So tomorrow im getting a 88 iroc z but I need to adjust the kickdown cable from what I was told by mechanic. I would much rather do it myself than take it in to the shop but im not to sure how exactly to properly adjust it any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

The car has a 700R4 trans, and it's called a TV (throttle valve) cable, not kickdown cable. Proper adjustment is crucial to the life of the trans, and it's easy to do yourself, check out the link below. When adjusting, you want to open the throttle all the way by hand at the throttle body, not at the gas pedal. When I've adjusted mine, the automatic ratchet adjuster was stubborn, so I needed to "assist" the TV cable by pulling forward on the black cable attachment tab while rotating the throttle open. The idea is to have the TV cable pulled all the way out when the throttle body is at WOT.
Throttle Valve Adjustment

 

and purists will tell you that you "set" the TV cable, you don't "adjust" it

I'll be interested to hear what's really going on because setting the TV cable is so simple that for it to be a "problem" with a vehicle being purchased is questionable at best

 

+1 on the previous post. If its been slack it will lead to stacked shifting and premature failure. Make sure you check the trans fluid for anything odd...

 

Thanks for the info, will get back under the hood in the a.m. as I see the tv cable has alot of slack to it. I drove the car home "softly" but noticed it never shifted out of first gear , does that sound like more than the tv cable problem ?

 

yup

it's not going to be fluid, or setting the cable

you're looking at a tranny rebuild

the seller knew that

your "mechanic" knew that

I gather that a reputable mechanic never actually looked at the car and made a diagnosis



but if you paid $1,000 for the car then rebuilding a tranny isn't a major thing for $1,000 car as it's to be expected

caveat emptor

 

Well I was planning on rebuilding the transmission anyway, seeing as Im not to fond of the 700r4. Can anybody recommend a good shop in missouri ?

 

the 700R4 isn't a bad transmission but it must be built to meet your application. Most 3rd gens should be approaching their 2nd rebuild on some or past overdue on others.

It comes down to your actual needs. You can get a stock rebuild without hard parts done on the bench for $400-$500 cash (not credit card) add in a rebuilt t/c, upgraded steels, servo, sprag and sunshell and you'll be close to $700 but with a more stout unit


Again, that's you removing it and bringing to someone who will bench rebuild it for cash.

If you need a shop to remove/replace and warrant the work and you want to upgrade the tranny, then you will be south of $2,000 but north of $1500 by the time you add labor, fluid etc

you may consider a "mail order" transmission if you want a performance unit vs using a local shop.

With respect to shops in your area, if you don't know people, then contact the local f body club; I'm sure they'll be quite helpful

 

That being the case if the motor is stock(ish) a stock rebuild is fine. By the way I bought a brand new Hughes unit for 1700 including the 3k converter with red clutches, and all the goodies for a fun street/strip setup.

 

a very slack tv cable will keep the car in first gear. i forgot to hook mine up once and found out rather shortly. first and reverse is all you get