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Questions on 68 Ambassador kickdown setup

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imacarfan2 View Drop Down
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    Posted: Sep/21/2018 at 11:08pm
Howdy! I need some serious help with the kickdown setup on my 68 Ambassador. It's a 6 cylinder car with what I'm assuming is a T35 auto trans. I'm use to newer AMCs and especially V8s, so this is totally new to me. I just got the car running, so now it's time to get the trans hooked up correctly before I see if it functions okay.

First, I found a disconnected greenish/blueish wire that has a black plastic female end on it that goes from the PS of the engine compartment over the trans to the DS. Looking at a wiring diagram, it looks like this is for the kickdown, but I don't know where it plugs in. Somewhere on the trans?

Next, how does the electric kickdown work exactly? I'm assuming when you hit the throttle hard, the accelerator rod (which is totally new to me as I'm use to a throttle cable!) pivots and the square metal piece attached to the accelerator rod touches the electric kickdown box-thing with the two wires coming out to tell the trans to kickdown. Is this correct? Is the box-thing with the two wires coming out of it just something that metal touches to operate or is it supposed to push in like a button when the metal touches it (I'm thinking not, but not sure)?

Thanks in advance for any help offered!!!
67 Ambo conv
68 AMX
68 Ambo 4 door
70 Ambo 4 door
(2) 71 Hornets (1 SC/360)
73 Hornet 2 door
77 Matador coupe
77 Sportabout
78 Concord 2 door
81 Concord wagon
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purple72Gremlin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote purple72Gremlin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/22/2018 at 5:56am
Its for a full throttle kick down. There should be a modulator, and make sure its not leaking....
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george w View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote george w Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/22/2018 at 8:36am
The "box" on the throttle linkage is the kick down switch. It's closes when the gas pedal is floored. When it closes it passes 12 volts to that little blue wire pigtail sticking out of the main wiring harness in the wiper motor area. This terminal ultimately leads to the kick down solenoid inside on the valve body. If you push in on the switch button you'll feel it click. There's a kick down terminal on the side of the transmission. You should have the Borg Warner M-37 with the 232 six. There's a one wire wire harness that connects to that pigtail female connector and leads down on the drivers side of the bell housing, into a clip and connects over to the male spade terminal on the side of the main transmission case. It has a 90 degree boot on it. This wire has,or should have had, a protective wax coated fabric wire loom sleeve on it just like the wire leading to the coil.

The modulator controls your shift points as they relate to throttle position but has no direct function regarding the kickdown.
Long time AMC fan. Ambassador 343, AMX 390, Hornet 360, Spirit 304 and Javelin 390. All but javelin bought new.
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