james98281

Hi,
I have an '87 928 automatic. Had the car for a few years, has always run well, but always had a small transmission leak. Recently it turned into a LARGE transmission leak, so I pulled the transaxle and had it resealed at a shop. I also rebuilt the torque tube while it was convenient. Now that I have put it all back together, I have extremely poor acceleration.
The car starts easily, the transmission shifts well, engages firmly, doesn't seem to be slipping. The kickdown does not seem to have an effect. So driving down the street, and you put your foot to the floor, not much happens - the car slowly picks up speed. Starting in '2' doesn't help either. I've check the vacuum line to the modulator, but not sure what to check next... Have I missed a connector or sensor on the transmission? Or could it be merely coincidental that the transmission was recently serviced, and it it something like the fuel filter or the AFM? There are no malfunction lights on in the dash (perhaps the car is too old for that).
Even in neutral the throttle response is sluggish. The air filter is fine, but it does seem like an air or fuel restriction. Any suggestions???

Thanks,

James

rexpontius

Does the crankshaft rotate freely? Does it sound normal? Difficult to diagnose based on your input, please try to describe in more detail.

rexpontius

Oh and check the Bowden cable off course :-)

the flyin' scotsman

where in Western Canada James?

There's a cable on the throttle quadrant that attaches to the auto transmission which can be adjusted after you confirm the vacuum line is working and the transmission fluid level is correctly set.......hot tranny, engine running, gbox in neutral level between 2 upper lines.

terry gt

My first sugestion would be to take it to Colin ( lizard ) but wait a day or two so he can finish my car .

Mrmerlin

did you remove the bowden cable from the trans before removing the trans?
the bowden cable is anchored to the front bell housing ,

If your not careful this connection can be damaged,
and thus the bowden cable and or its housing can be damaged.
To test the cable first ID the cable at the throttle quadrant then remove the ball connector pull the cable does it move freely and then spring back when you pull it?
Its possible the cable isnt connected to the trans shifter arm or the housing is damaged and thus clamping the cable from working

killav

You need to make absolutely sure you seated the torque converter completely!!

Get under the car, remove the six bolts that hold the torque converter to the flex plate, the converter should be able to push back enough to spin freely. If it doesn't, you have one more notch to engage the pump.

You have probably already damaged the converter/front pump if it is not engaged all the way FYI.

james98281

Wow, Thanks for the speedy responses!

Does the crankshaft rotate freely? Well, hard to tell; I never took the spark plugs out when I hooked everything back up, so was turning against compression. Engine does sound normal to me. No unusual noises when driving around (at parade speeds).
I will check the bowden cable. Does it provide any other function besides kickdown?
I'm in the Greater Vancouver Area. Colin? Is that Lizard931? I would like to find out more.

If the torque converter is not installed properly, that would be the tranny shop's fault. I'll check, but I think that's unlikely.
OK, got a list of things to check when I get some time...

Cheers,

James

FredR

Before you start worrying about other possibilities, as Stan says- make sure the kick down cable is connected at the bell housing. disconnect it at the throttle quadrant and see if it has tension when you try to pull it- that or it just flops about as you work it back and forth [disconnected].

Regards

Fred

james98281

OK, You were right! I disconnected the kickdown cable at the engine bay end; it would not pull as far as it should. Left it disconnected and went for a test drive - voila! back to its old self. So the kickdown cable was physically stopping the accelerator cable from doing its job. Now I have to figure out where I went wrong at the transmission end of the cable. If I recall, there is an electrical kickdown switch under the accelerator pedal, or is that only for first gear?

Thanks for the help! Sounds like I'm not the first person to have this problem...

James

P.S. On a side note, I thought a Bowden cable was a solid wire in a sheath - like the heater control cables in 60's and 70's cars?