transmission is capable of working] but only under these unusual conditions.

To recap...
I inspected and cleaned the gvn'r [it showed slight wear but was not stuck as others have reported]
I replaced the vacuum modulator [no fluid in the vac line]
Changed out the fluid and filter [grey sediment in pan, but no particals or metal debris]

At any rate I recently got hit by the economy cutbacks and have no job so Im very hesitant to have it rebuilt or buy a rebuilt and install myself [$$$$] given the unusual behavior Ive described.

Second opinions anyone?
Doug

BTW...Thanks Mike[NH25] for helping me through the intial troubleshooting.