727 tranny adjustment

[charger72]

I have a 727 tranny in a 77 pickup that i cannot get to downshift on its own. I recently converted over to a 4bbl from a 2bbl(318) along with some other engine work. It never did downshift before and i feel that i got the linkage adjusted correctly as when the throttle is all the way back, the same goes with the kickdown rod, right? Isnt their a band inside the pan that i can tighen up to help it out.

[John_Kunkel]

When you say "downshift on its own" do you mean when coming to a stop or kick down when the throttle is floored?

If the transmission upshifts OK, a band adjustment won't help the downshift.

[charger72]

downshift when i give it gas. sorry for the confusion. If i floor it it doesnt shift unless i manually do it.

[ACUDANUT]

Hey, ask RD he's the Transmission pro.

[Ghoste]

Did it downshift correctly before you changed carb and intake?

[charger72]

no it didnt. im going to adjust the kickdown screw this afternoon and see how that goes.

[Ghoste]

Is it the original 77 transmission and if not, are we talking about a part throttle kickdown?

[mikepmcs]

It's is because the throttle linkage on a 2 bbl is different than a 4 bbl.  This is most likely your problem.  I had to extend mine by using a threaded barrel nut and some more threaded bolt that i got at the local NAPA.  It kicks down and operates properly now.  This is important due to the pressure that your tranny needs to realize to operate properly when the gas is pushed.
I'll try to find the thread on here dealing with this exact issue.

v/r
Mike 

[charger72]

i changed it over to t he 4bbl linkage and it still does what it did before of when you give it alot of gas it doesnt downshift. im gonna check the sdjuster screw today when it warms up to 10 degrees.lol

[mikepmcs]

here's a thread with diagrams
i'm guessing it still might be an adjustment issue.  That's cheaper anyways so that's what i would keep tweakin first.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,9634.msg174809.html#msg174809

[John_Kunkel]

In order for the WOT kickdown to occur the transmission lever needs to be NEAR full back when the carburetor is wide open.

Have someone sit in the car and hold the throttle on the floor; from under the hood push back on the transmission linkage, if there's much more than 1/8" of rearward movement left the linkage needs adjustment. At the same time push rearward on the carb throttle lever to be sure it's wide open and adjust the throttle cable if necessary before adjusting the transmission linkage.

On rare occasions a faulty throttle shaft in the transmission valve body will prevent kickdown. To test for this disconnect the linkage from the upper transmission lever and manually run it through its travel from front to rear and back again, there should be good firm stops at each end of the lever's travel. If the lever hits the stop and has some looseness the internal weld has broken and the part needs to be replaced.

[mikepmcs]

    John and a couple others like Ron and his diagrams are the reason I was able to fix mine!
Good luck and keep us posted please.
This place is the greatest!

v/r
Mike

[RD]

Hey, ask RD he's the Transmission pro.

hate to bring up a dead thread, but yes I am good at transmissions, but I will be quite honest, John Kunkel has forgot more than I will ever learn, so it pays to listen to his wisdom.

I would be a moron to say that I have not learned ten-fold from his teachings.

[charger72]

i adjusted it the other day, but it feels like it slips when i take off now and first is sometimes harder to find. it still wont kickdown on wot. could i of adjusted the screw too much? Also, how do you torque the screw down when you cant get a socket on it to 75 inch lbs? also, the linkage up top is pretty stiff moving now if that makes a difference.

[John_Kunkel]

The band adjustment has nothing to do with slipping when taking off. If the shift linkage is suddenly stiff you probably molested it in the process of adjusting the band that didn't need adjusting.

Follow the previous advice regarding the throttle linkage.