'85 V12 coupe.

I have no kickdown function. The switch is OK, but it never gets engaged. I can see how it's supposed to work, the "extra push" on the throttle moves the detent in the cable housing and trips the microswitch. However, I cannot under any circumstances get the cable sheath to move to engage the switch. Both of the TB stops and the quadrant stop are hit before the KD switch is engaged. Also, I understand the pedal may be bent but my pedal does not hit the floor, and even pulling on the top of it by hand does not move the cable any more. I did spray the little "spring window" on the opposite side of the detent with PB Blaster in case it's siezed, but the rest of the system still does not seem to even attempt to put any pressure on that area. Any ideas?

Thanks,
D

 

I had that problem. In my case the problem was at the pedal. Specifically, the bushing at the throttle pedal pivot was shot and partially missing. When the throttle was pressed the pedal cocked over just a bit resulting in lost motion or "pull" on the cable.

Since the kickdown only engages at a point actually beyond full throttle even a small lack of travel makes a difference.

Might be worth a minute to check the bushing on your car

Cheers
DD

 

Went out this morning after soaking in PB Blaster over night and it still didn't work but then I REALLY shoved on it, and the sheath came free with a bang (I thought I broke something) and it's now tripping the microswitch properly. Getting the switch adjusted is another issue. When cruising at 40ish is it normal for it only to kick down one gear? Or do I have more than one problem? Frankly, as it is it seems kind of anemic.

 

Jaguar specifically calibrated the kickdown for "anemic" results. Aggressive kickdown was deemed too ungentlemanly for a proper Jaguar owner :-)

If you want a real boost in the giddy-up-and-go department I'd suggest using the enrichment switch to activate the kickdown.

The enrichment switch closes at abut 75% throttle rather than 100%+ for the kickdown switch as Jaguar arranged it.

Some minor re-wiring and a common relay is all that's needed.

If you're interested I can post details later


Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Doug, I've seen a writeup on that particular modification here somewhere.

As long as I know nothing else is wrong, I'm OK with anemic - I don't really have a lead foot anyway, just want everything working correctly.

Thanks again!