Kickdown cable replacement?

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Joined
Aug 1, 2005
Threads
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Location
Clemmons, NC
I tried doing a search on this and came up empty handed. On my 94 FZJ80, it appears my cable has stretched a good amount. The sinker won't go back into the boot at all. I've purchased a new cable from Toyota, but I'm having a hard time figuring out where the other end of the cables connects to the transmission. I've heard it rumored you must drop the pan in order to remove the cable? Anybody done this and have any tips to give me? Thanks in advance!
 
I tried doing a search on this and came up empty handed. On my 94 FZJ80, it appears my cable has stretched a good amount. The sinker won't go back into the boot at all. I've purchased a new cable from Toyota, but I'm having a hard time figuring out where the other end of the cables connects to the transmission. I've heard it rumored you must drop the pan in order to remove the cable? Anybody done this and have any tips to give me? Thanks in advance!

Pretty sure you have to not only drop the pan, but also remove the valve body. Supposedly not "hard", just time consuming and very very messy.

I wouldn't attempt this without a manual.

Curtis
 
Have done this job recently. You need the FSM so you know which bolts to undo on the valve body and which length bolts go back where.

In case you're put off changing it, 18 months ago I left a snapped cable (I know yours is just stretched but same basic principle) for several months because it seemed to be working normally (a little judder sometimes) and I didn't want to pull the valve body but it was killing the clutches. They eventually burnt out and the tranny had to be rebuilt just because I didn't change that cable!

The FSM pretty much covers it but there are some things I'd note:

I found a 3/8" drive 10mm socket with a nuckle on it let me get at the bolts at the rear of the oil pan where the cross member gets in the way. 1/2" drive socket was too bulky.

Every time you remove a part expect more fluid to come out, especially when you start undoing valve body bolts because you'll probably be right underneath it and will have an ATF bath if you're not careful. Don't do it outside on a windy day unless you like the taste of ATF, it just keeps dripping forever.

You can remove/re-install the valve body with 2 hands but 4 would probably make it a lot easier, especially re-install.

When you remove the valve body a spring may fall out one of the accumulators. Rodney says some have an insert that stops this, some don't. It's easy enough to put back in and obvious where it goes, just don't lose it.

The FSM says to undo the cross member and lower the gearbox so you can get at the cable clamp on top of the casing. When I tried this I still couldn't get to that bolt. Watch the selector linkage when you're doing this, it seemed to bind and prevent the gearbox coming down very far. If you can't get the transmission low enough to get at the clamp consider removing the centre console, selector lever/plate and accessing it through the hole in the transmission tunnel.

If you go at it steady and know from the outset it's not a 5 minute job you should be ok. It's not hard, just not as simple as the FSM makes it look (not for me anyway!).

One final warning - both in my case and a friends, the gasket on the valve body was brittle and important parts of it stayed stuck to the transmission casing. You'd have to split the valve body to replace that gasket which is not a simple undertaking. I tried doing no gasket repair first and then instant gasket but both gave poor gear changes. Ended up getting an Extreme valve body as the simplest way around it. You might be ok and have no gasket issue.

Sorry this answer is so wordy, I just removed and re-installed my valve body 4 times and then eventually had to remove and re-install the whole transmission (all for a different problem) so it's all still very fresh!
 
Thanks for the responses. Sounds like a fun job :rolleyes: I may go the route you did and get an extreme valve body. Thanks again!
In my experience Rodney is a great guy to deal with. He went to a lot of trouble to help me out with a torque converter problem I had. Good luck.

C6H12O6 said:
Can you explain the symptoms you were having a little more?
Which one of us?
 
Thanks to mudders for the body of knowlege (which I printed and took to the mechanic in Ethiopia)

Here's my experience:

Just replaced the kick down cable on the HDJ81 (JDM) yesterday here in Addis Ethiopia. Took about 4 hours with an experienced mechanic - eventhough he spoke no english. At least in my case, there were a few shortcuts that the mechanic took, which seemed to have the same results.

1. FSM indicates the prop shaft should be removed (this was not done, he just worked around it, like elastic man.)

2. Only the tranny oil pan was dropped, along with the funnel shaped oil filter. The kick down cable can then be accessed from the side. It's bit of a brain surgeon job, but he managed - with his old nokia phone as a flashlight and a bent rusty screw driver.

3. He used a sealant as opposed to gaskets "(not sure how long this will last)

4. Tranny took 7 liters ATF not 6 liters, which is in the FSM.

It's now shifting 100%!
 
Can confirm that the valve body does NOT need to be removed to replace the cable. The throttle cable can be removed and installed with the small gap on the right side of the valve body.

It helps a ton if you use a flat long object to lock the pivot to allow for easy access. I used the drive shaft to hold the counter pressure. A clean chainsaw file works flawless as holding mechanism. The file provides plenty of friction to hold the pivot secure.

The plastic faster that goes into the top of the trans is brutal to get out. I had to use a punch from the inside of the trans to knock it out of place.

Context for photo: on left is the drive shaft. Red arrow is pointing to the insert location of the cable. Flat holding mechanism in place, placing pressure on the drive shaft. Small dental picks are mandatory for this job.

Screen Shot 2022-12-21 at 3.28.07 PM.webp
 
An old thread, but I have recently done this task a few times and added a quick summary of the instructions on this product page, which is also copied here for others' use.


The basic procedure is as follows - double check this with the FSM if you are in doubt:
1. Remove the transmission fluid dipstick.
2. Remove the transmission protection (aka skid) plate. Drain the fluid from the transmission pan (24mm) and remove the bolts holding the pan (10mm).
3. Break the seal on the oil pan with a pan remover tool - this can be challenging - and lower it a few cm on an angle - more ATF will drain out of the valve body once air gets in (hint: don't be in a rush to take the pan away or you may end up bathing in ATF).
4. Drain the pan again to get the rest of the fluid out.
5. Clean the gasket surfaces and dry the metal surfaces with a dry solvent such as brake cleaner.
6. Remove the kickdown cable from the injection pump throttle linkage (14mm)
7. DO NOT REMOVE THE VALVE BODY - yes, it says to do this in the FSM, but it's not needed.
8. On the right front part of the underside you can see the cable entering the transmission. Use some tool to rotate the cam that the kickdown cable attaches to so you can get at the bead end and remove it from the cam.
9. Use a side cutters and cut the cable end off.
10. Use a dull tool like a long 1/4" socket extension to push (or gently hammer) the plastic cable end up and out of the transmission. Don't damage the transmission, only push against the plastic end of the cable housing that protrudes into the transmission. Some plastic bits may break off the cable end - don't leave these in the transmission.
11. Cut the plastic end off the cable so you're only left with the housing tube.
12. The cable is secured to the top of the transmission by a bolted down clamp.... there's no easy way to get this off and thread the new cable through it when the transmission is still in the vehicle.
13. Go up to the engine bay and feed the new cable down to the transmission approximating the route the original cable followed.
14. Grab the old cable housing with some strong pliers or vice grips and start yanking it up and out. It's going to take some force to do as the cable clamp does not want to let go. A few strong jerks will often get it out. You can also leave it in place... just tie it out of the way.
15. Go back down the transmission and carefully (no dirt in the transmission!) feed the cable and housing through the hole the old cable came out of. The o-ring that seals the cable to the housing should be lightly oiled with ATF to help it go into place before pushing the cable end into the transmission. The cable end should clip into place and not come back out when tugged gently.
16. Rotate the cam around to feed the bead end of the cable into its hole, and route the cable over top of the cam.
17. Back up to the engine bay again, and clip the cable housing into the metal cable clip/holder that's just just above the starter.
18. Next, attach the cable to the cable holder at the throttle linkage.
19. Gently pull the cable through and check that it moves in and out smoothly under the spring tension of the cable cam in the transmission. Check that the cable is properly following the cam in the transmission.
20. Apply a thin bead of sealant around the cleaned oil pan and replace the oil pan. Don't over tighten the small bolts. Put the skid plate back. Check that the drain plug is tight.
21. Gently pull the the cable until you feel no slack - this is where the supplied bead gets crimped into place - about 2mm forward of the orange rubber boot. Gently crimp the bead into place.
22. Fill the transmission with high quality ATF (I strongly advise synthetic fluid). It will take around 6.5 to 7.5 Litres. Don't over-fill and don't under-fill. The engine needs to be running with the trans in Park to get a good reading of the oil level.
23. Double check all of your work, and make sure there are no leaks. Adjust the cable as per the FSM.

The kickdown cable should have no slack in it, and it should start moving as the throttle on the injection pump moves.

A tighter cable will cause firm shifts that are slightly late (holds on to the gears a little longer before shifting, revs a bit more before the next shift) and a slack cable causes earlier and softer shifts. There's a happy medium - soft shifts cause increased wear on the clutches in the transmission, but firm shifts can be annoying. If in doubt, get help from someone with some real experience and expertise, not just internet/armchair expertise.

If you've recently done this job and you notice that this procedure needs some updating, please send along your suggestions. If your suggestions are used, you'll be given credit.


Cheers,
John
 
Just did this. In my case I just zip tied the old cable out of the way. If you don’t bother mounting / dismounting the cable from the bell housing the job really isn’t that bad. Took maybe 20 mins to get old cable out and new one in. Worst part turned out to be cleaning all the rtv off the pan and transmission. While you’re in there you should also test your solenoids. Shift timing has improved and my gas pedal is much easier to press.
 
Just did this. In my case I just zip tied the old cable out of the way. If you don’t bother mounting / dismounting the cable from the bell housing the job really isn’t that bad. Took maybe 20 mins to get old cable out and new one in. Worst part turned out to be cleaning all the rtv off the pan and transmission. While you’re in there you should also test your solenoids. Shift timing has improved and my gas pedal is much easier to press.
Wait can you elaborate further? Looking to do this job but it’s dead ****in cold and I don’t wanna freeze my balls off for 4 hours doing this.
 
This might sound stupid, but if your cable is loose, you can adjust it tighter.. yes the bead moves further away.. but the principle is that the cable doesn't have too much slack in it right? The bead is a fool safe way to ensure its adjusted correctly, but as the cable stretches over time, I just assumed you would tighten it up, going by feel, i.e., slop in the cable.

Here's my cable..with the bead in the correct spot, the cable is super loose. I've adjusted it on the right side so that the cable is tighter. I have no idea how tight or loose too tight is, but my cable still has a fair bit of play when pressing down on it.

What would be the point/benefit of me replacing the cable?

GridArt_20241207_133505367.jpg
 
FSM reference for those following that may not know what's being discussed here.
Screenshot_20250221_214430_Adobe Acrobat.webp
 
This might sound stupid, but if your cable is loose, you can adjust it tighter.. yes the bead moves further away.. but the principle is that the cable doesn't have too much slack in it right? The bead is a fool safe way to ensure its adjusted correctly, but as the cable stretches over time, I just assumed you would tighten it up, going by feel, i.e., slop in the cable.

Here's my cable..with the bead in the correct spot, the cable is super loose. I've adjusted it on the right side so that the cable is tighter. I have no idea how tight or loose too tight is, but my cable still has a fair bit of play when pressing down on it.

What would be the point/benefit of me replacing the cable?

View attachment 3843836
If it has stretched even the furthest adjustment will still have slack
 
I wouldn’t do it in the cold unless your cable has snapped. What is your reason for changing it anyways?
I got a crazy BANG in my trans. Whenever I’m off gas BANG whenever I’m in reverse BANG from 2-3 or 3rd to overdrive I get a toe curling bang. Fluid seems thin so I’m gonna be changing fluid today. I’ve adjusted that cable to all high hell the bead is like an inch from manual suggestion. I had a bang in 1-2 that has gone with adjusting but the rest of the gears still bang and now the shifting is super sporadic. I can send vids today if that helps if anyone knows what’s going on
 
If it has stretched even the furthest adjustment will still have slack
How much slack do you have with a new cable when adjusted correctly and you press down on the cable with your finger? Any chance you or another member can take a quick video of this?
 
I got a crazy BANG in my trans. Whenever I’m off gas BANG whenever I’m in reverse BANG from 2-3 or 3rd to overdrive I get a toe curling bang. Fluid seems thin so I’m gonna be changing fluid today. I’ve adjusted that cable to all high hell the bead is like an inch from manual suggestion. I had a bang in 1-2 that has gone with adjusting but the rest of the gears still bang and now the shifting is super sporadic. I can send vids today if that helps if anyone knows what’s going on
The cable regulates the pressure that determines when the shift will occur...it shouldn't cause a "banging" shift. That's more than likely a result of stuck valves, or at least, valves that aren't moving smoothly. Since it's happening, according to you description, in every gear change, I'd lean to fluid being the cause.

I'd start with a fluid flush, not a pan drain, and see where that takes you. Also, much easier to do in the weather that a cable swap ;)
 
Here's a video of my kickdown cable and tension. The closer the bead to the orange boot.. the looser it is. It still needs to be tighter then what I currently have it. There is still more room for adjustment on the shaft. Car only just hit 150,000km.

Kick down cable tension
 
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