QuestionQUESTION: Hi,
The transmission in my '50 Packard it toast and the guy at the repair shop said that special tools are required to adjust the bands in a specific model trans. Is this correct ? Is so how do I check my trans and do you know if these tools are available anywhere.
Thanks
Kevin
ANSWER: I don't know why you were unable to post a follow up question, but I did notice your remark in the feedback posting, so we can continue this way.
Tell me about driving your transmission: When you accelerate from a stop, the car should take off gently, and then at about 20 MPH (depending on how hard you are accelerating) you should feel a definite abrupt "upshift" to direct drive, after which your car should feel exactly like a car with a standard shift when it is in high gear - in other words, when you take your foot off the gas, the car should slow down under engine braking (like a standard shift car), rather than coast as if it were free wheeling.
This should continue until the speed drops to around 15 MPH, after which the car should coast as if it were in neutral.
If you select "L" on the shift lever, the car should accelerate from rest much more rapidly, but the engine will be revving higher than in "D" and you will feel the need to upshift to "D" manually rather than let the engine scream. If you don't upshift, when you get to around 20 MPH, the same sensation of going into direct drive should occur, after which the car will feel like a standard shift car in 2nd gear, and when you take your foot off the gas, the engine braking will be much more noticeable than when you were in "D". If this is what happens, then your direct drive clutch is operating correctly and is not the cause of your overheating.
Give me a report, please. Thanks
If you have more trouble with the all-experts site, contact me directly at dickb@sdccu.net
Dick
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
The problem
QUESTION: Hi,
Yes I was having problems responding. Wouldn't let me ask a new question says your "full" can't reply says it went on too long. Your email should work fine if this stops working.
About the Trans. Only ran the car 3 times got a tow every time. The last one was fatal. Will tell you what I noticed.
I always started in "D" never ran the gears.
At about 20mph it would slide into next gear very very smooth.
Didn't notice any excessive RPMs. Slowing down was like you say gliding in neutral. When I sat for 30Seconds-1Minute the temp would start climbing.
In a nutshell I thought the trans was working fine, not knowing how a "good" trans would feel like.
I am currently looking for some place to overhaul the trans with very little luck. Most are quoting time+materials and don't seem to know what they are getting into. The last one said there are special clutch tools required and seems willing to get into it if I verify this.
I am going to Carlisle and will be looking for a trans there. Are there certain year transmissions I can use ?
How do I tell the difference ?
Thanks
Kevin
AnswerI've sent you a long e-mail response already, so I won't repeat all of that here.
The problem with getting back to me is that there is a limit on how many questions I can respond to in one day (days on this site are defined by GMT - so depending on where you live, the, the day boundary could seem mighty strange!). They send me about 5 a day, and these typically take a long time to research and respond to - thus the limit - I try to have a real life too!
From what you say, it appears your transmission is shifting properly when you start out after first starting the engine, but the direct drive clutch may be worn out and slipping badly, in addition to the fact that the direct drive clutch may not be releasing all the way when you come to a stop - thus placing a heavy load on the engine and cooking the transmission oil, both things contribute to your overheating. This is all conjecture at this point, I'm sure you realize.
You started with a question about adjusting the bands - does this mean the car will no longer drive? If so, the following is useless, but since I already typed it, I'll leave it in place. Tell me what the current situation is, please.
If the car is still driveable, then:
I'd like to have you investigate the transmission's condition by doing the following tests:
1. Drive the car as you have been doing (in "D"), and after you get the car up to a steady speed around 25 MPH, press the gas as if to accelerate - don't floor the gas pedal, because that would make the transmission downshift, just press the gas as if to accelerate at a moderate rate - and pay close attention to the RPM of the engine. Does it respond immediately by revving up, or does it simply increase speed slowly and in proportion to the speed increase, like a stick shift car would do. If it revs up, the clutch is slipping badly.
2. Drive the car as you have been doing (in "D") and when you come to a stop, pay special attention to the engine idle speed (leave the selector in "D"). Next, shift the selector to Park - do you notice any speeding up of the engine?
3. Now turn off the engine and let it sit for about 5 minutes (obviously, you need to do this close to home on a back road, or even in your driveway.) Then restart the engine, but leave the gear selector in Park. Note whether the idle speed is higher than it was before you shut it off.
4. Now put it back in "D" and note the idle speed - is it the same as in test 2 (before you shifted to park)?
If the idle speed goes up when you shift from "D" to Park (or neutral, of course), the idle speed increase is normal, but it should be a minor increase. If the idle speed is much faster in "D" after you turn off the engine and then restart it after waiting until the governor releases (that's the 5 minute wait period - arbitrary, but probably adequate), we have nailed the problem.
As for your trip to Carlisle, the transmission in your car is an early Ultramatic with an 11 inch clutch - and those were only found in the late 49 and 50 cars. While it is probably possible to adapt a later Ultramatic to your engine, I have not done it so I can't advise you to try it. The early units are much heavier, and in my experience the 11 inch clutch units are really good units, so I'd rather see you get the original unit rebuilt.
So far, we don't really know what is wrong with it, so don't give up on it yet. These often last for 50+ years without service, so let's stay with it until we know it needs to be replaced.
I am aware of a place that definitely knows these units, and I will e-mail you their name directly; I have not had them do any work for me, but they have been around for years, and specialize in these units - I think they are probably your best bet if we decide it needs to be rebuilt.
Dick
(Thanks for the picture of the car - it is a good looking example!)
