Questions and Answers

Dodge Caravan TV Cable Q. Hey Vince. I surfed through your site, but I don't think I found the answer I was looking for already posted. I have a 1987 Dodge Caravan 4 cylinder automatic transmission. It's having a problem not engaging into the passing gear. I saw one post that said to try to change the transmission filter, or check the speedometer cable, but I don't think that's the problem.

The kick-down cable and speedometer cable are both okay. The problem I'm having is that when you "floor" the car, the kick down cable moves with the throttle cable, but when you let off the trotted, the cable and arm on the transmission stay in the same place. They don't go back to the original position, and if I try to do it manually, by hand under the hood, the arm moves really stiff.

Is there supposed to be a heavy spring pulling the arm back to the original position or should the spring on the cable end be sufficient to push the arm back, and the arm is simply sticking for some reason. Sort of boggles the mind here and any hints would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Thomas

A. You probably need a new Throttle Valve Cable. Disconnect it at the throttle side and transmission side and see if the cable slides back and forth easily. If it doesn't move smoothly and easily, replace it. If the throttle lever on the transmission is hard to move, you have an internal problem in the valve body of the transmission.