rmartens

Mr. Earl did send the books and I photocopied what I needed from them this weekend--but I hadn't stopped back by here lately to see all of this additional interest. Budd, I finally checked my PM's for your address--I'll get the Dynaflow Doctor right out to you. I look forward to checking out your website! Big thanks to "Mr. Earl"!! Rick

It really wasn't bravery or confidence--stupidity is probably the better description. The tranny ceased to move the car one day and made a terrible racket when I tried to use it. A mechanic friend and I traced the noise to the transmission, so I got some quotes to rebuild it. I couldn't afford what people wanted to rebuild it, so I figured I might as well tear into it to see what went wrong and whether I could simply replace a part or two myself. I pulled it apart in the three major sections--front pump, center section, and tailshaft area. Looked at mechanical areas, not hydraulic--as my noise was mechanical. Left the valve body alone. Saw no problems with pumps, clutches planetaries, or torque convertor innards. Then I pulled the driveshaft. Inner splines at tail end were stripped to nothing--had been gradual wear and tear I guess, and then finally spun. I guess the torque tube transmitted the noise to the tranny, and since the propellor shaft wasn't exposed, I wasn't able to tell that it had been turning while the pinion wasn't! So what could have been about 2 weeks of down time has turned into nearly 5 years, with about 1 1/2 years with the tranny on the bench. I recently found a mint driveshaft, and have the gaskets I need to put the tranny back together. I don't think I've messed with any significant adjustments or tolerances, but I want to put it together correctly and reclaim the rest of my garage! Thanks

The information requested may be available in a shop manual--but I somehow lost mine in a move 10 years ago... I'll reimburse any photocopying, faxing, and mailing charges. (If anyone with this info is local to the Sacramento area, I'd be happy to make arrangements to pick it up promptly.) I've got the parts, cleared a large work area in the garage, and am ready to tackle the project--but I need advice so I don't mess it up! Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

A bit too long ago I disassembled the major sections of the Dynaflow out of my '56 Century. I just purchased a set of gaskets to put it all back together, and there appear to be many more gaskets than I need for the amount of disassembly I did. I need instructions/parts diagrams so that I can put this thing back together correctly, including torque specifications. Any assistance that can be provided would be greatly appreciated. My e-mail is rmartens@fbcwoodland.org, and I can provide a fax number if that works better. Thanks!

Thanks for all your wisdom--sounds like I've got three chances to get a good one! Budd--Yes, these cars are at that yard in Williams. They had a number of 55's and 57's there as well. A few with complete motors. No spark plug wire covers...anything you want me to check out while I'm up there next Saturday? Rick

I need a new driveshaft/propellor shaft for my '56 Century Riviera 4-door hardtop. (Female splines on rear of shaft are rounded to nothing...) I have located 3 '56 Buicks that are available for parts. They are: '56 Special 4-door Sedan '56 Special 2-door Hardtop '56 Century 4-door I found some '55's but their torque tubes look quite different. Also found a number of '57's. Does anyone know whether any of these options will work BEFORE I spend a day in the yard pulling the torque tube? Thanks, Rick Woodland, CA

Where are you located? I'm looking for the "driveshaft" (inside torque tube) for a '56 Century 4 door. I think the Special is the same length? Thanks, Rick

On my '56 Century I use a paper element off of a mid-80's Chevy S-10 pick-up. I did what one of the previous posters did--cleaned the housing up and took it into the auto parts shop until I found something that fit snuggly and sealed well. If I remember tonight I'll check for the part #.

Any ideas? Thanks,

Any ideas? I did find that the female end of the u-joint at the transmission is the same size/spline count as the tail end of the driveshaft. If I could locate another one of those could I just get it cut off and welded in place of the worn one--assuming rebalancing, of course? Thanks Rick

'56 Century 4-dr Dynaflow needs a driveshaft--or advice on where/how to get one repaired. The splines on the tail (female) end of the driveshaft are no more. Should a local driveline company be able to match it? Or is it a specialty item? Thanks, Rick

For those who have been following my pathetic saga with my '56 Century with the Dynaflow... Over two years ago I first posted about bad transmission noises and no action at the rear wheels. Finally got the tranny out this fall, disassembled it and found no problems. Pulled the driveshaft out this weekend--and there are literally NO splines left at the tail (female) end of the driveshaft! I don't know how it held together as long as it did. A few weeks ago I had torqued on it with with 18" of leverage and didn't get any slippage, but I guess I can't match the torque of the 322! I still can't explain how two relatively car savy guys could hear the noise and be sure it was in the tranny...the driveshaft and torque tube must really telegraph that information forward... Now what? Does anyone specialize in rebuilding these driveshafts? Or should a local driveshaft company be able to rebuild it? Does anyone have one for sale? Thanks, Rick

Tony--I would surmise that if you did have a leak, disconnecting the compressor would eventually result in a pretty low ride with not much shock absorbing happening. With a generic air shock you can set ride height and firmness by adjusting the air pressure. Electra--On my '87 the compressor sits just ahead of the driver's front wheel. Has anyone used one of these compressors as an on-board tire inflator? I wonder what their capacity is? Although Tony mentioned his got hot trying to keep up with what other problem he has... Rick

I have the same suspension in my '87 Olds 98. It is common for my compressor to run a minute or so after shut down. I don't think the compressor senses PSI, it senses ride height at a sensor on the rear suspension and attempts to level the vehicle (within its design limits). You could have an electrical problem (sensor issue) or a leak in the air lines or the shocks themselves. The fact that the compressor doesn't seem able to catch up and get you off your suspension bumpers seems to indicate a leak in the system that the compressor can't beat. It might be cheaper to go with generic air shocks plumbed into a fill valve in the trunk and forget the auto-height-load sensing control and compressor.

It's a '56 Century. So you're saying I should separate the TT from the rear end to check it out? Sound's like the logical next step... Thanks!

After not finding anything immediately and apparently wrong in my mostly disassembled Dynaflow, I pulled the rear end out from under the car this weekend. I locked up the rear brakes and tried turning the drive shaft with an 18" wrench on the front u-joint I had pulled off the transmission. There didn't seem to be any excessive play and the driveshaft wouldn't turn with the brakes locked. After talking to a buddy of mine and describing the way Jim had described the driveshaft to pinion coupling, my buddy suggested trying to pull the driveshaft out of the torque tube. I tried, and it moved 4-5 inches out. When it was in the pulled-out position, I turned the driveshaft and could hear the splines slipping. But when it is pushed in, it is as tight as ever. If this is the problem area, where is there enough room for the driveshaft to move that far forward to cause the noise and slip I experienced? How do I disassemble the rear end? Or at least enough to confirm or deny what seems to be happening? Does any one have copies of a pertinent manual they could scan in? Thanks!

After not finding anything immediately and apparently wrong in the mostly disassembled Dynaflow, I pulled the rear end out from under the car this weekend. I locked up the rear brakes and tried turning the drive shaft with an 18" wrench on the front u-joint I had pulled off the transmission. There didn't seem to be any excessive play and the driveshaft wouldn't turn with the brakes locked. After talking to a buddy of mine and describing the way Jim had described the driveshaft to pinion coupling, my buddy suggested trying to pull the driveshaft out of the torque tube. I tried, and it moved 4-5 inches out. When it was in the pulled-out position, I turned the driveshaft and could hear the splines slipping. But when it is pushed in, it is as tight as ever. If this is the problem area, where is there enough room for the driveshaft to move that far forward to cause the noise and slip I experienced? How do I disassemble the rear end? Or at least enough to confirm or deny what seems to be happening? Does any one have copies of a pertinent manual they could scan in? Thanks!

I've gotten quite fond of the webbing-type tie downs used for motorcycles or other light cargo. I prefer the cam type, not the racheting ones. Used one just the other day--upper bolt on my Dynaflow bellhousing. I could get a box end wrench on it, but had no room for my hand to torque the bolt loose. Put the hook end of the strap into the other end of the wrench, lined it up, and pulled steady. Worked great! I've also used it on tight bolts that needed some hammer assistance. Used the strap to put tension on the wrench and hold it in position, then a light tap of the hammer popped it loose. Also used for holding one wrench when turning another. My third hand! Not recommended, but have tied myself into trees for high level trimming with a pair of straps. I notice many of us use toothbrushes for cleaning. Has anyone tried the $4 electric ones? I'm tempted...

I've started tearing down my Dynaflow. So far I can't see anything readily apparently wrong, and I've taken apart the torque convertor, front pump, high accumulator, clutch pack, and eyeballed the planetary gear set. Haven't yet pulled the valve body out, but the pan is clean. From the looks of the rebuilder's paint marks, I'd guess there's less than 10,000 miles on the last rebuild. Nothing looks worn. Where should I look for trouble? I know I'll need some gaskets and the rear thrust mount. My mount was shot, and basically the torque tube was carrying the load of the rear of the engine and tranny at the X-member. Thanks, Rick

A thread full of people with Dynaflow parts! Might be just what I need. I'm in the process of tearing down my '56 Dynaflow (See thread in General Forum titled "Dropping a Dynaflow"). So far I can't see anything readily apparently wrong, and I've taken apart the torque convertor, front pump, high accumulator, clutch pack, and eyeballed the planetary gear set. Haven't yet pulled the valve body out, but the pan is clean. From the looks of the rebuilder's paint marks, I'd guess there's less than 10,000 miles on the last rebuild. Nothing looks worn. Where should I look for trouble? I know I'll need some gaskets and the rear thrust mount. My mount was shot, and basically the torque tube was carrying the load of the rear of the engine and tranny at the X-member. Thanks, Rick

Sorry I didn't make it clear. They seem simple enough, but I don't have enough experience with them to compare them to anything else. The Dynaflow doesn't actually shift in the transmission itself when in Drive, so to call it an "automatic" transmission might be a misnomer. The torque convertor serves as a fluid clutch and provides provides a high and a low range of gearing. The transition from low to high is smooth and almost imperceptible. I'm not sure if I can actually feel or hear a shift or if I'm imagining it! With a smooth-opening four barrel, driving my old Dynaflow under some relatively hard acceleration feels like driving a port-injected engine with a quality automatic--smooth! The books say Low in a Dynaflow is for "emergency use". So in essence you're left with a two-speed--so your mileage won't be great. I can't say how that compares to the other AT's you mentioned... Rick

Thanks for the continued comments here and via E-mail! Using the diagrams I have and others that have been sent to me, I'm gaining a much better understanding of how this transmission works. It is a fairly simple design with not too many places things can go seriously wrong. Except in my case, something obviously did go wrong... Since I suspect a problem in the planetary, I'm thinking that the closest I can come to duplicating my problem (in Drive) on the bench is to lock the input shaft (and its attached reverse sun gear) to the transmission housing. That'll hold the reverse sun gear stationary. Concurrently, I'll lock the low band externally, which locks the drum and reaction gear. With those two steps, I'll be duplicating the Drive situation where the reverse sun gear and the reaction gear are locked together--although in Drive, they'd be moving together, not held stationary. In Drive, the locked reverse sun gear and reaction gear force the planetary carrier and its attached output shaft to revolve around them, spinning the driveshaft. My noise occurred when I tried to put it in drive with the output shaft locked by virtue of the brakes. Something in the planetary wasn't locking as it should have been. Had it locked, it would have broken the power flow at the TC and there would not have been any noise. If I lock the reverse sun gear and the reaction gear in a stationary position and attempt to rotate the output shaft around them, I'm hoping I'll be able to duplicate the noise. Do you think it'll work? Thanks again.

It took me about 30 minutes to get mine from the floor to the workbench...built a tower of 6 X 6 blocks under it to get it 24" inches up, then slid tranny onto a pair of tires and wheels, then rebuilt the tower between the tires and the tranny to workbench height and slid it across from there. I'd rock it one way and my 10-year old (Thanks Kyle!) would put the blocks in place. Then I'd rock it the other and so on. Plenty heavy--and that's with the aluminum bellhousing. Hate to imagine a cast iron bellhousing... I spent 4 or 5 hours trying to understand how the tranny works--from the book and pictures. I now wish I had spent more time considering all the possible tests BEFORE pulling the tranny--although I don't know what else I would have done--maybe a pressure test and disconnecting the shift linkage? For those of you who understand the Dynaflow--maybe you can confirm my initial understanding of what goes on. In neutral and park, the input shaft is spinning, turning the rearmost gear (sun gear?) in the center of the planetary set. The low and reverse gears inside the planetary spin in place in the planetary housing--the housing and output shaft are one, and do not move at this point. The reverse gears in the planetary are turning the reverse "drum" which is spinning freely at this point. In Drive (which is where I noticed the problem and didn't try any other gear), the input shaft is spinning, turning the rearmost gear (sun gear?) in the center of the planetary set. The reaction gear (front gear in center of planetary) is locked by the hydraulic clutch to the input shaft and spins along with the sun gear. The low and reverse gears inside the planetary in essence lock each other in the planetary housing by virtue of opposite rotation, forcing the housing to rotate around the reaction and sun gears, and since the housing and output shaft are one, the output shaft rotates. If you're on the brake, the output shaft and planetary housing can't spin, which means the input shaft from the torque convertor can't spin--so the torque convertor is acting like the clutch. Or does the drive clutch somehow release? Here's a question--what would you expect from a partial engagement of the drive clutch? I'm thinking it'd either slip or it wouldn't. If it didn't slip, cluching occurs at the TC. If it slips, you're in essence in neutral. Neither condition should be noisy, right? Unless the R and L gears in the planetary were locking and unlocking intermittently? But my noise was consistent and smooth...Or maybe the clutching action in the TC was noisy under the load of a locked (brakes on) output shaft? But during one of my diagnostic sessions (on blocks, axle free to spin) quiet in P/N, noise in D. Shut down, restart in P/N, still noisy. Shut down, spin rear wheel, hear click or clunk (something falling into place), restart in P/N, quiet. Parking pawl not an issue, as output shaft/axle/wheel were not moving. Also confirmed by using drill and socket to spin output shaft in all shift positions except P with no problems. Still got more thoughts but will wait for confirmation of power flow ideas as described above. Thanks again!

A local transmission shop has lent me the use of "Motors Automatic Transmission Manual" that covers the '59-63 Buick Twin Turbine and the '61-63 Buick Special Dual Path Drive. The Twin Turbine unit looks very similar to my '56 Dynaflow--can I use that information or are there significant differences--other than the torque ball? Thanks,

Thanks for the advice and encouragement! Keep it coming! Gene--not sure about the gasket on the converter--were you joking? There was/is no gasket on mine--and I'm positive about that, because I was marveling at the quality machining that made that thing work without a gasket. Seems like getting a manual is the first step. Does it need to be the shop manual for the '56 Buick, or will the Motors-type manual for the appropriate year range be sufficient? I've misplaced my shop manual (suspect its in a storage locker 750 miles away) but do believe I can find a few pages out of a Motors manual at the local Car-Quest. Yeah, I'm planning on taking my time. Winter project. Had to build a shed to park the bikes and lawnmower in so that I'd have room to work on the tranny. (Maybe I shoulda put that $$ into the tranny instead...) Rick