My Daughter's AW71, I think, came off the spool by the intake manifold. I believe the little rubber stop had dryed up enough to not release the cable when the accelerator was released (cable had tan rubber on it). My connecting it and messing around with the cable also, I think, caused the cable to disconnect in the transmission. Now, the transmission shifts fine w/o the kickdown. She has driven it about 60 miles w/o the cable connected and has not noticed any difference (no accelerator kickdowns). It will still shift down from OD (?) to the next higher gear (w/accelerator, me driving) with no problem. She has not noticed any difference (cautious driver seeing no need to downshift). I can't, of course, see if the loose cable in the transmission would cause any problems.
Our question-will any damage be done leaving the kickdown cable disconnected at the spool and in the transmission? I can't, of course, see if the loose cable in the transmission would cause any problems.
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Mine:3-940s running; dtrs:4-940s running

never seen any kicdown cable come off the throttle spool. i really doubt it happened in the trans, also. been 20yrs since i've done 1 but you have to wind up the spool in the trans quite a bit to get it to unhook.

betting yours broke somewhere in the housing, which means it can't kickdown. they tend to rust on the inside. could be why it unhooked from the throttle, just never seen it and i've seen alot of broken cables.

leave it alone? doubt it can be a problem in the trans, just wouldn't want to drive it like that. unsafe when you have to go, not because you're a safe driver and rarely do so.

Dear porkface,

Hope you're well and stay so. I recall a post wherein it was suggested to use fresh automatic transmission fluid (ATF) to lube the kick-down cable.

At the throttle spool, the end of the wire-wrapped, plastic-coated cable sheath can be pointed upwards, and ATF dribbled into the space between the cable and the sheath. It may take a few minutes to put in enough.

Once the ATF flows to where the cable enters the transmission housing, that thin coating of ATF should provide a measure of rust protection for a good while.

How say you?

Yours faithfully,

Spook

I agree with Spook.

The kickdown cable return is a spring on a little finger sized pawl in the kickdown chamber (a bit larger than a small matchbox), down inside the transmission on the left (driver) side. If a broken cable drops down, usually no problem, the pawl just hits the bottom and the broken cable end stays in place.

Shifting usually becomes noticeably retarded during accelaration when the cable breaks and the pawl stays on the bottom. If it's stuck and holds the pawl part way up, shifting will be much more normal. This may not be noticed so much in city traffic, especially with a light foot on the pedal.

The brown rubber cup on the end of the cable is just a dirt and moisture protector, and perhaps part of the reason your cable is now having problems. If the cable won't return smoothly when pulled then the cable is almost certainly frayed, often 2/3rds the way down, and will ultimately break. In the meantime, the cable will retract slowly and can unhook off the throttle spindle when the throttle is released, which sounds like what happened. Same thing if it was broken, but you'd be able to pull the end out with a bit of effort. Fraying is often aggravated by the cable eventually wearing through the lining in the cable sheath, normally at a bend, and even allowing rust to happen there, wearing on the now exposed metal coil.

Trying to lube the inside of the cable with oil often gives it a bit more life, especially when this just starts happening, but may require multiple applications into the end of the cable held vertically, trying to get it down to the fray. Being able to move the cable a little bit helps to work it down. Maybe worth trying over two days, letting the end stand upright overnight. I even once made a little cup at the top with masking tape and filled it with a bit of oil, standing it vertical overnight so it would wick down. I can't remember how many months more life I got out of it, or if I gave up with the fray being too far gone to retract easily.

Replacing the cable is a bit of a pain and a mess, but can be a DIY project. It will require removing the trans pan, which in our 700/900s means removing the rear cross member and having to unbolt the trans mount.

The dipstick tube is often frozen solid on the pan fitting and nearly impossible to get off, even with a flare wrench. I recently tried a large crows foot flare head (not cheap or easy to find decent quality metric ones) on the end of a long 1/2" breaker bar and gave up, worried I was going to damage the flange on the pan even though I had a good counterhold on it. Up on a hoist I might have been able to do it, but not lying on the ground. Many resort to unbolting the dipstick tube from the starter motor (a pain to access and needing wobble extensions and/or universal joints to get a socket on it) then drop it all down with the pan. My preferred and highly recommended method is to cut the tube in the horizontal section (closer but not too close to the bend where it's easier to get a cutter on it). A decent mini-tubing cutter will do the steel tube with enough patience (takes about ten times longer than copper plumbing). You then use a double ended brass compression fitting to re-connect the tube. There's an SAE size (5/8" as I recall) that's a near perfect fit. You can get them at places like Home Depot for fairly cheap. You will need to cut out a small section of the tube for the fitting (about a 1/2" gap as I recall). Reconnect it while installing the pan. The next person to drop the pan will be very impressed with your efforts as it will be a piece of cake next time.

You need to raise the car up a fair bit for easier access to the kickdown chamber and see what you're doing. Once you've got that far, the worst is over. Installing a new cable is fairly straightforward.

Clamp the little ferrel on the new cable after installing both ends of the cable with it in the fully retracted position, leaving about a 1/4" gap to the end of the adjuster sleeve (1/8" to 3/16" gap to the rubber cap) for later adjustment if needed.

End with a final cable adjustment (as described in the FAQ, use the pluck/thunk method in a quiet area, hoping you remembered to wipe any gunk out the bottom of the kickdown chamber so you can hear it).

Use the recommended ATF fluid, preferably synthetic. Be careful choosing a newer ATF fluid that's compatible with the Volvo spec (not all are). Let it drain overnight after you've got the pan off to let it all drip down, otherwise an initial short flush at the trans cooler line on the rad is recommended (see the FAQ).

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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Great write up once again Dave Stevens! Thanks












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Mine:3-940s running; dtrs:4-940s running

You're welcome.

BTW FCPEuro has nice Corteco cork pan gaskets for the ridiculously low price of $1.79. Corteco of Italy is known for pretty good quality stuff, and was rumoured to be a Volvo supplier of the engine seals. I bought two gaskets, only needing one at the moment. I think the Volvo one is as thick, but not cork, I think more of a rubber compound. It's only available by order from most parts houses. The cork pan gasket is good for a lot of compression, so lean high on the torque spec when tightening and keep going around a few extra times to check them. Tighten the inaccessible ones at the rear behind the bracket a little more in case you ever need to come back to re-tighten the bolts if it ever starts to weep. You don't need gasket cement or sealer, but many of us will wipe a very thin layer of (preferably a non-drying) gasket sealer on at least one of the mounting surfaces -it helps keep the gasket in place for reassembly and you'll be able to get the pan off easier next time. Clean the bolt threads of oil and apply a drop of RTV or better still a small drop of blue Loctite on the threads so they won't back out from expansion and vibration.

For kickdown cables, I can't remember, but I think I've always gone for Geniuine Volvo. The aftermarket ones at the moment seem to be all ProParts Sweden. Their stuff is typically made in Europe, with quality being variable depending on their supplier. Check reviews for their cables to see if people have had problems with their longevity. Ignore the glowing reviews done right after purchase. Looking at thepics, I'm guessing the Volvo ones are of notably better quality, but are also way more expensive. You won't want to do this job again anytime soon, so keep that in mind. At the same time, a decent aftermarket cable will likely make it to at least half the life of the original, so unless you figure you're still going to be owning and servicing your car in 15 years, aftermarket can be justifiable.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

I bought a ProParts cable and Elring gasket (rubber compound pan gasket) assembly, which includes the filter, several years ago so and am ready to go on the job. I also bought 3 of the cork gaskets a couple days ago just in case I need another for the old car(s). The tag on the assembly printing, from the seller, vanished but had an Elring number in another place of 998.301 BP. I hope this works on the 03-71L transmission.
Thanks again!
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Mine:3-940s running; dtrs:4-940s running

Great idea with the oil. I actually tried this yesterday but the cable is too far gone.

Something I have wondered about. The trans dipstick is quite difficult to get out. I have to twist and pull it before it will release. Could it be that the slack kickdown cable is somehow catching the dipstick? I hate to even mention this but have wondered why two problems could happen so close in time with these rugged transmissions.

Any idea what the Elring transmission kit differences are between 998.301 NIB, 998.301 PB, and 998.301 BP? I found a 998.301 BP I had bought several years ago and see the other 2 are for sale on ebay. Hopefully the BP will work on our 03-71L transmission (transmission nameplate).
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Mine:3-940s running; dtrs:4-940s running

Dear jd620,

Hope you're well and stay so. The transmission pan's dipstick - unlike the oil pan's dipstick (pulls straight out) - needs to be turned to remove it.

There's nothing at the bottom of the transmission pan dipstock, that would snag anything, much less the thin multi-strand wire kick-down cable.

As to the Elring transmission filter and gaskets, Elring parts #998.301 and 998.301PB correspond to Volvo kit #271694. These kits are for AW70 and AW72 trannies. The kit for the AW71 tranny is Volvo #271693.

The Elring Kit part number - #998.301PB - is, I think, a typographical error: the P and B are transposed (pun intended).

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

dipstick is on the wrong side from the kd cable, which is on the passenger side of the trans.

not familiar with elring trans kits but all aw 70/71s used the same filter and gasket.