TV cable issues

[ColoWagon]

I need your brain power! Just flipped to the Edelbrock Proflo 4. Love it! Went for test drive, wasn't shifting right. I forgot to hook up the TV Linkage. Needed a bracket to do that. The bracket is back ordered due to pandemic fun. Order a Lokar linkage, installed, adjusted it to max throttle. Went for a test drive a same shifting. I am in top gear by 15 miles an hour. Will grab pics once I can figure out how to downgrade em. What am I missing? 88 GW. 360, EFI.

Thanks
Brad

[ColoWagon]

Pics!
TV linkage slack...about an inch at idle. https://imgur.com/gallery/63VsZSc

TV linkage 1 https://imgur.com/gallery/vmleLI3

[Stuka]

When you say you adjusted it to max throttle, do you mean that the TV is at 100% at full throttle, or that it starts to move then?

As I recall, the TV should start to move just as you tip into the throttle, and be at 100% when you are at wide open throttle. It sounds like your TV is moving too late in the throttle.

[ColoWagon]

Totally agree with you. I adjusted by pulling cable tight and rotating the throttle to wide-open and tightening the lock screw on the cable at max throttle. That gives about an inch of slack on the cable when at idle. Tried to follow the directions others have posted and it seemed pretty straightforward. That's usually the stuff I screw up!

[Stuka]

I would try adjusting it to be a bit tighter, and take it for a run around the block. Also, be sure that 100% throttle at the throttle body is the same as 100% at the peddle.

[ColoWagon]

That's a damn good point. Let you know in a couple minutes and Thank You!

[ColoWagon]

Adjusted it tighter (took up about a quarter inch of slack). No change in shifting. Top gear at 15 mph. When I floor the gas pedal, engine gets loud but Trans does not kickdown to a lower gear. This all worked prior to flipping to efi, so I know it shifted correctly "recently". Now the question becomes what did I do that I wasn't meant to. When under the Jeep, with engine off where the TV cable connects the lever is about half way along its travel...or midpoint. I would have assumed it would be at the further back (towards the rear of the vehicle).

[Fast79Chief]

ColoWagon, do you have a 700r4 trans? If Yes, go to Bowtie Overdrives website. Look for TV cable adjustment link. This site will walk you through the process from start to finish. You dont need to own one of their transmissions to use the site. The very best way to destroy an overdrive transmission that has a TV cable ... having the throttle linkage/TV not coordinated. Fact.

[Yeller]

ColoWagon, do you have a 700r4 trans? If Yes, go to Bowtie Overdrives website. Look for TV cable adjustment link. This site will walk you through the process from start to finish. You dont need to own one of their transmissions to use the site. The very best way to destroy an overdrive transmission that has a TV cable ... having the throttle linkage/TV not coordinated. Fact.

There’s a TV on a 727 too…..

[ColoWagon]

I believe I have the 727.

[ColoWagon]

Found a post from Serehill where he added a spring at the Trans to pull the cable back. Tried that and it shifts into second at 21 mph. So that is much better! Will have to try it out at faster speeds tomorrow to find where third hits.
Would I lose the "kickdown" function when I hit the gas to try a force it into a lower gear for passing or quickish acceleration?
Could this cause any problems?
Thanks
Brad

[riozilla]

Mind if I ask which Lokar throttle assembly you are using (part # or link) if you know or can share. Thank you.

[ColoWagon]

Sure thing,

Lokar KD-2727HT Hi-Tech Kickdown Kit for Chrysler 727 Transmission

Bought it off Amazon so that it would arrive faster!

[Stuka]

Found a post from Serehill where he added a spring at the Trans to pull the cable back. Tried that and it shifts into second at 21 mph. So that is much better! Will have to try it out at faster speeds tomorrow to find where third hits.
Would I lose the "kickdown" function when I hit the gas to try a force it into a lower gear for passing or quickish acceleration?
Could this cause any problems?
Thanks
Brad

Provided the spring does not impede full movement of the TV cable, the kick down should work as normal (provided its adjusted correctly). I am betting the spring is making up for the cable not sliding inside the sheath smoothly. As the throttle going back to idle should fully move the cable back to its resting position.

[ColoWagon]

My thoughts also..thanks!

[sirrus]

I know I'm a bit late to the discussion, but here's my 2 cents on the subject.

I have the same exact setup - 88 GW, AMC 360 with TF727, installed ProFlo 4 earlier this year and used the same Lokar cable. I was somewhat concerned about TV linkage myself, but mostly about the fact that ratio between TV lever travel at the tranny and arm travel on PF4 throttle body is not 1:1 like it was supposed to be (and used to be with stock 2150 carb). I tried making a "geometry corrector" (couple picture are in this post of my build thread) to get the matching travel, but it ended up in tranny shifting too early and slipping during shifts. After 2 days I removed that corrector and adjusted cable to pull lever all the way back at WOT.

I've found a good explanation of how TV works in Motortrends The LowDown On Stock Torqueflite Kick-Down Linkage article:

As the kick-down linkage/cable pushes the kick-down lever rearward, it increases line pressure inside the trans and initiates a downshift. "If you adjust the cable so the lever is at the front of its travel range at idle, the line pressure will not increase properly as the throttle increases," Jason Muckala of Motech Performance explains. "This makes the trans shift too early, and it can cause the clutches to slip and destroy the transmission. I've seen people install springs to hold the lever forward, but it's not supposed to stay in that position at idle." This photo shows the lever full forward; in this portion of the lever's arc you can feel no pushback from the lever, an indication that no increase in line pressure is occurring.

Somewhere in this range of the lever's arc, you can feel a slight resistance from the lever's internal spring. This is where the line pressure begins to rise, ultimately causing a downshift. Properly dialing in the lever's range of motion is critical to shift performance and transmission longevity. Says Jason: "For the first half of its travel range, there is very little resistance and the lever does nothing. At the halfway point, you can feel where it starts to hit the valve inside the trans, and that's the position the lever must be in at idle."

At WOT, the kick-down lever should be positioned at the end of its range of travel. This ensures accurate shift points and a proper increase in line pressure.

As I understand it, internal pressure and the spring on the inside should be enough to keep lever at about 1/3 of travel from most forward position. If yours doesn't do it, might be because of dirt inside (when was the last ATF/filter change?) or TV spring getting weaker. So your added spring provides some assist to keep lever in a correct position, and as long as it's not too strong (that it'll prevent full lever travel) and if there are no other issues with tranny, I'd say it's fine.

Maybe change fluid, filter and flush tranny cooler if it's been a minute since last time

[ColoWagon]

For any future questions on the topic. Please read the link above. The pics alone are worth it. Thank You so much already figured out a major screw up. Going to go take a look at things tonight and see how things run!

[Stuka]

For any future questions on the topic. Please read the link above. The pics alone are worth it. Thank You so much already figured out a major screw up. Going to go take a look at things tonight and see how things run!

Hope it works out for you. That link has some great details in it.