advoce needed on 49 Chrysler fluid drive problems

It sounds to me like we have some experts on the fluid drive and I need some advice. I'm working on a 49 Chrysler 6 cylinder with the 4 speed fluid drive also called an underdrive.I have a 48-50 shop manual for references.

The problem is the trans. will not upshift from 1st to 2nd dear when you let up on the throttle. It will shift from 3rd to 4th but only at about 30 mph. The shop manual states it should upshift to 2nd at 8 mph and 3rd to 4th at 14 mph. It also will not kickdown into 3rd when you floorboard the throttle.

I have installed a new wiring harness and wired up the carb's 3 connections which weren't wired when the car came into my shop.

Any suggestions on troubleshooting here.

Thanks-a 1st time trip into the intricacies of the fluid drive setup.

Martin Lum

marty@oldercar.com

The first thing to check is that the engine idle speed is set to spec. If the idle is too high, the engine speed will not drop fast enough to permit the upshift to take place before the car slows down to the point where the transmission governor switch will no longer permit the upshift.

The semi-automatic transmission uses a synchronizer just like a manual gearbox. The synchronizer has to match the shaft speeds before an upshift can take place.

Doug

If it was mine I would check over the wiring, connections etc first. Then put a test light on the shifter solenoid and go for a drive. If the light lights up at the correct time but the tranny doesn't shift, that points to low oil level or possibly more serious trouble in the transmission. If the light does not light up it points to a fault in the wiring, switches, or control system generally.

It might be a governor problem. They have electrical contacts that sometimes get gummed up with oil and dirt. It pays to clean them every 50 years or so. Be careful of the contacts, they are made of silver and are rather soft. Spray with contact cleaner and drag a piece of paper between the contacts for gentle cleaning.

Another thing that can prevent proper upshifts is a low oil level in the transmission. This can interfere with the pressure needed to shift the gears.

Thanks to your response and advice. After some tinkering and testing we have a working transmission in both low and high gears. I didn't really change any of the parts but did inspect the points in the governor, removed and tested the magnetic part of the interrupter switch on the carb-it works, and double checked the wiring using all the test procedures in the 49 Chrysler shop manual as I installed all new wiring in the car including the transmission wiring harness. I also lengthened the throttle linkage at the carb to trip the downshift switch push button earlier and now it too works. I also put a tach on the engine and reduced the idle speed to the recommended 450 rpm. I don't believe this car has been driven for years and would not have worked well due to the lack of wiring hookups to the carb and various other makeshift wiring in both the engine and dash areas.

When i started to work all the wiring to the carb. had all been disconnected for some reason and the harness was spliced and generally in bad shape.

A 6 cylinder station wagon certainly isn't a powerhouse so you have to keep working the gears on the hills in my area of PA but I think it will make a decent cruiser at 55 or so.

I do have a question-the rear engine mounts are badly age cracked and should be replaced. Has anyone successfully changed the mounts by just jacking up the trans. I tried this but couldn't get the those washer tubes out of the engine mounts due to the length of the tubes and the bottoming out of the trans. on the tranny tunnel.

Martin Lum

49 Chrysler woodie

Tom McCahill tested a Chrysler station wagon in 1950 and made similar comments about the power. He also commented on the price, over $3500 a very expensive car at that time, he figured bookies and politicians were the only ones who could afford one LOL.

He also described the hardware and fittings as resembling a yacht, with overtones of Crane plumbing LOL.

I'm glad you got the old beauty working right. Luckily you did not have to tear down the transmission, this is typical. The transmission itself is very rugged. It's the control system that usually go wrong, but once you figure that out you are a winner.

Drive the car for a while, tune up the motor and see if it improves. You could also try a compression test once you have some miles on it.

A lot of those old cars start out cranky when they have been off the road for years. But once you put a few hundred miles on them they come back to life.

The compression test is a good idea, those flatheads are so well mannered they can be in an advanced state of wear but make no odd noises or other signs. If compression is down a ring and valve job can bring them back to life at low cost. But put some miles on first, it may come around. A shot of Bardahl, Marvel Mystery Oil or Rislone may help free things up too.

Sorry I don't know how to fix the mounts.

Hi Guys-thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of the old slowpoke. An interesting comment made by someone on a fluid drive article on Google---"fluid drive transmissions have all the disadvantages of both stick shift and fully automatic transmissions". I've got quite a bit of shudder when engaging the clutch in low gear. I hope it will improve with some more driving. Thanks again for the advice.

Martin Lum

I find the best technique for handling the transmission, is to start the car in neutral with the handbrake on, warm up the motor for a minute, then put it in gear and engage the clutch fully before releasing the brake. Then drive away like an automatic.

The clutch shudder could be oil or grease on the clutch lining. A shot of Brake Kleen spray could clear it up.

Nice car by the way! It would look very natural in 1949 parked at the yacht marina, or possibly at the polo grounds. A real millionaire's weekend transportation.

I kinda remember that the woodie for sale online a while back for $125,00 or more ?