Overdrive kickdown switch

R

Richardtx

Member
When installing the switch through the firewall and under the gas pedal do you cut the carpet or not? Is there a dimension between the switch and the pedal?
 
It depends on the vehicle. Many of the cars that had B&W electric overdrive still had rubber floor mats. Carpet was an option in the late 40s & early 50s. It has to have a good contact with the pedal so I would say it has to protrude through the carpet enough to get a good contact for kick down.
 
I agree with rotorwrench, I would punch a hole in carpet for the kickdown button. The button should be just about to make contact with the pedal when the carb is wide open. There is enough "give" in the linkage and pedal to operate the switch when you want passing gear.
 
just put down matte and rubber matt in mine didnt see the switch and didnt think the OD even worked cuz the transfer handle was froze... messed around got it free and forgot about it... was showing someone it was free sometime later and forgot and left it in was i surprised next time i drove it it was free wheeling when i went to put the brakes on good luck with yours......dennis
 
I don't have a kick-down switch for my BW-OD. I drive a stock 59AB, always use the OD for highway driving, cruise between 55 and 65 mph, and its extremely rare when I need/want to pass another vehicle. At those times I just shift down to second gear while its in OD.
 
If the kick down switch doesn't work, just momentarily cut the ign switch off and back on and it will do the same thing.
 
Cecil/WV said:
If the kick down switch doesn't work, just momentarily cut the ign switch off and back on and it will do the same thing.
Click to expand...

Only if the switch is "half-working". In addition to momentarily killing the ignition, it has to kill power to the O/D solenoid. So you apparently lost the ignition kill side of the switch.
 
I think Cecil is right. Turning the switch off will de energize the solenoid and kill the ignition. I think turning it on will apply torque to the input shaft before the od can engage. Letting up on the gas will let that happen.
 
I know i am right, been doing it since the 50's. All it soes is momentarily cut the power to the solenoid and let the solenoid drop out.
 
Twisting the switch will work but if you don't do it quickly, you can get an after fire in the exhaust. The kick down switch electrical system works pretty quickly so that an after fire doesn't happen plus you don't have to worry about it. Flipping switches and stomping pedals all at the same time sounds like a pain to me. I prefer the system the way it was supposed to work.
 
Cecil it also remove torque from the input shaft. That is why the points need to be grounded to enable the solenoid to drop out. The kickdown switch performs two functions.
 
Frank Miller said:
Cecil it also remove torque from the input shaft. That is why the points need to be grounded to enable the solenoid to drop out. The kickdown switch performs two functions.
Click to expand...

Frank,
when I cut the switch, it doesn't ground anything, but it always drops out anyway. You are right as to what the kick down switch does, but grounding the coil just kills the engine momentarily the same as cutting the switch off kills the engine momentarily also.
 
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