HemiSwede Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Took the Chrysler out for a spin today. After about 15 minutes of driving the car lost 2nd gear, shifted down and when it was supposed to go back into 2nd it just started to rev. Like in neutral.The transmission is a 1954 2-speed PowerfliteAny ideas? Could it be the bands?/ Jimmy in Sweden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiftyfour Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 jimmy, the most obvious place to look is the fluid level. i assume you have done that while the tranny is warmed up and in neutral. also, use the right fluid. i use dexron III, and it works fine.personally i am not a big fan of additives.you can check the linkage to be sure it is engaging well. i have 2 54 windsors and my tranny's are original and work great. the only problem i have is that both of them will not kick down to passing gear. seems strange to me that they both have that problem. one actually did work when i got it 4 years ago, but now does not. however, they both shift well up and down. the one in my convertible leaks out the tailshaft so i have to keep up with the fluid level.rebuild kits are available from fatsco in new jersey.you can google them.great car you have there. i have manuals and other info if you need anything.like i said, i own 2 of these, a convertible and a 4 door sedan. my email is captden30@aol.com. dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HemiSwede Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Hi, i checked the oil-level right away and it was about halfway between the markings. Filled it up just in case.I use Type A transmission fluid, seemed like a good idea to use the same type as the car was made for.Earlier the tranny had some slipping between the gears but i just took the foot of the pedal when it shifted and it worked fine, until now.. The car has not been driven in years, at least 10, it was imported here in -93 and someone started to restore it. But as usual the project stalled and i bought it disassembled last winter. So far i've just done some test-driving on local roads, 100 miles or so. Will check the linkageThanks/Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiftyfour Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 you can drop the pan and check the screen in there. it can clog up with all the stuff wearing off the soft parts in the tranny. i don't think they sell type a fluid here which is why i use dexron 111. the original type a was based on whale oil, more yellowish than red and real good stuff. that is not available anymore.[ the whales are happy about that ].these trannys are pretty bullet proof. if i remember there is an adjustment for the bands that requires an inch pound torque wrench. i will have to look at the manual. if i find anything i will get back to you. happy motoring in sweden. dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HemiSwede Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 A local transmisson guy told me it was nothing to do but to tear it apart.Sad news but a great chance to see how an automatic tranny looks like on the inside..He wanted about 2.5k ($) to do the job for me, but he also said that with some patience and strict following of my shop manual i'd do just fine on my own. I'm 20 years old and not made of money so i'm going to try the second option.. So i spent last night removing the tranny from the car.Type A fluid is not an easy find here either, but with some detectvie work i managed to get my hands on some. I don't think it contains whale oil (i hope not) but it has that yellow color./ Jimmy Pictures: http://public.fotki.com/Jimmycoolada/chrysler/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hchris Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 By all means have a go they are a very simple trans to work on and anybody with basic mechanical knowledge and a good service manual should be able to strip and repair. Just a warning when you remove the valve body assembly do it with the trans upside down, that is work at it from the pan side up, reason being there are a couple of little ball check valves in the body and they will drop out if you have it other way up, you need to remember where they go when reassembling so take a photo or make a sketch as it comes apart.Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiftyfour Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 jimmy, i have a 1953 powerflite manual and i do not think the 54 tranny's were any different. let me know if i can help you. the original type A was based on whale oil, hence the yellow color. i am told it is far superior to any of todays fluids so use it if you have it.the rebuild kits are definitely available from fatsco. i personally would avoid a kit from ebay even if it is cheaper.interesting about doing it with the pan side up, but this site has alot of people who are very knowledgeable.another site for good info is P15-D24,which is dedicated to 1946 to 1948 dodge and plymouth owners, but they are glad to help any early chrysler products fan.i belong to it with my 54 chrysler and they have been of great help to me.you can email me at captden29@peoplepc.com if i can do anything for you. dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HemiSwede Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 Did the teardown yesterday. Did it pan side up, as described and pictured in the shop manual. It was suprisingly easy to take it apart. And it would have been even easier if i had all the fancy special tools described in the manual..Found the problem in the clutch housing, the discs were worn out. Nothing but 12 shiny metal plates, instead of 6 steel and 6 with rubbercoating.I'm unsure about the condition of the bands, gonna take them to the tranny guy later this week for evaluation before i order any parts.Found fatsco on ebay selling kits, it feels safer to buy thru eBay with PayPal.I took pictures all the way, haven't had the time to edit and upload them yet. It's something beautiful about machined parts shining with oil...The most interesting steps is yet to come, how to put it all together and making it work. / Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hchris Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Great going - just remembered another trap, when you reassemble the apply links that go around the bands you will see a small approx.1 inch spacer which is part of the mechanism that puts pressure on the bands. I found this spacer wasnt exactly square - that is one side is slightly longer than the other, consequently when I came to slide the drums through the bands it woulndt go - took me ages to work out that turning the spacer 90 degrees eased the band apart so as the drum/s would slide into position thru the bands. Probably this wont make a lot of sense unless you have a trans dismantled in front of you, I might add that nowhere is this mentioned in the service manual.Just to finish I have run my trans on Dextron 111 trans fluid for over 15 years and have not encountered any problems.313 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HemiSwede Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 Thanks, will have that in mind when i'm reassembling.Updated my photo album today with internal pictures of my powerflite..What do you think of my clutch plates?? / Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hchris Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Not pretty313 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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