904 won't go into passing gear...

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cooljjay

Proud Owner Of Christy
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I am having problems with my 904 tranny in christy(95% Christine + 5% Dodge = 71 swinger). It seems to shift fine around town but on the free way it doesn't seem to want to go into passing, occasional it will slip. The transmission was replace before she went into the garage for 7yrs. I believe it is a 904 seeing that the car is a high option 318 with a 8 3/4 rear. I haven't screwed with the linkage yet seeing that there are a million steps to doing it. I am not sure what it could be and if anyone has any ideas it pls let me know. I don't believe it has had a tune up since it was replace and I'm not sure if it needs one after its been rebuilt.
 
Actually it's more like 3 steps to adjusting the kickdown. Very simple job. First you need to make sure when you floor the throttle the carb is actually going wide open so get a buddy and have him floor it and hold it there (engine shut off) and you try pushing the throttle farther by hand. If you can't move it more the adjustment is ok. If you can move it more loosen the 7/16 head nut that holds the throttle cable to the mount and adjust it so it does pull the carb wide open wide open. If you found a problem there you probably fixed the kickdown also. If the throttle pedal adjustment was ok just adjust the linkage leading from the carb. to the trans. a little at a time, test driving it after each adjustment until you get it where you want it. Look at the linkage on the carb. good and you'll see the more throttle that is applied the farther the kickdown linkage is pushed back.

Take slack out of the linkage if it shifts too late and has excessive passing gear.

Remove slack if it shifts too early and has no passing gear.
 
BTW: who in the heck ever told you there's a million steps to adjusting the kickdown?? That's probably the easiest thing to do.
 
the good ol chrysler motor manual, it talked about inserting a rod, un bolting this, take that off and pull that. I think it even called for a special tool
 
With the carb wide open, the Throttle Position lever (the one attached to the kickdown linkage) should be all the way to the rear. That is an Executive Summary of kickdown linkage adjustment. Slipping usually indicates an internal malfunction.
 
When the throttle is wide open, the throttle pressure arm that is on the shaft that comes out of the transmission, should be at the limit of its travel, too. They shouuld "bottom out" simultaneously, as you open your throttle all the way.

I'd bet that either your throttle linkage is not pulling your throttle blades wide open, or if it IS, then the linkage between the tranny and the carb needs adjusting (shortening.)

Once you've made sure that the throttle cable is opening the carb all the way, THEN check and see if the throttle pressure arm on the transmission is being moved to ITS limit, too. If it's not, simply adjust the threaded portion of its linkage so that it is.

Maybe Ma Mopar had rocket scientists writing instructions for this operation, but for the rest of us, this will work. Insuffucient throttle pressure WILL cause clutch pack slippage, but with preper throttle pressure linkage adjustment, the slippage may stop.

I realize that most, or all of what I told you is just re-capping what others already said, but it never hurts to hear it again.
Good luck...
Let us know how this ends up. please.

Bill, in Conway, Arkansas
 
well the linkage was off a little but not to horrible. I fixed that and now I will drink my coffee and than take it for a test drive. I did how ever had a vacuum line attached to the gas tank vent, that I thought was the vacuum modulator only to find out dodge doesn't have them. so that was fixed to, and i noticed that when i was messing with the linkage some gas came out of the linkage where it is connect to the carb, normal???
 
Not sure what you mean by gas coming out of the linkage. When you are messing around with the linkage on a carb and the engine isn't running it's not unusual for a bit of gas to start leaking out around the throttle shafts. Every time you move the throttle a bit the accelerator pump squirts some gas into the throat of the carb. If the engine isn't running the gas tends to pool up on the throttle blades & will leak around the shafts. I have even seen it seep out under the carb on occasion.
 
yeah thats where it was coming out of the throttle shaft. Thats cool least now I don't have to worry about replacing the carb and i have no worrys about leaking gas why on the freeway.
 
Well, you didn't say one way or another, but if it STILL won't kick down, get a buddy to eyeball the carb throttle blades, with your accelerator pedal on the floor (engine off, naturally) and if the throttles are in fact, going wide open, and simultaneously, the throttle-pressure linkage is pulled all the way forward (you might have to remove the linkage arm from the lever on the transmission to ascertain this), then I don't know what to tell you... but, I'm betting that if it STILL doesn't shift down into "passing gear" at speeds below about 60, then there reamains a problem with throttle (carb) linkage or throttle pressure (tranny) adjustment. Not too much can go wrong with a T-Flite that will prevent it from "kicking down."
Keep us posted.
 
well i did adjust it and it seems to be fine know but I think the carb is messed up, the car keeps dieseling, dying, and chugging. i have screwed with the carb adjustments but it doesn't see to do anything. any ideas??? i also did a tune up on her a few weeks ago but didn't replace the condenser or coil not sure if thats the problem.
 
Too high an idle speed WILL cause dieseling. Connecting the vacuum advance to manifold vac will cause dieseling (should connect to ported vac). A sticking mechanical advance can cause dieseling. Too hot spark plug heat range can cause dieseling. Carbon deposits in cylinders can cause dieseling.

Just a few places to start...
 
thanks, i know that the idle isn't set to high if anything its too low, and the vacuum advance is hooked directly to the carb, and i don't believe that there is carbon deposits in the cylinders the engine was just rebuilt about a year ago. what about the other 2 problems, whats the best way to check?
 
i had the same choking out on my 600 edelbrock, it was more gas in i guess then the carb coul take at once put the next size step up springs in carb and all was fine and it only took five minutes very easy fix
 
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