I was making a 65 mile trip using the freeway. I had made my exit off the freeway and stopped at the stop sign, then notcied some smoke coming out from underneath my car. I headed to the truck stop which was 1/4 of a mile away. When taking off from the stop sign, my car was taking quite awhile to shift from 2nd to 3rd gear in my AW-70 transmission. Unusual, since I've never had this problem in any of my V's.
I finally stopped in the parking lot of the truck stop, looked under my car and noticed trans. fluid leaking around the trans. pan. I checked the oil with the car running, which turned out to be perfectly level (not overfilled, nor underfilled). My family lived 2 1/2 miles away down the road.. I arrived.. the trans. stopped leaking, I checked the fluid once more, and it was just the same.
I left the car there that week and took my truck to be on the safe side. Yesterday, I took the car out.. now it hesitates to shift from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd. Sometimes, not even wanting to shift into 3rd, and not making it into 4th at all.
So far I have replaced the transmission filter screen, the pan gasket, and did a full transmission flush. The trans. fluid is currently bright pink in color and correctly filled. I used Dextron III ATF. The old fluid that I had drained was terrible (dark dark brown in color.. almost black).
No luck.. the 240 is still shifting as last shifting problem as mentioned above.
I looked in the 700 FAQ, and some old posts.. could this be the kickdown cable causing this? Thanks everyone.
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Michael Bilinski '89 244 DL

When you rotate the throttle spool that the kickdown cable is attached to does it slide easily and snap back quickly when you let it go? Any tendency to "hang up" could contribute to late shifts.

Randy

Thanks for responding Randy. Just earlier today I had been checking the kick down cable out. To answer your question, yes the cable does snap back just fine when it is pulled out all the way then let go. I did notice though, that it will pull out about 1 1/2", then with some force, I can pull it out about another 1/2"-3/4" more. Is that normal?
I checked the 700 FAQ section about this cable. Earlier this morning I was trying to adjust the cable as they had mentioned. No good news yet. Someone on the board had mentioned disconnecting the cable at the spool, and if it shifted better, then to suspect the cable. I did this, took the car out.. it shifted roughly but surely from 1st to 2nd. Once 2nd to 3rd. Coming back home, I never got out of 2nd..
So, I'm thinking about replacing the whole cable now. I guess this calls for removing the trans. pan again. Filter removal? I'll check the 700faq once more.
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Michael Bilinski '89 244 DL

Changing the cable will not effect the shifting if the problem you are experiencing is not associated with the cable function.

If you remove the cable and it is fully retracted normal operation would be for the transmission to shift at very low speeds and rather quickly through the gears. At least at very low speed for the shift into second and then third gear. It has been awhile since I have had to remove a cable and I forget exactly how fourth (overdrive) reacts with the cable removed- I believe it shifts at a low speed as well.

Randy