In an automatic car, kickdown occurs when the driver presses the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor. By doing so, the gearbox automatically changes to a lower gear, providing the engine with more power.
Kickdown is vital for when you need to accelerate after travelling at a steady speed. The most common example is accelerating to overtake. For instance, if you’ve been travelling at 60mph for a while, and then need to accelerate. Without a kickdown, when you press on the accelerator, you’d only speed up very slowly.
What is the purpose of a kick down cable?
One component that helps both drive systems communicate is the kickdown cable. This device helps the engine relay information on revolutions per minute (RPM) to the automatic transmission and essentially tells it that it’s time to shift gears.
Commonly, the kick-down mode should be activated when the top gear is engaged; otherwise the process of acceleration won’t be intensive enough. The kick-down button is located under the gas pedal. It is necessary to press the gas pedal to the floor to activate the kick-down mode.
How does kick down work in an automatic car? – Related Questions
What is a kickdown button?
Kickdown can be used when maximum acceleration is needed, e.g. when passing. When the accelerator pedal is depressed all the way to the floor (past the normal full accelerator position), the transmission will automatically engage kickdown, i.e. immediately shift down to a lower gear.
Where is the kickdown switch?
NOTE: The kickdown switch is located on the accelerator linkage above the pedal.
Do all automatic cars have kickdown?
Before computer control became widespread, most automatic transmissions would kick down only if the accelerator was pressed all the way to the floor. More modern transmissions may kick down, by one gear or more, earlier in the gas pedal’s range of movement, based on the pedal’s position or rate of change.
How do you use BMW kickdown?
You can feel the kick-down point as a “hard spot” in the motion of the throttle pedal. With the engine off, press the pedal as gently as possible until it seems to be at bottom, then press hard.
How does kickdown solenoid work?
A kick down solenoid is provided in the first shift down circuit for controlling the first shift down circuit and a kick down switch is adapted to be actuated by an engine control member.
A gear in an automatic transmission that allows the passing of a slower moving car more easily. It is activated when the gas pedal is sharply depressed.
Is a kickdown cable necessary?
In fact, if you don’t mind downshifting manually with the shift lever when passing, there’s really no need for a functional kickdown cable or switch at all. Even manual downshifting to obtain passing gear may not be needed in the ultralightweight T-bucket’s case because it has so little inertia.
How do you adjust a kick down cable?
How much does it cost to replace a shifter cable?
On average, it will cost approximately $300 to replace a gear shifter cable. The typical price range is between $200 to $600, though some car brands might be more expensive to repair. You can tighten and service a loose shifter cable for approximately $100.
Does throttle cable affect transmission?
The throttle valve cable is used to control the line pressure, downshifting and the feel of the shifting. When the throttle valve cable is out of specification, the transmission can shift early, shift late or not shift at all.
Is throttle body part of transmission?
What is meant by throttle valve?
noun. : a valve designed to regulate the supply of a fluid (as steam or gas and air) to an engine and operated by a handwheel, a lever, or automatically by a governor.
What does a TV cable do in a car?
As the throttle opens, the cable is pulled out of the transmission, signaling the transmission to increase line pressure to accommodate the additional torque. TV cable position also determines shift quality and firmness and controls all shift timing events.