I have a few questions regarding my TH350 trans

1) I have no kickdown cable connected, is this a big deal? when properly tuned (i.e. carb, timing) at WOT it spins the tires in 1st and going into 2nd.

2) is it ok to manually downshift from 3 to 2 and back to 3 without damaging the trans? (i ask because my understanding of the kickdown is that when you go WOT in 3rd gear it will drop to 2nd gear)

3) How hard is it to change the fluid in this trans?


BTW, thanks for all the info from everyone on this site, 14 months ago i knew 0 about cars and i mean 0. now I'm jetting carbs, changing out vacuum secondary springs, adjust timing advance, etc.

 

Kickdown is what it says - forced kickdown to lower gear.
Trans will work without it - you can manually upshift or WOT throttle upshift via the governor on the tailshaft housing.
Ensure the vacuum modulator is in good shape - no leaks and same for its vacuum supply line.

 

Fluid change is simple...Pick up a new filter and a gallon of Dex/Merc fluid. Depending on your pan, you probably won't use the whole gallon, but always nice to have extra. Hardest part of changing the fluid in the pan is keeping the mess down.

 

And while the pan is off you might want to add a drain plug. Keep the job a lot easer the next time.

 

It's a "detent cable", often mistakenly reefered to as a "kickdown" cable, which gives the false impression that it has only one function. Not only does it control downshifts, it also has some control over the upshift points at WOT only (wide open throttle). You won't hurt the trans if you run it disconnected though. When downshifting manually, use common sense so as not to downshift at too high a speed.