Second visit to mechanic with binding kickdown cable (huge resistance at gas pedal). General mechanic (i.e., not Volvo specialists) removed it so I could drive until they ordered replacement. I have longterm issues with overdrive, and hesitate to have them replace the kickdown cable until the elusive overdrive issue is solved. Car actually drives better without the kickdown cable because now I have somewhat less problems with the "over 40 mph" shifting, although they still exist, and since the relay was replaced, the transmission oil has been changed, the throttle mechanism has been lubed and adjusted, the fuses have been checked, and another Volvo mechanic wanted $500 "in case" the solenoid was bad, I've just been living with it. I guess my big question here is, is there any harm in continuing to drive without the kickdown cable attached? Mechanic said, and I've noticed, that I can't make the transmission shift quickly by pressing on the gas, so no quick "get aways". P.S. I am not a great DIY person. I don't want to totally wimp out with a feminine excuse, but I am also mechanically challenged. I love visiting Brickboard because I am able to understand my car better, present myself better to mechanics, and have been able to solve some smaller issues on my own -- because of you! Thanks as always for any thoughts. -- 1992 240 Wagon 119,000 miles

Thanks so much for all of your input. I did drive sans cable the last weeks feeling somewhat assured. Had the new cable installed today. Asked the (non-Volvo) mechanic to check around the solenoid while they had the oil pan down, for broken wire, dirt, anything. I have no idea whether the mechanic who actually did the work knew of everything to look for. At paytime, the owner's daughter said there was just one wire going to the solenoid and it looked fine. I should have done this at an Indie Volvo place, but the one here has pulled some fast ones, especially when I had my demon Volvo 850 (1993), and it's not quite a relationship of trust. They also charge a pricey penny. Another I tried further out offered to "see" if the solenoid needed replacing for $500. Meanwhile, regarding the overdrive issue, when I am doing a fast descent down highway hills, many times the car, on its own, slows itself down to third; less luckily, it begins surging, as if trying to find its place to land, which I can still by throwing the orange arrow on myself. If I am lucky enough to then find myself going UP a hill, I can almost always turn the orange arrow off and find myself sailing smoothly up the incline in the higher gear. Is this gas flow? Many times, sailing smoothly in higher gear, going over a bump or having a huge truck speed by, changing the air flow, bounces me out of high gear into surge-ville again; if I've been driving high speed for many miles at this point, I can usually steady this by lifting my foot off the gas. A local electrician who kept insisting it was the relay, even 'tho my brother in law helped me replace that with a new one, offered to go through the whole electrical system starting at the stick shift for $200, after which he would either have things fixed or tell me what needed to be done. Should I do it? Waaah!!!! :-(

Without the cable, the transmission will tend to upshift as soon as possible (as if you had let up off the gas pedal), possibly good for gas mileage. And don't worry about what happens when you slow to a stop -- the transmission will shift down back into first for a proper getaway, at least up to a few miles per hour, when it will upshift more quickly that you might prefer (but again, only as soon as if you had just lifted off the gas pedal in a normal car).

However, as you noted, you won't have any "emergency" kick-down or downshift for acceleration via the gas pedal -- the tranny will ignore your call for a downshift via the gas pedal. Thus, if you need the benefits of a 4/OD to 3 downshift, you need to get the OD system fixed. Likewise, for a prompt 3 to 2 (or even a 4/OD to 2) downshift, just pull the shifter back toward you.

Driving without the kickdown cable will make the car try to pull out in a gear other than 1st, making the clutches slip, wear prematurely, burn the tranny fluid and clog up the filter. If you choose to drive it that way make sure to shift the lever to the lowest gear every time you stop, and upshift manually. This will make the shift linkage bushings wear quicker, but they are much less expensive to replace than the whole transmission. Have you checked the condition of the overdrive solenoid wire coming from the shifter? If the insulation has rotted away, that bare wire will lay against the transmission case causing a dead short so the solenoid cannot operate normally.
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Harold Thompson '84 245 Virgos

Driving without the kickdown cable will make the car try to pull out in a gear other than 1st, making the clutches slip, wear prematurely, burn the tranny fluid and clog up the filter.

I have to disagree with you on this. I have never had an AW70 or 71 start in any other gear other than 1st. I had my son's 240 away to college and unable to replace the kickdown cable. I had him push the cable back in with a pair of pliers. Of course this makes the car want to shift way too soon. Simply shift the transmission manually when you reach the speed it would normally shift. Several thousand miles later we changed the kickdown cable and suffered no apparent ill effects to the transmission during its time with us.

Randy

Sorry... my bad. Mine seemed to try to start out in 3rd, but instead must have upshifted as soon as it barely started to roll. Not a good thing in Houston (even in parking lots). People will run you over before you know it.
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Harold Thompson '84 245 Virgos

Just had the kick down on my 86 break and my gas mileage went down. Normal for me this time of the year is 23 mpg. Without the kick down working the mileage was 20 mpg. When you first started the car it would shift pretty close to normal. But after that taking off from a light it took forever, and it seems the car wanted to stay in overdrive all the time. Ended up downshifting to 2nd and clicking off the overdrive to accelerate from a light. That cable is a whole lot more important than I thought it was.

Too dang cold and wet to get under there are replace it right now. So I have a section from a donor car spliced, Soldered, and JB Welded to the old cable. So far it has held on for four days now, hope it lasts for couple of more.

Regards,

Paul