A-518 kickdown issue??

[superdart]

When going WOT at highway speeds, the car drops out of overdrive and accelerates nicely in Drive, but will not kick down to 2nd gear. It WILL kick down to 2nd if I'm driving at lower speeds (40-ish) and stand on it.

Is the 518 set up to only drop one gear? (OD to D, or D to 2nd)

Otherwise it drives fine, and has been set up like this for quite a while...just keep forgetting to ask if this is normal.

 

[fishy68]

No, it's not set up that way. The throttle pressure probably just needs adjusted. Except for the design of using a cable and routing it around to the front passenger side of the throttle body it works and adjusts like any other torqueflite. All you need to do is hold the throttle wide open (engine shut off of course) and push in the cable retainer and pull out on the cable till it stops then let the retainer go and it's set. It's kinda tricky to do by yourself cause you almost need 3 hands. It's a lot easier to get someone else to sit in the vehicle and hold the throttle pedal down so you have both hands free to adjust the cable

 

[superdart]

Thanks!

:salute:

 

[famous bob]

Thanks!

:salute:

how much h.p. can a 518 be made to handle? anyone?ops:

 

[TrailBeast]

how much h.p. can a 518 be made to handle? anyone?ops:

Excepting the OD, just as much as a 904.
I have no real world experience with what the OD can take, but you are probably not ever going to be in a situation that requires full power while in OD anyway. (I wouldn't think)

 

[gtsdude]

I think you mean the 727, the A500 was based off the 904. But the overdrive is not meant to take much power on either. You can also change the front pump and output shaft to run a non lockup torque converter and use the standard 727 converter. Unless you can find an early trans that is non lockup.

 

[superdart]

:sign3: (Not Stupid)


904 -> A500 -> 42RH/RE

727 -> A518 -> 46RH/RE

Mine is an early 518 without the lockup torque converter. I would have preferred a lockup unit, but this trans was a smokin deal, that I got out of THIS car:

http://www.popularhotrodding.com/features/0806phr_1974_dodge_dart_sport/

He is a fellow club member, and when the 360/518 was stripped for the 408/727 package, the 518 was transplanted into my car. :cheers:

 

[gtsdude]

I have a 518 lockup that is waiting to go in my Aspen. How much floor work was required to get yours in?

 

[superdart]

None of the sheet metal was cut out. However, the hoop that ties the two torsion bar boxes together was cut out. It was replaced a plate steel strap that welded to both sides, the floor of the trans tunnel, and was beefed up with the trans mount. 2x2" subframe connectors were also welded in stiffen everything up.

Dont' mind the floor pan replacement. The old evaporator drain leaked on the floor long before I bought the car.

 

[gtsdude]

Nice! I have seen some other earlier a bodies done that had the trans crossmember done along with the floor where the crossmember bolts
To. My f body looks like it will be about the same amount of work.

 

[transman]

how much h.p. can a 518 be made to handle? anyone?ops:

Ask the Diesel boys. They're getting tons of horsepower and loads of torque out of their engines.
Lots of changes needed to keep the 518 moving forward though, and not an inexpensive transmission.
If you want to see what hard parts are available for the 518 and the TF line go to www.tcsproducts.com and see what they're making for these transmissions. Good guy to talk to there is Paul. The 800 number works throughout North America.