72 904, shifting from 2nd to 3rd 'iffy'.....

[bandit67]

Guys, my original 318/ 904 , 43k miles, has begun to hesitate in the 2 to 3 shift. Rpms will pickup in 2nd and hold for a bit and if I kinda pat the throttle I can coax a final shift to 3rd. Car does sit a lot and just now started doing that. Pretty sure the trans has never been rebuilt and I am thinking a total rebuild is needed...or is there any adjustments that may help. Trans seems to run fine but Im thinking all the small seals need to be replaced.

 

[turbine68rt]

Can you post a pic of the driver's side of the carb showing the kickdown arm.

 

[dvw]

I'm assuming it's not slipping on the shift. Just plain not shifting at all. If this is the case; Make sure the light spring is holding the throttle pressure linkage against the carb stud. Also make sure the linkage isn't getting caught or binding on anything.
Doug

 

[bandit67]

Will try to post up a pic tomorrow.

 

[Geoff 2]

Adjust the kick down, which is external & easy to do. Band wears & affects shift timing.
If the adj screw is already a long in, it means the band is worn & might be time for re-build.

 

[Wietse]

Any work was done recently? Anything removed, trans oil changed or whatever?
If this started out of nothing it is more likely from sitting still than anything is worn or out of adjustment if it worked fine before.
Make sure it is fully warmed up with transmission at normal operating temperature, thick oil could affect operation.

 

[bandit67]

No work or anything has been done to the trans. Engine was pulled and gone thru about five years ago and everything put back original. Fluid was changed then in the tranny and everything worked as it should. Car has been sitting much and I noticed this first about the beginning of summer. I am not sure what would be considered 'long in' on the adjusting screw, but I would bet it is where the factory set it. The car has only 43k and was mostly kept inside and was mostly original with nothing more than belts, shocks and tires replaced, well,also plugs and wires....thanks

 

[Wietse]

Take it for a good drive and allow the trans to work for some time first while at normal operating temperature, see if it helps.
If it shifts in the end and works as normal probably nothing is worn, it is just the controls that cause an issue.

 

[turbine68rt]

If we can see how your kickdown is currently set up at the carb we can have a better idea how to diagnose and go from there.

 

[bandit67]

Ok, when I removed the breather, the small spring was gone, vamoose, nada, not even any broken pieces. I installed a small spring I had and made a slight adjustment as best I understood the steps in the manual. Gonna make a run to see if this was the fix needed as soon as it dries out a bit here. I had no idea the throttle kick down would affect shifting as I now see it does. Felt for sure the shift problem was internal, so maybe you guys nailed it quick. Check out the added spring and tell me if it should be as needed.

 

[Wietse]

Maybe its me, but that seems like a weld on the throttle link pin and the bracket??
The spring requires to be under some tension when the throttle is closed, not sure if there is any tension at the moment?

 

[turbine68rt]

Try to find a spring with a minimal amount of tension at rest. Also, there should be a washer between the clip on the throttle pin and slotted kickdown arm, and the throttle return spring should be hooked on the pin inside the U shaped end of the throttle cable. Proper throttle pressure adjustment is one of the most important aspects of the torqueflites to avoid ruining the front clutch. This is the reason why I requested a pic of your current setup at the carb.

 

[bandit67]

There is spring pressure pulling the two points together in the pic above. Took her out for a nice long run and it shifted just fine as normal before. I am guessing I lost the spring a few months ago and the hesitant shift from 2nd to 3rd was the result. Just did not occur to me to look there. You nailed it, thanks much.

 

[dvw]

There is spring pressure pulling the two points together in the pic above. Took her out for a nice long run and it shifted just fine as normal before. I am guessing I lost the spring a few months ago and the hesitant shift from 2nd to 3rd was the result. Just did not occur to me to look there. You nailed it, thanks much.

Without this spring, the linkage can fall rearward with it's own weight. That will hold the throttle pressure valve open. In essence the valve body is being told you have the throttle much further open than it really is. Therefore it shifts as if your are at wide open throttle. glad it's working.

Doug