Question: 1955 packard leveling system

[Frank Wilkie]

Can a bad stoplight switch mess up the leveling system since the power source goes through the stoplight switch for the leveling system?   My stop lights don't work but I still have power through the switch for the leveling system. The car is up in the rear and the leveling motor won't shut off unless I manual shut it off. Car is still stuck up in the air.  Can anyone help me on this?

 

[HH56]

The stoplight switch can definitely mess up TL and is a frequent source of issues -- but the general symptom is the system does not work at all..  The power for the control switch is opened by the stoplight switch so TL is inactive when brakes are applied. TL usually just completely quits when stoplight switch fails and is not the reason for it being out of level.

 

On 55s with the limit switch and solenoids on the bracket under the car one issue is the bracket can get bent. There have been cases where the bent bracket will move the limit switch out of position so the transverse bars can not actuate it or worse, can even can allow one of the buss bars between the limit switch and solenoids to short to ground and move the system.  A bent bracket can result in damage because the limit switch is completely bypassed and sometimes the fuse doesn't blow in time. Some have had issues when a manual override switch is improperly installed with the same results.  Others have had issues when one of the solenoids had water damage and plunger stuck so it could not release to stop the motor. Any of those could allow the motor to move the transverse bars past center until they are on opposite sides of the compensator.  When that happens, the system is completely confused because electrical is telling it to move a certain way to get to a desired position but mechanically with the bars reversed, the motion is exactly opposite..

 

For your issue, I would first verify the status of the bracket.  Make sure the limit switch is in position so the limit switch lever can be pushed by the transverse bars as the compensator rotates them to the end positions. Verify nothing is touching any of the buss bars.  While you are under also verify the position of the transverse bars.  Make sure they are as per the diagram with the long bar to passenger side at the rear of the compensator and short bar on drivers side at the front.

 

Am posting a complete electrical diagram showing the contacts and components inside of the STOCK control switch with the bimetal heater time delay setup so you can get a better idea of how things operate.  If your switch has been replaced with one of the solid state conversions I have no information on those.

[Frank Wilkie]

Thanks for this info.  I just went out to the car and wanted to check out if I turned on the ignition key and load leveler switch to see if I stepped on the brake even though the lights don't work to see if the lifting motor would stop.  It Stopped..  I can't seem to find a way to get to the brake light bulbs. Two screws located at the top of the taillight trim is all I see. I removed them but nothing loosened up..     At least this told me the brake light switch was working proper for the leveling system.. When I get more time I'll try to figure out the positioning of the leveling arms.  Thanks for your information..  

[HH56]

The socket pulls out of the tail light housing to replace the tail/signal/brake bulb. For the reverse light bulb it is opposite:  the plastic lens is held on by screws and comes off to access the bulb.   If the turn signals work, the bulbs are not the issue as the same filament is used for both functions.  The clips can hold the socket quite securely so use a small bladed screwdriver to gently work the socket out of the hole.  Do it carefully and slowly and pull the socket straight out so the glass on the bulb doesn't hit the housing and break.

 

Brake light switch is on top of the left frame rail sort of hidden below the battery and round vent tube.  There is a kind of plastic holder which acts like a plug to connect the individual wire terminals to the switch.  That setup can cause problems if one of the terminals pushes out of the plastic so make sure all are in tight and are inserted in the correct places.  The layout of the brake switch terminals in one of the drawings in the electrical section of manual may be incorrect and some that have followed that drawing have found it has caused problems before. Here is the correct layout of the switch so verify your wires are connected as shown. 

 

If that is all good, the brake light circuit goes thru the turn signal switch.  While problems are not as common on the V8 cars as on the earlier Packards, the turn signal switches have been known to have poor connections internally which can cause some no brake light issues. 

Edited December 24, 2015 by HH56 (see edit history)

[Frank Wilkie]

Ok, this is where I'm at.  I went direct from the battery to the compensating motor. It was working so I contacted it to the down side mode and watching the link arms move. It didn't lower the body. It appears that the rear arms are fully extended up and won't come down even with the tension being down on the compensator bars. What would be holding this in the up position of the rear body.?

 

Also I noticed that the passenger side connecting rod to the compensator bar had a bend in it. Is this suppose to?

Edited January 12, 2016 by Frank Wilkie (see edit history)

[HH56]

Both bars should be straight however that is not the big item at the moment if they are moving.  When you moved the motor you said the link arms moved.  Are you speaking of the two (passenger side bent) transverse bars as the links that moved and if so did the short levers at the end of the short bars move too?  If so, then so far so good.  If not, there are serious issues.  If the levers at the end of short bars are well into the frame almost touching the side that is most likely the reason for the tail end up.  When in normal position, depending on the load in the car the short levers are a few degrees either side of straight down.  If they are in a more or less neutral position then look for something mechanical blocking the action of the bars and rear load arms.  Some have had rust at various places being an issue with things so frozen even the strength of the bars couldn't move things.  Others have had lift kits or gas lift shocks or other items installed which block movement.

 

If the transverse bars and short levers are moving, verify the bars are on the correct side of the compensator assy per the illustration above which is depicted as looking down from the top.  Short drivers side bar in front, long passenger side bar in the rear.  With bars being bent the usual cause is because at some time the limit switch failed to stop the motor and the compensator kept going.  It managed to move the bars to the opposite sides from normal and with the motor still going, when the bars hit the solid compensator body they can't do anything but bend.  Hopefully the fuse blows at that time but if not internal damage can occur too.  With a strong motor driving a worm gear plus two stages of planetary gear reduction the strength of the compensator is considerable.  

 

Verify where the bars are and if not on the correct sides, that will confuse the system.  If they are wrong it gets a bit delicate to get things correct.  You will have to drive them back doing as you did with the direct connection and under close observation so you don't drive too far and run the bars into the compensator on the opposite side.  Since it appears at some time they were driven into the center there is a chance the splines on the output link could be damaged.  With the stress of running the bars back that could overload things enough any weakened splines will decide to shear.

Edited January 12, 2016 by HH56 (see edit history)

[HH56]

I just remembered a poster on the PAC forum whose system did not work and the tail was in the air.  He had other things going on but something you need to check or be aware of on yours too.  Not sure if your problem is an electrical or  a mechanical issue but look under the far left dash edge right next to the TL on/off switch and see if you have any other switches.  If there is a dash type knob sticking down there is a possibility of the 56 manual over ride switch being installed on your 55.  It was a very late 56 option and I doubt many 55s had it installed but the other posters 55 did and it turned out to be a cause of one of his problems.  

 

The factory manual override switch is a 3 position push/pull switch that stays in whatever position it is placed in.  Center is for normal operation but pushing the knob up will disconnect the automatic level circuit and manually cause the rear to rise until the limit switch stops the action. Same with pulling the knob down.  It disconnects automatic and lowers the rear until the limit switch stops in that direction.  As long as the switch is in one of the manual positions nothing on the TL works and car stays at max up or down.   It is easy to hit the switch with a foot or when reaching under the dash for any reason. The other poster found his switch had been inadvertently pushed up so the car rear was doing as it was told to do.  There have been other ways found to manually operate the system and if one of those methods are installed then without tracing out any odd wiring there is no way to tell what the system is being told to do.

[Frank Wilkie]

HH56,  I have checked and there is no extra switch, that would be too much luck..   Anyway I jacked it up again just checking things again. The short & passenger side levers do work and appear to be in sink. There is just a very slight bend in the long arm. I felt the compersating torsion bar as I engaged the compensator motor and they were moving.  What I couldn't detect moving was the rear load arms.          In the event I eventually get the rear end down, I was thinking of not using the automatic leveling system and install air shocks in the rear.  Is there anything that would not be favorable for this thought ?

[HH56]

I don't think air shocks will help your situation.  If I understand it, air shocks are adjustable to compensate for different weights that would be loading the car and are to help raise it.  Since your tail is already high air shocks would just make that worse.  If anything it would probably take a couple of hundred pounds of sand in the trunk to lower the rear.  

 

How far up in the air is the rear and approximately where are the short lever arms positioned now as compared to this factory photo.  Packard said neutral position was approx 1/2 inch off vertical toward center of car but that depends on model and how the car is optioned.  In reality neutral can be an inch give or take off vertical in either direction. 

 

You mentioned jacking up to watch the bars.  The system has to have weight on all points to work so trying to level with anything jacked up won't give a good sense of what is happening.  If you need to watch and actually have the leveler work  the car needs to have all 4 wheels on ramps or you need to be in a pit watching in order to get a good feeling of operation.

 

Are the load links in front approximately the same size and are there any markings on them.  Early 55s were not marked but later ones had one to four grooves around the body to denote length.  Most cars use three or four groove links.

 

Any photos of the compensator and bars and the short bar lever that you can post might be helpful.

[Frank Wilkie]

thanks for your help.    The short lever arms are positioned as described for a no load position.  The tires are sitting on flat boards built up to same height as the front drive on ramps.   When I turn on the dash switch the compensating motor automatically starts running in the up mode. So i shut it off and like I said ran a jumper directly to the compensating motor to get it to operate. I also tried  to operate it through the down solenoid but all it does is click.

In the second picture you have sent of the load arm link properly positioned, is this picture of the rear of the car or front. I just can't get a fix on it..  If it is for the rear , then here may be a problem.  I don't recall a shaft with a rubber grommet like this being there. The load arm is all the way down on a rubber grommet inside a saddle like   bracket..   I'll get a picture tomorrow and post it..  

Edited January 14, 2016 by Frank Wilkie (see edit history)

[HH56]

That figure 40 is the front load link which takes the place of and fits in the same area a coil spring would be on conventional spring suspension.   Changing those links is the only way to raise or lower the overall car height -- or to compensate if one side is higher than the other.  There were 4 different links at half inch differences from 3 1/8 to 4 5/8 inches long.  Most of the heavier cars used the 4 1/8 or 4 5/8 links but a stripped Clipper model may have used the shorter.  Changing one link size resulted in a car height difference of approx 3/8"   If the car is heavily optioned with lots of extra weight on the engine end or sometimes just due to age, the bars can't handle the weight and front hangs low.  Unless the links are already at max that sag is compensated for by changing to a longer link.    The nominal level car height measured from rocker panel under doors to ground is about10".

 

If the rear end is significantly high -- say maxed out with load arms ends pointing downward and shocks are fully extended, with your reporting the short lever is more in the mid or neutral position similar to the photo then you have some kind of mechanical problem that is holding the rear up.  If the car is not at the extreme limit and the rear is maybe just a few inches out then that could be the adjustment of the rod assy connecting the Left main bar to the control switch.  That linkage is roughly under the front door rear edge and is shown in the photo. Make sure there is no damage to the rod and that the clamp on the main bar is hanging downward and hasn't gotten bent to the side.  There is no real position to verify other than clamp is straight and pointing down.

 

You can see if the rod or clamp is the problem by disconnecting the rod from the lever on the control switch.  The switch lever is spring loaded but there will be a sort of dead spot right in the center where nothing should happen.  The lever moves about 1/4" before you feel the spring.  The dead spot is right in the middle -- maybe 1/8" play before you energize the switch.  With no rod attached and the lever centered at the dead spot the car should not move when you turn the suspension on.  If it does move with the rod disconnected and doesn't stop when you change the lever position slightly then something electrical is shorted or a component has failed.

Edited January 14, 2016 by HH56 (see edit history)

[Frank Wilkie]

Ok, disconnected the rod on the lever control switch. The switch  seemed to be just slightly toward the up side mode. Anyway I put power on while in neutral position and of course no action. I then pushed the lever toward the center of car and it activated the system turning the short torsion rods but I also noticed that the main torsion rod didn't seam to move.   I then turned the lever toward the outside if car it activated the system in the opposite direction.  I then turned it back to the center and ran it to what I think is the downward position and stopped it.  While I had the system in this position I then went to the rear of the car and tried to push it down and it had a tremendous mount of resistance unlike before I could push it down .   Before when I pushed it down and released it, it would  immediately return in the max up position.     I don't want to give up on this because I like driving the car.  I wish there was someone in my general area that would have a handle on this that knows packards and could actually set eyes on this dilemma, but I'll keep on trying.

[HH56]

It would be nice if someone were close to you.  Not sure where you are but you might mention an area and ask. The forum at www.packardinfo.com is much more active and more geared to postwar cars than this forum so you might ask there too.  You can also download the suspension section of  55-6 SM as well as other TL information from that site if you don't already have it.

 

I sounds as if the electrical portion is at least trying to work.  One thing to be aware of is the main bars do not move via the compensator enough to really see a change. The center portion where the link to switch is connected  rotates just a tiny amount -- in the order of single digit degrees.  That small rotation is increased by the length of the lever clamped onto the bar into an amount that is enough to activate the switch..   The main bars take the load and are stressed in opposite directions via the load arms and links. Front end pushes the end of its load arm up from the outside and rear link pushes up from the inside twisting the bar.  The center is essentially a place where both forces come together so very little rotation. The car is supported on the bar but is essentially a teeter totter balanced in the middle where a change in weight at one end or the other unbalances the car. 

 

Any extra load that increases twist at one end or the other enough to upset that balance causes the heavy end to drop.  The compensator corrects this by twisting the short bars which are connected to the same load link at the rear as the main bars. By twisting the short bars it is adding or subtracting force to the rear load arm. That extra force is enough to augment the main bar but can only compensate for a few hundred pounds.  

 

This photo is not the best but is the best I can do at the moment. Car is level and you can see the lever on the short bar is toward center by approx 1 1/2 inches off vertical.  The car is a 56 Caribbean hardtop which is optioned to the max including AC.  Height from bottom of chrome strip on rockers is approx 9" from the ground and being heavily optioned with the extra weight, it is not typical of most cars.  Packard says 10" was normal but with the extra weight and standard bars it rides low.  The ride height was an issue on the longer wheelbase heavily optioned cars so Packard introduced a limited number of bars with additional twist to carry the extra weight. Unfotunately this car does not have them.

[Frank Wilkie]

This is where I'm at.  The small rod that connects to the directional switch is set on the down side. I disconnected it from the switch. I then manually controlled the switch to see if it was working up , neutral & down and it worked. While I had it under manual control I turned the switch to the up position and then stooped it in the up position. I then went to the back of the car and I tried to push down on the rear bumper. It was hard as a brick. So this told me that there was pressure on the rear for the up position. I then let it down by the switch to the neutral no load  position of the short bars. I then went back to the rear bumper and it was still up in the air but I could push it down to the normal level position but would immediately spring back up. It seems to me there is something pushing back like a spring or maybe something in the rear like a spring shock.  Keep in mind that the new shocks I had installed were extremely extended about 4 to 5 times since being installed. But I can't believe that a hydraulic shock could do this.  Other than the rear sway bar mechanism there is not other item that I see could make the body go up.  Any ideas.?   

[HH56]

When you manually place the car max down the levers on end of short bars will move into the frame channel.  When the compensator is at max travel and hitting the limit switch they should stop with the lever end about 1/2 inch from the outer closed side.  At that point on a normally loaded car the rear end should be down low.  Does that ever happen?  If not is there anything missing in the rear or added in the front that would upset the weight balance significantly?  You said you pushed the rear bumper so assume that was mounted --also assume the trunk lid, gas tank and rear seat too?  If everything is on the car then I would really wonder about the weight on the front and the length of the load link pins.  Depending on how much the transverse bar is bent that will affect things a bit since the length will not be to spec resulting in the short bar levers not going to their full travel in the down direction.  

 

The system depends on having very little friction -- actually a controlled amount of friction -- and otherwise being free to balance the car on the bar. The rubber bushings on the front A arms have been one area of problem as has rust or some kind of debris between the arm and sides of frame support preventing the rear load arms from moving freely.  The rear Watts linkage has bushings and while it is possible one or more is extremely tight it shouldn't be causing the problem you are seeing.  Air or gas helper shocks have been a known common problem with not being able to push the rear down easily so if your shocks are extra stiff or extreme heavy duty that could be part of the issue.

Edited January 19, 2016 by HH56 (see edit history)

[HH56]

Since they are new and shocks have been an issue for others, was thinking one way to eliminate shocks as the issue is temporarily disconnect the lower ends.  Just let them hang while you try pushing and manually moving things and see what happens.  If rear pushes down within reason then try to make it level manually and if you can, hook the linkage back up to the switch and make that the level point.  

 

If they are gas filled shocks that need to be wired down or the rear end dropped before you can connect them to the brackets then the car was not designed for those. You may need to go to regular shocks where the ends stay in whatever position you place them or else place some kind of load in the trunk that will give the shocks something to push back against.

[Frank Wilkie]

I noticed that the front end, which is down in front to it's max, has no spring in it. I jacked up the front end and let it down slow. As it went up the A arms droped a little. While it was up on the jack I tried pushing the front down and still no spring in it. It was rock hard.. As I let the jack down, the front end was up a little and I could push it down by had with ease until it stopped to a rock hard situation again. It didn't spring back up any. It appears that the front end suspension is frozen in the down position.  Would it be feasible to turn the main torsion bars to the downward direction just a very little by using a pipe wrench  to see if this would motivate it to release the tension on the front end.?  The shocks are maxed out in down compressed position.   

 

As in a previous question about the car. The car is all complete and nothing taken off or out of the trunk.  So it is in road ready mode..  

[HH56]

Definitely do not use any kind of wrench on the bar.  A gouge or deep scratch will create a localized stress point and the bar could break at that point under a sudden load.  

 

It really sounds as if the front load links are not long enough.  If they are at max length then the bar has sagged considerably or there is excess weight. It is doubtful there is anything frozen since you can move it some.

 

 I have attached the tech bulletin showing the different lengths available and borrowed one of Craigs photos to show what you are looking for. Early cars had no markings on the links and went by measurement only.  Later cars had 1 to 4 grooves on the link corresponding to the different lengths available.  If you are maxed out on stock length, the link body is ordinary steel. Several have knocked the hardened seats out of the old bar and cut and drilled a length of steel rod to make a longer link.  The thing to watch there is the link isn't made too long and tips the load arm sufficiently to upset the front end geometry.   Unfortunately the 56 type repro adjustable links are not available for 55 as the seats are different in the 55 configuration.

 

Where is the A arm positioned in relation to the rebound bumpers?  If you can't push down more than a small amount It sounds as if the arm  is almost touching a rebound bumper.

 

I'd be curious to see a side photo of the car just to see what you are fighting.

 

EDIT Rather than post Craigs photo, here is a link to Craigs site so you can also see the adjustable link he made. The link you are looking for is shown in the top photo on the page.  http://1956packardpanther.com/Panther/adjLinks.html

55T-1.pdf

Edited January 28, 2016 by HH56 (see edit history)

[Frank Wilkie]

On flat concrete floor:   C piller measured from bottom of chrome to ground 11"  ..   Rear end bottom of bumper in center to ground 18 3/4".   ..  Front end bottom of bumper in center to ground 9" ....   Front fenders right & left  center of wheel opening in line of hub cap center from center of fender chrome to ground  25 1/4 " ...  I can lift front of car up by pulling up on bumper and raise the front fender right & left to 27 1/4"..  

[HH56]

It is high in rear--looks like 4-5 inches or so.  The bottom of fender skirt should be in the middle to just at the top of center hexagon in hubcap.  

 

It appears the rear is being commanded to be high because the levers on the short bars are in toward the frame sides.  Can you disconnect the rod from the lever on control switch and manually run the lever on the short bar toward the center of car 2-3 inches?  If you can, what happens in the rear and even if it is still a bit high, does it push down more easily than it did before.

 

Here is one of your photos with a line drawn approx where I believe the passenger side lever should be.  It may even need to go a tad more toward the center of car.  If you get it to that point where are the ends of the transverse bars on the compensator -- or about how much farther before the limit switch is activated?

 

If you can move the lever and rear comes down then the next thing would be to readjust the rod to the control switch lever so the car knows it is level at that point.  If there is not enough adjustment at the turnbuckle the clamp around the main bar will have to loosen and the end of that rod attachment bracket will have to rotate on the bar slightly and then retightened.

[Frank Wilkie]

About two weeks ago I ran the short bars 2 to 3" inward and it didn't bring down the rear of the car. I then ran the short bars out toward the frame and it made the rear end of the car hard. I couldn't push it down.. So then I have placed them in the present position near center. The rear end is soft and can be pushed down.  

I'll go ahead and place them in a little more..   I have jacked the front end up and then slowly sit it down on the tires with full load of car. It sits there standing up more but it very slowly creeps down until it bottoms out to the present position. 

[HH56]

When you run the bars in if the car does not settle in the rear then I would wonder about the shocks as the only other thing I can think of that could cause the problem.  Believe you mentioned they are new so the question is are they gas shocks or helper shocks of some kind.  Just being stiff should not cause the problem because you could push the rear down, stiff as it might be, and it should say.  Gas shocks on the other hand, if they are the kind I've seen that are wired so you can install them but as soon as the wire is cut the rods extend would tend to want to lift the rear.

Edited January 30, 2016 by HH56 (see edit history)

[Frank Wilkie]

took the rear gas shocks off this morning. No change. The rear end is still up..  You mentioned about running the short arm farther in toward the center of the car. When I moved the system to go in , it only went in just a very little and it stopped ...  I'm not sure without looking at another car how far they travel..   I'm just about ready to park and store the car.  I've got a load of bucks in it and this has got me whipped. No mechanics in my area has any knowledge of this system or even how to work on it...   Anyway thanks for everyone's help. 

[HH56]

The total travel at the end of lever on short bar is approx 3".  IIRC, when the lever is closest to the solid outside frame edge there is approx 3/8 to 1/2" clearance between the screw at end of transverse bar and solid wall of frame.  That is the position where it will provide the max lift to the rear which is close to where yours was in that photo you have in post 19. Transverse bar end moves in approx three inches toward center from there.   As you can see in the photo of mine in post 13 it will go at least as far as mine is now and probably an additional 1/2 inch or so.  As I mentioned, my car weight is considerable so my bars are trying to lift and are almost at max.

 

Do you have any photos of the compensator showing where the bars are now and of the limit switch and bracket assy to see if it is bent.  I am questioning whether the limit switches stopped the motion when you tried to move the lever toward center or if something else did.

 

If the solenoid bracket containing the limit switch did not get bent or damaged and transverse bars are on the proper side of compensator as viewed from the top in that birds eye photo in post 2, then I am at a loss as to what to advise next.  I hate to see you put the car aside but at this point unless you live close to someone who could take a look or give you a hand more tinkering without seeing or knowing exactly what is happening might cause damage.  

 

[Packard Don]

Although not an expert by any means, I've been following this thread with interest since my 1956 Custom Clipper started doing something similar when it had been working just fine. It's not being worked on yet but I am arming myself with information for when the time comes.

 

On your issue, maybe a good idea would be to take your car to a local shop where they can lift it up on its tires for you to be able to take some detailed photos of everything. I'm sure that with clear details, someone here might spot the problem.

 

You did indicate in an earlier post that one of the connectors was bent when it should have been straight. Nothing else was said about it so did you ever look into that possibility?

[Frank Wilkie]

Just took out the compensator & transverse bar unit.  I will open it up this week. I'm expecting to see a tooth broke off and lodge in the gearing. I'll post what I find. 

[Frank Wilkie]

picture of unit

[HH56]

As bent as the arm is I would wonder what failed to let it bend.  It appears the motor fuse did not blow so wonder what amperage it is.  The limit switch should have stopped the motor unless the solenoid was stuck or somehow electrically activated without going thru the limit switch.  Both are possibilities so when you put it back together make sure to check things out thoroughly. Water getting into the solenoids when they were under the car causing internal rust and corrosion issues was a concern even when new.   That was the main reason they were moved  under the hood in 56.   If the solenoid and circuitry is OK the limit switch may be faulty or the actuator or bracket is bent out of position  and could not prevent the motor from going past the end point.  With the compensator moving the end of bar far enough to bend the bar the bracket must have been shoved aside.

[Frank Wilkie]

Are there any new original style solenoids available?   On my unit the two originals were there but they had two other solenoids attached to the outside of the bracket and wired in. They used the orignal selenoids only to mount the bracket to.

[HH56]

Modern replacement solenoid is Cole-Hersee 24046.  It is available thru many parts stores or occasionally on ebay.  Note that it is what is called an insulated solenoid and needs a ground provided by the circuitry to operate.  It is NOT the same as a typical starter solenoid.    

 

The red ones in those photos I sent you a few weeks ago are the PVC coated equivalent 24077.  Some prefer those for the additional waterproofing but some of the PVC has to be scraped off to mount properly with the other components on the Packard bracket.

[mrpushbutton]

I have seen the arms bent like that on cars with the automatic control "timing" box shunted out of the system improperly, where the limit switches are bypassed. The pivot arm goes 180 degrees the other way, the operator does not realize that the back end of the car went up, then down in the same operation and the arms start bending.  

 

So did this car have its automatic control timing box working, or was it "manually controlled"?

[Frank Wilkie]

Automatic was working..  I've dropped the compensator and opened it up..   All gears seem to be in great shape but the splines on the  shaft are twisted (picture).  Would this allow the compensator move the transverse arms about 1 1/8" toward the center of the car and then stop. The compensator  motor would continue running even though the transverse arms stopped. I would then manual control the motor and reverse the action. The transverse arms reversed. 

 

I'm considering a temporary (hillbilly) fix by cutting the bent transverse arms down to about 7" and welding a hook on each one. Then using a turnbuckle in the middle hooked to each arm and then pull them in hoping to draw the body down to a fixed operating position. What's anyone's take on this???  

 

[HH56]

It was discussed on another forum the transverse bars are ordinary steel and not hardened or brittle. Some said they can be straightened more or less to a straight bar again in a hydraulic arbor press.   I haven't tried it but would give it a go before cutting them.   The splines being bent like that are weakened but have seen worse still in service. Because you do not have the 56 internally operated limit switches the slight offset will not be noticed on your car.

 

Since you get to a point the bars stop moving with the motor running the pressure related to bending the bar could have put a lot of stress thruout the compensator.   I would disassemble a bit further and pay attention to the worm gear as described in the bulletin 55T-1 attached in post 18.   Disassemble the compensator internals so just the worm gear remains in position.  See if there is any significant back an forth movement of the worm or remove the motor and do the measurement check as the bulletin details.  Possibly the stress as it bent the bar was enough to force the lock ring loose and now the worm can slide on the motor shaft. It doesn't take much movement to where the worm gear disconnects from the shaft pin.  

Edited March 9, 2016 by HH56 (see edit history)

[mrpushbutton]

Mike Dulinski could sell you a used set of bars that haven't been bent for a reasonable amount. 

[Frank Wilkie]

It was discussed on another forum the transverse bars are ordinary steel and not hardened or brittle. Some said they can be straightened more or less to a straight bar again in a hydraulic arbor press.   I haven't tried it but would give it a go before cutting them.   The splines being bent like that are weakened but have seen worse still in service. Because you do not have the 56 internally operated limit switches the slight offset will not be noticed on your car.

 

Since you get to a point the bars stop moving with the motor running the pressure related to bending the bar could have put a lot of stress thruout the compensator.   I would disassemble a bit further and pay attention to the worm gear as described in the bulletin 55T-1 attached in post 18.   Disassemble the compensator internals so just the worm gear remains in position.  See if there is any significant back an forth movement of the worm or remove the motor and do the measurement check as the bulletin details.  Possibly the stress as it bent the bar was enough to force the lock ring loose and now the worm can slide on the motor shaft. It doesn't take much movement to where the worm gear disconnects from the shaft pin.  

I checked the worm gear for play.. Almost next to nothing in any play.   I was noticing in picture #32 of the position of the drive arms. The service manual picture of this unit shows the arms are both in a down position when the mounting bracket is in the proper position. This would indicate that mine is position wrong. The transverse arm that is still attached is the long one which is the passenger side. I would say someone in the past had this unit off and apart. On reassemble they positioned the drive arm wrong on the compensator.  What do you think?

[Frank Wilkie]

I checked the worm gear for play.. Almost next to nothing in any play.   I was noticing in picture #32 of the position of the drive arms. The service manual picture of this unit shows the arms are both in a down position when the mounting bracket is in the proper position. This would indicate that mine is position wrong. The transverse arm that is still attached is the long one which is the passenger side. I would say someone in the past had this unit off and apart. On reassemble they positioned the drive arm wrong on the compensator.  What do you think?

[Frank Wilkie]

pict

[HH56]

Not sure I am following the question you are asking about the photo..  If that is the passenger bar, when it is assembled to the compensator it  should be on the rear side of the compensator as was mentioned to check and illustrated in the birds eye photo of the system in post # 2. If a failure of a component or a manual bypass of the limit switch allows the motor to keep running and it runs long enough to reverse the bar positions so the passenger side bar is on the front of compensator, the system gets confused -- and the bar frequently gets damaged.  The level switch will be wanting to level by turning the motor one direction but the linkage being reversed will be doing the opposite to the car from what is needed.  The system keeps trying to level and runs the motor until something fails.

 

It is easy for a failure to reverse bars on a 56 because the limit switches are internal and nothing is in the way.  On a 55 with the solenoid bracket and limit switch assy mounted to the compensator, not sure if it has enough clearance to swap sides without the drivers side bar bending or damaging the bracket.  If there is no damage to the bracket then it is possible it was installed incorrectly. If it was assembled so the "Vee" portion of the ball lever was pointing the wrong way (toward the drivers side) but passenger side bar was on the rear it should still work but I believe  the limit switches would be activated a bit sooner than normal.  If it was installed with the passenger bar in front no matter which direction the Vee pointed then it should never have leveled or worked correctly after that service.