This may seem trivial, but not having a kick-down cable on this trans. the ECU does a pretty good job of shifting and dowm shifting electronically.

I've been driving in sport mode due the recent posts concerning sport/economy and it feels as if it is shifting by cable and not by wire.
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83 242 DL -127k, 92-965-189k, 94-965-200k, 83-242 GLT-Gone, but not forgotten,83-245GLT-1'st one (the 1'st 3 currently on the road)

Yes,of course there is a throttle cable,but there is no cable going to the transmission.
It is done by switchs and the ECU.When accellerating normally it does shift seamlessly,the smoothest of any car I've ever owned.
I still long for a 5 speed though.My last chariot, a 3 series BMW had the smoothest clutch imaginable and would red-line easilly.It was traded in on the 2'nd 960.

My wife got the 1'st one and i loved driving it, so I happened to just find one of my own without looking.We've had 2 turbo's but the 960 is so much more and i dont have the expense and hassle of replacing turbos.
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83 242 DL -127k, 92-965-189k, 94-965-200k, 83-242 GLT-Gone, but not forgotten,83-245GLT-1'st one (the 1'st 3 currently on the road)

tjts1,it's funny you mention the Lexus trans. If you ever need a trans. pan gasket you can order a lexus gasket from napa to use on the 960.

As we know volvo only uses a sealer, no gasket. If you buy the sealer from volvo it's $80 a tube,what a rip.
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83 242 DL -127k, 92-965-189k, 94-965-200k, 83-242 GLT-Gone, but not forgotten,83-245GLT-1'st one (the 1'st 3 currently on the road)

Ya, that's actually exactly what I did. 10000 Miles since I changed the "Lexus filter" that was never suppoed to be changed on the 960 and its still going strong. Owning this car along with all the helpful people here on the Brickboard have taught me a lot about cars. Thanks everyone for all your help over the last two years.
Justin
94 965

No cable involved. It's all done by the TCM under the steering column area. Solenoids control the internals. I like it because the TCN 'bits' adapt to your driving strly. The TCM and ECU work in tandem and allow a more flexible shifting pattern to be used.
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Warren Bain - '99 V70GLT G-Valve > 80K mi, 89 300SE, '96 965 >120Kmi, near Manassas Va.. Check the 700/900 FAQ via the 'features' pull down menu. This post written with 100% recycled electrons.

I was driving the parents s90 not too long ago,
and like my 740, i slowly crawl to second gear
and then floor it suddenly, to kick down, and
watch those rpms fly. I did not realise the aw30
didnt have a kick down cable, and so, yes, i very much agree
the computer does a very good job handleing it.

I agree. The kick down on the 960 is very responsive. The kick down is crontroled through the throttle position sensor. I'm not a big fan of automatics but what i like about this one is the fact that I can practically shift with my tight foot. The transmission lets me control both down shifts, up shifts and the torque converter. It feels telepathic compared with some other cars I have driven. My friend who normally drives a 2001 Accord automatic also thought the transmission was very smooth. It prompted him to ask the service dept at his dealer whether there was something wrong with his car when it only had 20K miles. They said it was fine, but the Accord does seem to shift rougher with less control from the driver. Well this is a Lexus LS 400 transmison after all.
Justin
94 965

there is a switch in the throttle cable next to the firewall to signal the computer full throttle.

There is not a switch anywhere near the cable on the fire wall of my 94. Unless it is inside the dash, no there is not one there either because I had to replace the vacuum servo and had the dash out of the car. The Volvo green book I have states that the info comes from the TPS.

DanR 94 964 246,000 miles* (12,000 on the new engine)
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DanR

At least on the '92s, there's a full-throttle switch integral with the throttle cable. It's located where the throttle cable goes through the firewall. Must have been something they did away with in the later years. Near as I can tell, the switch basically forces the tranny to downshift into the lowest possible gear without overreving the engine. I've done 4 to 1 downshifts before. It's scary how seamless it is...
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Lance '92 965 w/ 190K miles