QuestionHi Dick, In my Packard service manual, it says as part of the engine removal process)that to remove the drive shaft there is a screw on the universal joint locking retainer. There seems to be no screw on my u.joint! How do I take it off?
It also says that I have to use a remote controller switch for rotating the fly wheel. This to locate and drain through the converter drain plug. I do not have one. Can I just do it anyway without it? Is it enough to just drain the transmission fluid manually through the filler hole? What are the consequences? I just want to take the engine out for reconditioning.
Please help! I'm new to all of this and am running out of time to do it. Any help apreciated!
AnswerYou do not need to do anything with the driveshaft if you are only pulling the engine. You also don't need to drain the transmission or converter to pull the engine. You just unbolt the converter from the flywheel and push it back into the bell housing (and wire it so it stays there), support the transmission with a jack, and then unbolt and remove the engine. Be sure to mark the position of the converter on the crankshaft so you get it back in the same position.
If you are also removing the transmission for some reason, the driveshaft is held to the back of the transmission with 4 bolts through the companion flange - once those are removed, the front U-joint can be pushed back far enough to get the transmission out. If the front u-joint has been changed for some reason, you'll have to figure out yourself how to get it apart. The original front u-joint was a cross and trunion type - not a normal looking u-joint. It looks more like a pot shaped housing with a flexible bellows on the rear of it.
If you want to drain the transmission for some reason, you do need to drain the converter also. The converter holds more fluid than the pan does. To move the converter to where you can get at the drain plugs, you can use a big screwdriver to pry against the teeth of the ring gear to rotate the engine to where you can see the drain plugs. You can also do this by putting a large wrench on the front of the crankshaft to turn it. If the engine is loose enough, you may be able to turn it by hand if you take teh spark plugs out. You need to take the first drain plug out, then rotate the converter to get at the second one, which is 180 degrees around the converter.
If you are removing both the engine and the transmission, I find it easier to remove them both together, and separate them outside the car - but you need a really strong engine hoist, as these are VERY heavy engines and transmissions - together they weigh about 1200 pounds!
My advice is to leave the transmission alone unless it is showing signs of trouble. Once you get it apart, you will have a really tough and expensive repair project to get it all back together and working right. These are just about bulletproof - if it ain't broke, leave it alone! Don't change the fluid either, if it still has the original whale oil fluid in it (yellowish and very slippery), save it - it is much better fluid than can be found today.
Good luck to you!
Dick (now working on my own 51 with 288, Ultramatic)
