Hydramatic on Cadillac 1953

[Guest Xavier ROUGEGREZ]

Hello, I am a young french mechanic who enjoys working on old American cars and one of my friends a little-old has a very beautiful 1953 Cadillac but it unfortunately does not roll.

I volunteered to help him fix it but it turns out that the automatic gearbox refuses to move the vehicle more than one or two centimeters.

It's been over a year since the car sleeps in a garage after a "restoration" of the gearbox by an amateur who has not been able to complete its work properly.

Someone will know it enough this gearbox to guide me a bit on what to check before attempting disassembly of the box? help me please, I would really like to giving again the smile to the little gentleman th at his car is so important. This is the number:

[auburnseeker]

I have a friend that was GM tech for years especially Cadillac. He has rebuilt several transmissions over the years as well. I sent him your question and he sent back this response

"If it has no forward or reverse, the torus is not filling with fluid so either is it is empty or the pump is not working, more likely it has to come apart and be gone over by someone who knows what they are doing."

It may be a starting point. Hope this helps.

[Guest Xavier ROUGEGREZ]

Thank you for your reply but how can I check the proper functioning of the pump without removing the gearbox? (enough pressure) Thanks

[Rusty_OToole]

Most transmissions have a port on the side for checking pressure. You need to get a repair manual. Every Cadillac dealer had them when your car was new. They still turn up from time to time. A book dealer or Ebay may have one. I don't know if they published a French version but if they did, Quebec would be the place to find one.

[1939_Buick]

Also try asking here

Cadillac & LaSalle Club - Home

and here

http://forums.aaca.org/f151/

[PONTIAC1953]

hi, if the 53 cadillac floor pan is like a 53 pontiac floor pan (both cars had the dual-range hydra-matic transmission), then there is a access plate that can be removed to adjust the bands and to attach a pressure gauge, pressure gauge should be from zero to 300 lbs range, is there enough fluid in the trans, checked with the engine running in neutral ?, too much fluid is just as bad as too little fluid. you really should have a 53 cadillac hydra-matic shop manual. charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.

[Guest Commodore]

This website has an On-The-Car service manual for Hydra-matics.

1946 - 1955 Hydra-Matic Transmission "On the Car" Adjustment Service Manual

[LI_BENTLEY]

Are you sure it is a Hydramatic? Remember the fire, could be a Dynaflow.

[Guest]

Are you sure it is a Hydramatic? Remember the fire, could be a Dynaflow.

About 1/4 of Pontiac production of 1953 or less received Chevy PowerGlides after the fire of the Hydramatic plant in fall of 1953. Oldsmobile and Cadillac were the cars that got Dynaflow.

[PONTIAC1953]

Are you sure it is a Hydramatic? Remember the fire, could be a Dynaflow.

well if you had notice in the first post, there's the picture of the hydra-matic plate attached to the trans case. charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.