The drop down (passing gear) switch on the 2 speed trans in my cutlass had two prongs and the TH 400 I installed switch has one prong. Is there a way to use the factory set up at the gas pedal linkage with the TH 400? Thanks.

 

Yes. Use your voltmeter or test light to see which prong is activated at full throttle, and connect that one to the TH400 kickdown terminal.

- Eric

 

switch "on the trans" ??


The Switch Pitch has two wires
one for kickdown
one for pitch


If you elected to put in a single pitch TH400 instead of the hard to find SP 400, then you will be using just the one wire that it has. Attach to it whatever wire feeding down there that has 12V only at or about WOT.

 

The actual switch for your car is the same for both TH400 and Jetaway and is mounted on the throttle linkage bellcrank on the firewall. There are THREE terminals on the factory switch. It's the device that is cleverly hidden behind the hose to the brake booster in this photo.



Your car may have used a round switch or a rectangular one, but they function the same. A +12V wire comes in, and there are two sets of contacts inside. One powers the kickdown solenoid, the other powers the switch pitch solenoid. No one reproduces this switch.

Is this what you are talking about, or do you mean the plastic wiring feedthrough on the trans case?

 

My cutlass has the round switch on the the gas pedal linkage with two wires going to the solenoid which has only one terminal. I will determine which wire has 12 V at WOT and plug that wire to the solenoid terminal and see what happens. Terminology is everything, thanks guys.

 

Exactly. If you installed a later TH400 without a switch pitch converter, it will have only one terminal, which needs to be connected to the wire that is energized when you downshift.

The wire that is energized at idle and slightly above is no longer used.

- Eric

 

Don't want to hijack this thread, but can you guys define "WOT" for me, as it relates to hooking up the kickdown switch?

 

Wide open throttle, or in other words the gas pedal floored.

 

And yet, that didn't stop you...