I have an 89 4x4 with the 3.9 and an auto trans. It accelerates really well in 1st off a dead stop, but then shifts too early and continues to shift early, so it takes forever to get up to speed. It's a real liability trying to get onto the highway, and any sort of incline is frustrating to no end.

Is it an issue with the kickdown? One of the previous owners did their own lift kit on it which messed up some of the other things like the gear selector, could it have affected that as well? How would I adjust that and how do I know it's at the right setting?

 

I hope someone answers this because mine does it too ( 91, auto, 318 )

 

Try adjusting the TV cable. Check the FAQ in this section for a post on how to adjust it.

 

Nope...no TV cable. Two cables...one is throttle, the other is the cruise control ( both non-adjustable by the way ). The tranny kick-down is a solid rod...rod appears to be adjusted correctly ( all the way ahead at idle...all the way back at WOT) however, something is amuck as its not shifting properly so I'll try adjusting it.