How to set kickdown cable?

TapouT

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Location
Hickory nc
I took my Jeep up to Boone this past weekend and it felt very sluggish. It felt like it would just lug over into overdrive and could barely pull itself up the hill and my gas pedal felt very tight. I had to keep giving it a lot of gas and kicking it into passing gear to get it to go up the mountain. It is a 1998 model Grand Cherokee with the 5.2L v8, all time 4x4 with 4lo selection transfer case. I took it to Boone back in August with brand new 33x12.50x15's mud tires on it and it did fine no problems at all. It now has 31/10.50/15 all terrains on it and it struggled going up the mountain. I find that very weird. Could the tv/kickdown cable have came out of adjustment? Anything else it could be? Thanks!
 
on the passenger side by the throttle body, you will see the cable, it will have a little white cover over the adjustment button. i pop the cover off with a pocket screwdriver, press the button in and move the end of the cable towards the firewall one or two clicks. only adjust it one or two clicks at a time so you know where you started in case that's not the problem.
going from 33's to 31's will make it shift different.
 
Just as Lee said. Also, the cable end should be aligned with the corresponding tab on the throttle body when the throttle is closed. Check and see if the return spring has fallen off the bracket on the tranny.
 
transman731 said:
on the passenger side by the throttle body, you will see the cable, it will have a little white cover over the adjustment button. i pop the cover off with a pocket screwdriver, press the button in and move the end of the cable towards the firewall one or two clicks. only adjust it one or two clicks at a time so you know where you started in case that's not the problem.
going from 33's to 31's will make it shift different.
Click to expand...

Is this for the 5.2l? I've adjusted the kickdown cable on 4.0 Jeep's before but on this Jeep it's completely different.
 
I think I got it. I did it the same way I did on the 4.0's. Pushed the button in and slid it through the hold and pulled the cable all the way out and went inside the Jeep and mashed the gas pedal wide open and let it ratchet itself. Took it around the block and it seems to be shifting much better already. Before it would shift very early and now it seems to hold a shift out better. Also, the gas pedal isn't nowhere near as stiff as it was before. Thanks for the help transman!
 
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