factory kickdown

cool mike. I was driving the dart yesterday and here is what happened. First and second were fine, third would not engage till 40 mph and i didn't see fourth at all. When i was cruising on flat pavement at about 35, it just would not up shift. Could this be due to the kickdown being engaged all the time, As it sits now, the kickdown lever is all the way back to the firewall. I am trying to say that there is nothing holding the lever in its standing position, it just falls towards the firewall, i think it is constantly engaged. Any words of wisdom?