Date:         Tue, 10 Jul 2001 21:47:37 -0400
Reply-To:     Edward Maglott <emaglott@BUNCOMBE.MAIN.NC.US>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Edward Maglott <emaglott@BUNCOMBE.MAIN.NC.US>
Subject:      Not Downshifting
Comments: cc: jwarner@NETWALK.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Jeff,

I have the same vehicle, except 169k miles on it, and no name.  I was just
messing with my AT linkage this weekend.  There's the cable that goes from
the gas pedal to a lever on the tranny.  Then a pushrod goes from there to
the actual throttle.  2 adjustmenst can be made.  The front one right under
the gas pedal adjusts how tight that cable is to the lever on the trans.
You have to drop the spare tire and remove a small cover up under there.
The other adjustment is at the throttle.  Read the Bentley for the official
adjustment procedure.  Basically the cable in the front part is supposed to
be tight enough so that when floored, the lever goes into the kickdown
position, but does not hit the "stop."  I worked with an assistant to get
this more by feel than actually seeing the lever hit the stop.  The
adjustment back at the throttle is supposed to be so that as you get close
to flooring the pedal, it goes to WOT, the last little bit of pedal travel
trips the kickdown.  Mine was out of adjustment so that it was not getting
WOT or tripping kickdown.  Here's my tip I learned:  I adjusted the front
cable so that it was just going past the kickdown.  (You can feel a definite
detent when moving the cable or from the pushrod at the throttle end.)  I
was being conservative to save the cable from excessive strain.  But then
when I hooked up the throttle to the pushrod, its return spring(s) added
enough tension to throw off that adjustment.  It was just barely going into
kickdown.  It was going to WOT.  When I test drove it, kickdown still didn't
seem to be working.  So now I think it will be just fiddling with those 2
adjustments.  The Bentley says to remove the spring at the throttle.  It is
held by an "E" clip, that could easily go flying.  It is also hard to put
the spring back on and get the E clip on.  Took 2 of us to do it.  Might be
able to do the adjusting with the spring in place.

Edward