1981 Dodge pickup

i have a 1981 Dodge pickup- 4x4/propane pow,r/36ocid. / Automatic it has no passing gear or kickdown. should there be a linkage from crb to trans? or is it something else like cable or electronics. or maybe something else like a bad tranny? show me plz...or maybe something i dont no about---driving me nuts-

That vintage of Torqueflite should have a mechanical linkage from the carburetor to the throttle valve of the transmission, which is located on the driver's side of the unit, above the left front corner of the oil pan and next to the kickdown band adjustment stud & nut. If the linkage is there, it may have slipped adjustment or the lever may have slipped off shaft. If it's not, scrounge up a replacement and put it on. Driving it this way won't hurt the transmission, it's just a nuisance shifting early without kickdown capability.

I have seen mopars with v8's and the 727 tranny, where the linkage to the tranny wasnt connected anymore - probably after someone worked on the carb & didnt put it back. Also, a replacement carb might not have come with the correct linkage to push on that kickdown control, so it didnt get hooked up again. I've been driving our motorhome for 18 years without the kickdown level being hooked up, because I prefer to do the downshift myself w the lever.