So my first kickdown cable I had on my rebuilt th350 was leaking, so I bought a lokar cable. I installed it and it was all sealed, no more leaks. I took it for a few short rides, it was upshifting perfectly, and downshifting to 2nd perfectly when I stomped on it, and not leaking. Well, today I took it for a longer ride to a show. Drove fine on the way there. When I got in it to go home, if I put it in "D" and drove, it wouldn't shift out of 1st by it self. So I dropped it into 1st manually, then shifted into 2nd manually and it shifted into second, and the same into 3rd. So it will shift manually but not automatically??? So what the heck is going on? Once i got to "D" position, it would downshift automatically when I got on the gas, but then it wouldn't go back into 3rd. The modulator vacuum line is still hooked up where it was before when it was working, to manifold vacuum. The only thing that is different is the kickdown cable. Could I have it too tight?? Like, maybe it's pulling the cable tight before wide open throttle?? And also, it has fluid leaking out of the top of the kickdown cable onto my intake manifold, where the cable comes out of the sleeve and attaches to the carb linkage. I have no idea what could be happening. The tranny was just rebuilt last year, I don't think the vent hole is the problem, but not sure, don't think it would be clogged already. I am about to swap my factory rod throttle linkage with a lokar cable/pedal/bracket setup. So when I receive all the parts, I will be disassembling and assembling everything with the lokar stuff. How should I approach setting up the kickdown cable? Could I have damaged something if I pulled the detent cable out too far?? Please, someone help me identify the problem!!! I hope I didn't damage something internally by pulling the detent too far....

 

61 views and noone has any idea??? that's not a good sign :-/

 

Discovered that my modulator valve line had come disconnected at the tranny, so it is now shifting on it's own, but fluid was still coming up the kickdown cable, and leaking onto my intake...any ideas why that might be happening?? I am going to drain about a half quart of fluid and see if that helps. I noticed the fluid is traveling up the filler tube as well. It is a sealed-cap type of filler tube...immediately after I got back home from the test drive, I pulled the dipstick to check the fluid level, and there was fluid and a few air bubbles on the dipstick about half way up the dipstick. From what I understand, that definately indicates a high fluid level.

 

For it to push fluid through the cable, it sounds like you have too much pressure. I would say your vent is plugged. If it is overfilled I guess it could do that, but I would still think it would blow it out the vent before pushing through a cable housing.

 

Like he says...Its an odd one to be sure..the vents my first choice...pressure test on the trans...At least they are reasonably cheap to fix as compared to 4 speed autos

 

Can you post a picture where the cable connects? Our cars are definitely diferent years, but when my tranny leaked at that point, I bought ruber washers which solved the problem. The aftermarket cable was not made like the original... SURPISE, so I had to modify things with the washers to form a good seal.

 

Whenever you have a buildup of pressure with no release, its gonna take the easiest way out...past seals, up filler tubes, up cable sheathing and modulator vacuum lines..

 

This was a fresh rebuild done last spring, could the vent hole be clogged that easily, after only one year?? Is there a way I can make sure that vent is clear with the tranny in the car??

 

okay, i just called the guy who rebuilt the tranny. he said definately drop the fluid level and see what happens, he can't imagine that the vent hole would be clogged already, especially since i have less than 1,000 miles on the new tranny, but always a possiblity. he also mentioned that sometimes the aftermarket dipsticks can be giving a wrong reading, and when it comes down to it, running a slightly low fuid level is actually better than running an high fluid level. so i'm gonna drain a quart of fluid, and take it for a ride. he said as long as it is shifting good and the modulator vaccuum line is connected, and has a moderate amount of fluid, i should have no issues. so i'll give that a try. i know a few people who have obtained rebuilt th350's from this guy, and claim they are basically bulletproof up to 500hp, he uses TransGo rebuild/shift kits and has been in business for 28 years, specializing in performance transmission work, so i have faith in him. i will follow up when i lower the fluid level.

 

I removed about a quart, maybe a little more, and the problem seems to be fixed. No more fluid coming up the kickdown cable, shifts perfectly, and the fluid level reads between the "add quart" & "full" marks. Somehow, I must have been getting a false reading on the dipstick before. Here is how i checked the fluid before and after drained some. I took it for about a 15 min ride, when I returned home I put it in park, then into reverse, then into nuetral, then I checked the dipstick 5 times, wiping it clean between each dip, all indicating the same level. So I am going to leave it as is, but continue to check the fluid frequently. Maybe after a little while I'll try adding a bit more and try to get right to the "full" indicator. Just glad it's not coming up the kickdown anymore, and operating correctly. Just wanted to follow up with this update for everyone.

 

Thats good news !

 

Tell me about it....it was either the fluid level or something bad, real bad!!! And between this and my new throttle cable, she's running good at the moment!!