Have had a tough time finding a kickdown switch for the old BorgWarner OD transmissions so decided to make some. If anyone knows of a subsitute that will work please tell me. Here's how they work: there is a spring loaded plunger that holds a rod with a contact washer up against a set of contacts in its normal position. When you depress the plunger it opens the formally closed circuit at the top and goes down and closes the contacts at the bottom. That's it; a spring loaded washer that opens one circuit as it closes the other. My very crude prototype that works well but you'd need a trailer to pull behind to carry it. The two contacts in the cap are the normally closed ones and the two through the side are normally open but get closed when the plunger is pushed down. Want the finished switch to be about the size of two sugar cubes as it fits in the floor under the gas pedal.
kick down Post over on the stovebolt page and fred will help you out he knows a lot about these o/d transmissions and just about everything else automotive great guy. Robert
Take a look at a late model Honda brake switch. it's a 4 wire switch with two sets of contacts. One set is normally open and the other is normally closed with the plunger depressed and the brakes not applied. When the brakes are applied, the plunger is released and the switches swap positions. This switch is used as an input to the PCM so I doubt it can handle much current. You would probably have to control the solenoid via relays. Another good source of electrical switches of all kinds is www.surpluscenter.com located in Lincoln Ne. I have used them to build all kinds of strange things, and they have automotive relays with pigtails for about $4.00. John
Thank you John and Robert, First I'll check how much current a solenoid draws with a horseshoe ampmeter to see if relays are required and also check out the Stovebolt search. The I6 engines used a tab welded to the vertical accelerator rod to engage the kickdown switch so that gives more room than having to work under the gas pedal like on a V8.
kick down That's how mine was hooked up I put a tab on throttle rod pushed gas pedal down to kick down overdrive .go over to the stovebolt and look fred up he can help you out
All of you put me on the right track, thank you. Ordered one from NAPA, Echlin #OD6284, $34 with shipping.
kick down Thanks bill I would like to see how this switch installs mine sits over the top rear of engine close to exhaust manifold and I think it overheats 30 40 min freeway drive and it won't shift in o/d so just might be the ticket Robert
Robert, Glad you tipped me off on the factory location subjecting the switch to a lot of heat from the exhaust manifold. I came up with this and it works really well and not in the way of anything. Retains the choke cable clamp but the throttle cable (seldom used) had to go bye-bye. The wires are now taped into a tidy harness and the long temporary screws have been trimmed down to the right length. The kickdown tab is spot welded to the throttle arm and has very little scrubbing action on the switch plunger; should last a long time. Second pic has a wood stick holding the tab up against the kickdown plunger. It's really more centered than what it looks like in the photo.
