Change a 904 to manual valve body

the lokar 904 kickdown linkage is pretty straight forward install and adjustment. There is supposed to be slack in it, it's only tight at full throttle. Have you set it up this way? I think later versions have a tension spring at the trans lever, early ones don't. Either way works fine

It would seem to me that I've tried virtually every possible combo of a lot of slack, to as tight as I can get it, I get no downshifts and I'm in 3rd in seems like no time at all with no torque at all. Suspecting I may have lost the trans completely at this point.