904 missing gears???

[dmgedgoods]

Have a 74 Scamp with original motor and trans. Motor had some work done to it, all top end stuff. Got it home, and noticed the kickdown is not connected. Installed floor shifter, cable driven, and noticed the car will not shift out of 1st. It does not seem to engage 2nd or D. The spot on the shifter for D puts it in N, one click up is R, then P.

When it still had the column shifter, it did the same thing...all sans kickdown. I have tried adjusting tension on shifter cable, still nothing. Took the cable off and checked to make sure all 6 positions engaged, reinstalled, still nothing.

Could this all be the fault of no kickdown, or could it be a trans problem? I am truly lost in the sauce...:angry7:

Shawn

 

[camd64]

First thing don't drive it till you get then detent/kickdown hooked up. It has to be hooked up in order for the trans. to shift up and down. if it is not hooked up you will damage the trans.

 

[dmgedgoods]

First thing don't drive it till you get then detent/kickdown hooked up. It has to be hooked up in order for the trans. to shift up and down. if it is not hooked up you will damage the trans.

Good to know. Would the kickdown have anything to do with it not shifting manually out of 1st? If the kickdown is all the problem is, then I am good to go...I will have that hooked up ASAP.

Shawn

 

[george]

Depending on how much it was driven without the kd, trans might be toast.

 

[dmgedgoods]

Depending on how much it was driven without the kd, trans might be toast.

2 words...burnout contest. That was the last the car was driven, but the kickdown was (supposedly) operational.

Shawn

 

[camd64]

from what i understand about it the kickdown dictates the line pressure in the trans. so if it isn't hooked up you have no way to change gears, even manually. I made the same mistake you did when i first put the new motor and trans. in my dart. a post on here from member Fishy68 set me straight, thats when i became a member. great group of people with tons of info. Oh yeah and welcome! :cheers:

 

[dmgedgoods]

from what i understand about it the kickdown dictates the line pressure in the trans. so if it isn't hooked up you have no way to change gears, even manually. I made the same mistake you did when i first put the new motor and trans. in my dart. a post on here from member Fishy68 set me straight, thats when i became a member. great group of people with tons of info. Oh yeah and welcome! :cheers:

This is a goldmine of info. I am new to Mopar, and so far love the potential this car has for eating up little imports on the street. I was born Chevy, but am born again hard I suppose 8).

Any input for how this kickdown linkage should be? I am thinking about a Lokar cable system, but am gonna have to wait for some money. I believe all the old linkage is there.

Shawn

 

[camd64]

I have the lokar setup on mine, easy setup plus it looks good. all you need to do for either one is set it so you have the lever all the way back when the throttle is wide open. this will get you in the ballpark then you just fine tune it to your driving. on the lokar setup the longer you make the cable the earlier and softer it shifts, the shorter you make it the later and more firm the shifts will be.

 

[george]

2 words...burnout contest. That was the last the car was driven, but the kickdown was (supposedly) operational.

Shawn

I'd drop the pan and take a look. If there is a lot of clutch residue & the fluid is burnt (Im betting it will be, also betting the KD wasnt hooked up for the burnout contest, whole situation doesnt sound good), its probably fried. Does it slip in first gear? You will need a kd after the trans is rebuilt, so I guess you would have nothing to lose by hooking up a kd & going for a short drive (I'd stay close to home,LOL), but this whole story sounds like its not gonna have a happy ending.

 

[dmgedgoods]

Looks like the linkage to the transmission control lever needed some adjusting. I rigged the kickdown up to see if it would work, and, lo and behold, it shifted! Still have some more fine tuning to do on the shifter, but it should work out. That kickdown is pretty important, I suppose :-D.

Shawn

 

[george]

Someone loves you up there. LOL! Yes the kickdown is important, unless you are running a manual valve body. The previous owner must not have drove it very long with the kickdown un-hooked.

 

[daredevil]

full manual valve body wont shift itself and doesnt need a kickdown. if not wire the kickdown on the trans 3/4 back with a coat hanger to simulate throttle pressure and see if it will shift.

 

[camd64]

Glad to see you got it sorted out for the most part Shawn. 904's are pretty stout when set up right. now how about some pics of the Scamp! :-D

 

[dmgedgoods]

Pics as requested...

The 318 in all of its dirty glory...

I love the look of the Scamp. It has the potential to scare people :-D

 

[camd64]

Sweet! im all for the "non-trailer queens". I've never owned a car with better than a twenty footer paint job and i love the look on the guys face when he gets smoked by what he thinks is just an old beater. lots of potential to be a brutal street machine! good luck and keep us posted on your progress. Johnny.

 

[65barracudadude]

I learned this the hard way in the 80's. I drove a small block mopar without a kick down hooked up and toasted the transmission in about a month.