Lokar cable adjustment

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GeorgeGerhard

GeorgeGerhard

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Hello All
My 727 transmission is using a lokar cable
I am not sure as to the proper adjustment
Is it that when the carb throttle is full open the transmission
lever is full open as well?

thank you
George Gerhard
 
...bumping an old thread to ask another question because the search didn't quite give me the answer I need...

-just added a lokar to my duster/727 today. Added a return spring at the tranny like pettyblue mentioned---before that, the linkage wasn't going all the way back, and the cable would have about a half-inch of slack in it. Then I saw a couple posts here where people said there (maybe) should be some slack...

The way mine is set up, the lokar starts moving as soon as the throttle moves. So basically, at half throttle, the lokar is halfway, at full throttle it's all the way. The lokar is always pulling the same percentage as the throttle.
If I'm not mistaken, the stock linkage allows some throttle movement before the transmission linkage moves.
Should the lokar be loosened a bit?

(it's going to be a while before the car can be road-tested, and I'd like to have it right before that)
TIA
 
Bumping/hi-jacking this thread, sorry. Didn't want to make another post about Lokar, they get enough attention on here as it is. I STILL can't get the kickdown correctly adjusted. When it seems to be overtightened, it won't even shift out of first. If undertightened, it won't hit 3rd until I'm going about 60, at which point it's nearly 3k rpm. I just gave it a bunch of slack and looked at the actual kickdown bracket on the transmission, and the spring does not bring it all the way to the return position. Is it supposed to? Should I put a return spring there? It'll pull it back to it's original position, but then there's still room for it to move back. Does this make sense? Am I completely stupid for not being able to adjust this thing?! Seems like everybody else gets it so easily, and I've literally been trying all day. Did I kill my transmission!? Stumped, and ready to give up, someone give me some hope!!
 
buffoni88 said:
Bumping/hi-jacking this thread, sorry. Didn't want to make another post about Lokar, they get enough attention on here as it is. I STILL can't get the kickdown correctly adjusted. When it seems to be overtightened, it won't even shift out of first. If undertightened, it won't hit 3rd until I'm going about 60, at which point it's nearly 3k rpm. I just gave it a bunch of slack and looked at the actual kickdown bracket on the transmission, and the spring does not bring it all the way to the return position. Is it supposed to? Should I put a return spring there? It'll pull it back to it's original position, but then there's still room for it to move back. Does this make sense? Am I completely stupid for not being able to adjust this thing?! Seems like everybody else gets it so easily, and I've literally been trying all day. Did I kill my transmission!? Stumped, and ready to give up, someone give me some hope!!
Click to expand...

Even though you say "when it's under tightened it won't go into 3rd until 60 mph" it sounds like you have it over tightened. Both problems you described are when the cable is too tight. When you back it off it'll shift through the gears bang, bang, bang.

BTW: I assume the transmission shifted ok with the stock linkage???
 
You're right, fishy. My bad. I actually found the sweet spot about an hour ago, shifts PERFECT now. AND I know what WOT in the duster feels like, finally! Thanks for the advice. Love this site and all the awesome help from everybody!
 
buffoni88 said:
You're right, fishy. My bad. I actually found the sweet spot about an hour ago, shifts PERFECT now. AND I know what WOT in the duster feels like, finally! Thanks for the advice. Love this site and all the awesome help from everybody!
Click to expand...

:cheers: Glad you got it figured out.
 
so...would this work okay as a kickdown return spring?

IMG_2642.jpg


IMG_2638.jpg
 
...........I would think the legnth of the kd lever would come into play.........there are at least 2 different legnths................kim.........
 
no idea why you would need a return sprig for the kickdown. i've used the lokar set up on numerous cars and have installed them on many friends car and have never used a return spring for that leaver. if you are using the proper brackets at the carb and its installed correctly i don't see what you would need that extra spring for.
 
abodyjoe said:
you have to cut the cable to the proper length.
Click to expand...

Cable length has nothing to do with what Kim's talking about. He's talking about the length of the throttle pressure lever. There are at least 2 lengths and it affects the ratio of how much the lever moves vs. the carb. You need a 1 to 1 ratio and the lever that's real long doesn't move nearly as far as the carb pulls it so it doesn't work good. Most cars have the short lever so you may not have seen the long lever.

BTW: I agree that in most cases you don't even need a return spring because the throttle pressure valve inside the trans. has a spring that pushes it back. I did run into 1 that didn't return good on it's own so there are extremely rare cases where it's needed.
 
fishy68 said:
Cable length has nothing to do with what Kim's talking about. He's talking about the length of the throttle pressure lever. There are at least 2 lengths and it affects the ratio of how much the lever moves vs. the carb. You need a 1 to 1 ratio and the lever that's real long doesn't move nearly as far as the carb pulls it so it doesn't work good. Most cars have the short lever so you may not have seen the long lever.

BTW: I agree that in most cases you don't even need a return spring because the throttle pressure valve inside the trans. has a spring that pushes it back. I did run into 1 that didn't return good on it's own so there are extremely rare cases where it's needed.
Click to expand...


HA! i read his post wrong the first time...
 
abodyjoe said:
no idea why you would need a return sprig for the kickdown. i've used the lokar set up on numerous cars and have installed them on many friends car and have never used a return spring for that leaver. if you are using the proper brackets at the carb and its installed correctly i don't see what you would need that extra spring for.
Click to expand...
I read somewhere once that the reason for the kickdown return spring on a kickdown cable is to help make sure the lever returns when you let off the gas. If it hangs up your carb can get stuck at WOT just because the throttle return spring isn't strong enough to overcome a sticky kickdown lever. This was the reason the factory kickdown linkage had the long slot in it - to allow the carb to return to idle if the lever stuck. Probably a rare, rare occurrence, but the spring sounds like cheap insurance to me.
 
If the correct brackets and springs (all matching lokar) are used and the cable is run properly the leaver will return properly.

On top of that if the leaver did some how stick while all the way back its not going to make your throttle stick open. this is because the throttle pulls the cable to put the kickdown leaver all the back. so if the leaver does stick the cable will get slack in it but the throttle will still close.

like I said. if a lokar kickdown is installed correctly there is no need for an extra spring.
 
joe, i DO have everything from lokar installed...i have the throttle cable and obviously the kickdown cable, and also the corresponding throttle bracket and spring kit that all goes with it. so everything is lokar...the transmission has been rebuilt so everything is fresh...

reason i ran a return spring for the kickdown was because everyone was saying it needed to be done, so i went ahead and made this little washer with a hole in it for a bracket and added a spring...

so maybe i will be safe without it, or extra safe with it? hell i dont know....im tired of crawling under this dammed car working upside down..
 
I'm sure it isn't going to hurt anything. I just want to know where this safety talk came from. There is no safety issue with or without the extra spring is all I'm saying. The throttle is not going to stick even if the kickdown leaver happened to get stuck somehow because of the way it all operates
 
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