What exactly does the kickdown linkage do? I just put an auto in my truck and now when I push the brake and have it in gear it will bog down and die. I haven't got the kickdown linkage installed yet, is that the problem??
Doubt it. From my understanding the kickdown rod is supposed to downshift the tranny to 2nd gear when cruising along in 3rd. It's supposed to be used for passing and acceleration.
It also tells the tranny how much throttle you are giving it, so it can control the shifts. That's how it knows to give gentle, low speed shifts under light acceleration, and nice firm, late shifts when you nail the pedal to the floor. I don't know much about auto trannies, since every vehicle I've owned up to now has been stick, but I'd think if the kickdown valve is left open wide enough, it could keep the clutches from releasing because it thinks you're giving it gas.
K/D linkage controls the line pressure in the tranny, which in turn controls the shift points. If you drive around with the K/D unhooked, be prepared to rebuild your tranny sooner rather than later. It will be runing WAY too low line pressure, which allows the clutches to constantly slip, burning up the trans very quickly. Soooo.....
DO NOT DRIVE WITHOUT THE KICKDOWN HOOKED UP! One thing you can do to get you by for a few days is to wire the kickdown lever on the tranny about 1/2 way back. This will keep line pressures high enough for moderate cruising without destroying the trans. Just don't pound on it in this condition. It will likely downshift as you come to a stop as well.
Stalling when the brake is depressed....do you have power brakes? Sounds like a major vacuum leak (brake booster)
Vacuum modulator, Throttle valve cable, kickdown linkage, they're all similar. My 81 Regal had a vac mod line and my 89 Sierra had a TV cable.
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In the for what it's worth department regarding kickdown linkages, In addition to connecting the rod, there is a spring at the carb/tbi end that needs to be hooked up for everything to operate correctly
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