Inga (my 86 245DL Auto 269K) has been humming along for a few months now pretty much trouble free. Yesterday on the way to the house noticed that she was not climbing up the onramp with her normal zip. Figured out that there was no downshift when you hit the accelerator. Popped the hood today and the kick down cable has snapped off right at the throttle body.

Have not opened the Bentley yet but i seem to remember that the pan has to come off. Looking forward to that dipstick pan nut if does.

Questions,

How big a job is it?

Volvo or aftermarket cable?

Any tips or things to watch or check?

Regards,

Paul

hello
to rotate the part that the cable hooks to inside the pan i took a clothes hanger and bent a 90 degree end, then it was easier to pull and hold that spring loaded mechanism out to connect the end of the new K.D. cable.
dont go aftermarket as the part that snaps into the tranny is very poorly made.
its a real fun job.
good luck
Mike

Paul,
On more thing, as has been stated before me, the cable was super cheap at the dealer. I think it was less than 40.00. The parts guy said Wow, this used to be about 100.

My cable was OEM Volvo "Made in Japan"

hawk

I replaced that cable on my 88 when I first got it. I followed the procedure Art has on cleanflametrap.com and in the 700-900 FAQ for this. I do remember I removed the cable sheath and worked with just the cable. I also removed the filter but that was a waste of time and a little more trans fluid in my hair. It was not blocked at all and apparently almost never is.

A pair of extra long needle nose pliers and a long flat head screwdriver to hold or scotch the lever inside the transmission. I also forgot to put the magnet back in the pan and had to pull it again. I sprayed PB Blaster on the giant nut the night before. It was pretty hard to remove that nut. Pay careful attention to that fact, if I remember correctly, that the big nut doesn't rotate.

I did not remove the old cable until I had the little lever in the transmission scotch well.

I put mine up on ramps to the do the job.

I am pretty slow, took me about 2.5 hours.

Removing the pan may or may not be a problem. I have never run across one that I would declare "easy". It will take two wrenches and some luck to get the dipstick attachment off. The second wrench is for counter holding the assembly. With the length fulcrum you need to try to turn the nut it would be relatively easy to twist it off at the pan.

Some people have reported cutting the dipstick tube with a hacksaw to avoid removing the support bracket if they are unsuccessful at unscrewing the attachment at the pan. They then slip a piece of correct sized hose over the break in the tube and clamping each side.

I have changed several of these and the difficult part for me was inserting the new cable. I found it hard to hold the piece the cable connects to inside the transmission. It is spring loaded and you must thread the cable through the opening in the transmission and work against the spring wanting to retract the attachment point.

Hang the new cable up and drip oil into the top until it runs out the bottom. Let it drain well before installing. There after an occasional (10,000 miles?) detachment at the throttle spool drip a few drops of ATF in it while you tie it up vertically.

I would not use an aftermarket replacement. I have had a LOT of trouble getting them to snap into place and insure a good seal against the elements on the top edge of the transmission. Like exhaust manifold gaskets the real "Volvo" deal makes sense in this replacement.

Good luck,

Randy

I don't disassemble the dipstick. Instead, I pull the bolts that locate the dipstick to the bellhousing, and remove the pan and dipstick as a unit.

Hi Paul,

I have an OE Cable and pan gasket still in OE packaging. I bought them for an '87 240 in 2005 but never used them (managed to get cable freed up).

Current Tasca prices are:
Cable 1239932-5 $33.09 ($39.90 Gemo "OEM" at FCP)
Pan gasket 1239683-4 $9.32

I don't know how dealer prices dropped so much, but in '05 my cost for those items at Beechmont Volvo (with a 20% discount) was:
$84.60 for the cable
$10.80 for gasket

They're yours for $50 by priority mail. If interested, contact stillucid at gmail.

Bruce


--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

tip: buy a shower cap and lots of shampoo. use volvo cable.

buy a shower cap and lots of shampoo.

Now, that ought to go in the book!

Here's a recount of the job by another brickster. Makes good reading. Scroll down toward the end, where he broke the KD cable, and click the thumbnails for a better look.

Joe HC's Rear Main Seal and AW-70 Kickdown Cable Replacement
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.