KickDown Question
 

Is there both a kickdown switch and cable in my 90 SEL? Do they both do the same thing?

There is just a switch, the cable controls the shift points by looking at the throttle position.

Should the kickdown still work if the cable is missing?

"Should the kickdown still work if the cable is missing?"
The kickdown switch closes at full-throttle only. The transmission will shift into top gear very early if there is no cable, and it won't know when to downshift except for the signal from the kickdown switch.

Ok, My situation is, the cable is missing, and the car shifts quickly, with no kickdown. The only way I can get it to upshift when climbing a hill is to manually move the shift lever to a lower gear.
Is this normal operation for a car with no Bowden Cable?

Indeed it is, Laddie, indeed it is! Replace the cable and adjust it to just the point of no slack and you will be loving your car again.

OK, I replaced the cable....and it will not up shift when I press had on the pedal. But now when I accelerate from a stop....it feels like it is starting off in 2nd gear, if I push hard it will roll about 20 feet and then down shift to 1st gear....at least that is what it feel like.
Obviously I need to adjust this cable...but right now I have it adjusted all the way loose and there is still no slack...that I can tell.

If it's correctly attached and adjustsed, then the next thing would be to test the control pressure unit itself. It is unusual that the cable wasn't there to begin with, so maybe there was a problem there? I'm assuming your vacuum hose was connected or you should have been complaining about hammer-hard shifting.
Note that increasing tension on the cable will delay upshifts and make downshifts come sooner.

It is supposed to start off in 2nd gear. It only downshifts to first/low with WOT from a stop.

The cable was there...it was broken inside.

So a start off from 2nd gear is normal? OK, then I appears to be working as designed.

I have seen the pictures on the adjustment before, but neither one of them look like my setup. So I will just adjust by feel.

I find it best to shift at part throttle around 2700-3300rpm so it's "on the cam" if you will.

Verify linkage at firewall is correct, often times it gets out of adjustment over the course of 20 years.

The pictures I posted are for the 124. The 140 could be somewhat different, but the principle is the same. The picture on the bottom is for linkages with pointers - you line them up with each other.

<So a start off from 2nd gear is normal? OK, then I appears to be working as designed. >>

Correct ..that chassis did not have 1st gear start by design.

Thanks! Now all i need is a vaccum diagram.....