Kick Down Cable (1 Viewer)

[kash]

Hello again........

Have a LC 70 -- with 200k on it Turbo Diesel 2LTE, love it but the only thing "REALLY" troubling me now is the "KDC" the car runs fine, gears shifts good (this is an Auto Tranny) the area between 40 - 70 is the bane of my life when the LJ is trying its best to shift but some "EVIL" forces are preventing it from doing so after 70 the next gear kicks in and you get the same feeling as Vin Diesel when he hits the NOS button in F&F, so PLEASE HELP, how do I adjust the KDC , I got the T oil checked and the guy says it is brand new but ANY / ALL recommendations are welcome

"Nothing's sadder than locking a beast in a cage."

 

[oldblue]

This may help, Google is your friend.
This is taken from the 4 Runner genuine w/shop repair manual.
I have edited and tried to explain the proceedure in greater detail.
It is to suit the 340 series automatic transmission.
Most of our autos are 343F...this covers this transmission type.

Inspect the cable for any damage and replace if need be.
Depress the throttle cable fully and check the kickdown cable operates smoothly and extends fully.

To check adjustment:
You should see a rubber sleeve on the cable after the adjusting nuts where the cable goes thru the bracket at the throttle butterfly.
When you fully depress the accelerator pedal you should see the kickdown cable extend.On the cable (hidden by the rubber sleeve mentioned above when the cable is retracted) is attached a stopper.It is bonded onto the metal cable.
You must measure the distance that stopper protrudes past the rubber sleeve when the throttle cable is fully open.
The distance is to be between 0 - 1 mm (0 - .04 in).

If its not the cable can be adjusted by movement of the two adjusting nuts before/after the bracket.

Things to remember are:
This is to be done with the engine OFF.
The rubber sleeve must be seated correctly on the end of the cables outer sheath.
The cable and the rubber sleeve need to be in good condition.
Over time the cable may have stretched and this will effect adjustment.
The throttle must be fully open.

Hope this helps someone...it seemed to work for me.

If it does not work for you or you feel that you cannot perform this you should consult a transmission specialist

 

[kbushnz]

Just to clarify, its not a kick down cable... But rather a line pressure control cable. More throttle applied and it increases the line pressure in the auto. Cable too tight and it will shift harsh... to loose and it can feel slushy or slow to change.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

There is a certain point where mine can't quite make up it's mind while accelerating too. I think it's more of an electronic thing than the line pressure control. The way I drive mine to avoid this is I leave the ECT button on 'normal' all the time. This achieves torque converter lock-up as low as possible. I have my OD switch off at first. I start off with the shifter in 2nd position. This gives it nice strong shifting from 1st to 2nd. When the rpms get up there, I shift it into Drive (3rd). Then I keep accelerating until I'm ready for Over Drive (4th). I hit the OD button to let it go to fourth. Basically I manual shift it. Works awesome. When I hit big hills I hit the OD button again to drop into 3rd if I need to. This gives me power, and the trans stays in lock up in 3rd down to 70km/h or so. Lock-up means less heat from the torque converter, and more power to the ground.

 

[nickolai]

Odd Auto behavior is also associated with an ECU that needs recapping.

Not sure if this is the same symptom, but KZJ78 would 'hunt' for gears at 80km unloaded, flat road - i.e couldn't 'decide' between gears.

 

[kash]

Tried to fix the "CABLE" a lot of times (different) settings things change but after 10 - 15 mins of driving the shifting "STOPS" , I am thinking of changing the transmission, it is hard to find a 2LTE transmission in Canada, what other Toyota Transmission can I get in there will a one from Toyota 4 Runner (Gas Version) work (Auto) any writeup's / Diagrams / Advise is HIGHLY Appreciated and WELCOME

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Tried to fix the "CABLE" a lot of times (different) settings things change but after 10 - 15 mins of driving the shifting "STOPS" , I am thinking of changing the transmission, it is hard to find a 2LTE transmission in Canada, what other Toyota Transmission can I get in there will a one from Toyota 4 Runner (Gas Version) work (Auto) any writeup's / Diagrams / Advise is HIGHLY Appreciated and WELCOME

I would not write it off just yet. How does the fluid look? Are the clutches burnt out? Have you inspected the ECU for capacitor problems? Have you done any troubleshooting of the valve body etc? Have you searched on the forums for others who have experienced similar issues? I have seen a number of threads come up relating to A343F issues in 70 series Prados. Basically everything (from memory) was related to either the ECU capacitors or valve body solenoids. These are really good transmissions generally, and the whole thing does not just fail usually unless overheated or other major miss-treatment.

 

[nickolai]

I would not write it off just yet. How does the fluid look? Are the clutches burnt out? Have you inspected the ECU for capacitor problems? Have you done any troubleshooting of the valve body etc? Have you searched on the forums for others who have experienced similar issues? I have seen a number of threads come up relating to A343F issues in 70 series Prados. Basically everything (from memory) was related to either the ECU capacitors or valve body solenoids. These are really good transmissions generally, and the whole thing does not just fail usually unless overheated or other major miss-treatment.

I agree. The capacitors in the ECU will fail eventually. I would isolate that problem before going down the solenoid route. While the cable is important, mine was so far out of adjustment I think any noticeable difference is negligible.

Its very obvious if the caps are bad - they'll be swollen, with a 'domed' top, and there'll be black ooze on the board. This fault is so common that there's a company in NZ that offers the repair as one of their 'stock' services. A competent electronics repairer will find it super easy to fix.

When My KZ78 A343F started behaving oddly I also suspected the solenoids - but it was easier (for me at least) to pull the ECU and check it rather than drop the pan and 12l of expensive ATF.

The ECU recap ts almost 'preventative' as you'll probably need to do it sooner rather than later.

 

[kash]

LOVE YOU GUYS, THANK YOU, so the new route I will be taking

1. Do a complete ATF change
2. Change the Filter (Trans)
3. Inspect the ECU for fried CAPS

I have 3 Questions

1. Where do I find the ECU , LJ 70 1990
2. How much do solenoids cost and where to find good quality ones ? I will change all just in case
3, Where do I find a good Trans filter


Thanks again

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

LOVE YOU GUYS, THANK YOU, so the new route I will be taking

1. Do a complete ATF change
2. Change the Filter (Trans)
3. Inspect the ECU for fried CAPS

I have 3 Questions

1. Where do I find the ECU , LJ 70 1990
2. How much do solenoids cost and where to find good quality ones ? I will change all just in case
3, Where do I find a good Trans filter


Thanks again

I'm pretty sure the trans filter is just a screen that you clean. No need to replace it if I remember correct.

Have you ever done a ATF change? You don't just drain the pan and fill it up. Most of the fluid is in the torque converter, trans lines and rad cooler. You need to do a FLUSH. I've done a write up on this somewhere, and it's not too tough. But if you're unfamiliar with mechanical stuff, maybe just get a mechanics shop to do it for you. Will find the write up if you want to do it yourself.

Don't replace your ECU, just have the capacitors replaced. As said above an other parts of mud, there are outfits that specialize in this. My training/job is in electronics, so I could do it for you also, but would charge for my time and the parts. By replacing the ECU, you could just end up with another one that has problems. Better just to fix what you have.

Do some searching, there is a thread where a guy replaced the solenoids in his Prado recently. He detailed the ones he bought etc. If you can't find it, let me know and I'll look for you.

 

[oldblue]

I have a spare ECU and was told that if I reconed it and just left it on the shelf it would still deteriate with time not use. Would this be correct?

 

[nickolai]

I have a spare ECU and was told that if I reconed it and just left it on the shelf it would still deteriate with time not use. Would this be correct?

Capacitors are rated by time and temperature -so the higher quality ones - Like Panasonic etc have higher times at higher temperatures - like 100,000 hrs at 60 degC etc. I'm not sure if they'll degrade without use but they'll probably degrade slower than if they're used.

Its really common to have to replace caps across lots of electronic gear - its really common on high end/vintage/fancy hifi gear - espeically stuff like Naim.

Most of these ECUs are in the 20-30 yr old bracket so its almost scheduled maintenance.

Oldblue i used Anything Electronic in Nelson for mine and they were amazing - did it ovenight!

 

[oldblue]

Used them and great service, just thought about wether to get my spare ECU reconed as you can bet the ECU will fail on a long weekend.

 

[kash]

I would not write it off just yet. How does the fluid look? Are the clutches burnt out? Have you inspected the ECU for capacitor problems? Have you done any troubleshooting of the valve body etc? Have you searched on the forums for others who have experienced similar issues? I have seen a number of threads come up relating to A343F issues in 70 series Prados. Basically everything (from memory) was related to either the ECU capacitors or valve body solenoids. These are really good transmissions generally, and the whole thing does not just fail usually unless overheated or other major miss-treatment.

Hello GTSSportCoupe, would you happen to have that writeup / Link for the Transmission flush

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Hello GTSSportCoupe, would you happen to have that writeup / Link for the Transmission flush

I have done a write-up on it at least twice now. I'll try to do a search for it. Don't want to write again....