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1954 Dynaflow


Pete Phillips

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Working on a 1954 Special with Dynaflow. It seems to slip some in Drive when cold, but does fine in Low or when it is warmed up. It also has a leak, either in the front seal or in the torque converter, which I am going to fix. My question is, shouldn't there be a detent or slight resistance every time the gear selector moves to another gear? I detached the shifter linkage from the transmission and when I just move the selector arm on the side of the transmission from Park to the bottom, there is no detent whatsoever. It just freely moves from one range to the next, from top to bottom. Is this right?

I have other, newer Dynaflows sitting around the garage, and they all seem to have a detent or resistance as the selector arm is moved from one gear to another.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

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Guest 53 Roady

I just got the 53 Dynaflow back from the rebuild. Ron told me to carefully adjust the shift linkage as there is no detent set inside the trans. It's all on the column.

Pat

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Working on a 1954 Special with Dynaflow. It seems to slip some in Drive when cold, but does fine in Low or when it is warmed up.....My question is, shouldn't there be a detent or slight resistance every time the gear selector moves to another gear? I detached the shifter linkage from the transmission and when I just move the selector arm on the side of the transmission from Park to the bottom, there is no detent whatsoever. It just freely moves from one range to the next, from top to bottom. Is this right?.....

Did you notice a positive detent at the column BEFORE detaching the shift linkage at the transmission?

From what you are describing, if the car was able to move forward (and backward and the car held in the PARK position) before you detached the shift linkage at the transmission, the linkage between the steering column and transmission sounds like it was OK and correct. However, if you did not notice a positive detent, your problem could be (I doubt) in the spring, lever, roller, or the detent plate located in the upper steering column as 1953 ROADY mentioned above and pictured below.

post-41556-143142326916_thumb.jpg

Edit: Excessive slippage in DRIVE only could be due to a leaky gasket at the HIGH accumulator, worn or warped parts related to the Dynaflow clutch assembly: the 10 clutch plates, piston, seals, stuck check ball, etc.

Excessive slippage in LOW only could be due to an improper LOW band adjustment, leaky gasket at the LOW accumulator and/or LOW servo piston seal.

Check out troubleshooting your transmission problems starting on Page 179 in a 1954 Buick Shop Manual.

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

Edited by 1953mack
added note in blue italics (see edit history)
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Pete

I put an old used trans in my 55 temporarily that was removed from a parts car. I have the same problem with slippage in Drive when cold, it gets almost driveable when warm. Without doing pressure checks it is hard to determine the cause. I believe mine to be either weak front pump or more likely to be leakage past old hard piston seals in Drive clutch. Mine seems to improve with temperature and road speed,. Lo and Reverse will snap in hard and pulls good.

There are "related threads" for troubleshooting listed below. We really need some pressure checks to determine where the problem is.

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I was just on you tube where dyna1955 has posted 94 videos of his resto work on his 55 Century including teardown insection repair and pressure testing on the bench B4 installing. Highly recommended!

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Working on a 1954 Special with Dynaflow. It seems to slip some in Drive when cold, but does fine in Low or when it is warmed up. It also has a leak, either in the front seal or in the torque converter, which I am going to fix. My question is, shouldn't there be a detent or slight resistance every time the gear selector moves to another gear? I detached the shifter linkage from the transmission and when I just move the selector arm on the side of the transmission from Park to the bottom, there is no detent whatsoever. It just freely moves from one range to the next, from top to bottom. Is this right?

I have other, newer Dynaflows sitting around the garage, and they all seem to have a detent or resistance as the selector arm is moved from one gear to another.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Interesting.....I have the Dynaflow out my 55 sitting in the garage and it has definite detent on the selector arm on the trans.......not freely moving like you described.

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Pete,recently I was trying to winch one of my non runners into another spot in the yard and one of the rear wheels wouldn't turn. I thought maybe it was stuck in park so crawled under it and with Rita going through the gears noticed there was indeed no detent once it came out of park. I too went through the gears by just moving the lever on the transmission and thought wth. But then I backed off the brake adjuster a few times and determined the brakes had frozen up from sitting too long. So all this to say, as others have said. no, there is no detent inside the '54 Dynaflow, it is on the steering column. The detent was moved into the rear bearing retainer for '55.

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Guest 53 Roady

My trans expert read the 52 manual on setting the converter end play and told me he had to guess because no one had the bridge tool(j2596).I showed him the 53 book and we are going to check again on Monday. I have a dial indicator with a magnetic base and a big washer. It looks a little clumsy and the probe does not lock. (See p4-15 and 4-16 in the 53 book.) Do any of you have any pearls of wisdom on this?

Thanks Pat

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Guest 53 Roady

Ron reopened the torque converter on the 53 removed his guestamate shim and measured the end play with his depth caliper as instructed in the 53 Shop Manual (see pp. 4-15 and 4-16). We had a #5 washer .054 thick and .018 clearance. The specs are .002 to .010. I have ordered part #1161654 from Northwest. They miked the new washer at .069. This should give a final clearance of .003. Ron sent the trans home with me to install the washer when it arrives. I think this is all good. Any comments or advice?

Pat

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I was just on you tube where dyna1955 has posted 94 videos of his resto work on his 55 Century including teardown insection repair and pressure testing on the bench B4 installing. Highly recommended!

Too late, in my opinion, if you didn't do a pressure test before tearing it down. The more information you can gather beforehand, the better your odds are of doing a rebuild correctly the first time. I would highly recommend the pressure testing before putting a wrench on it or removing the tranny from the car and blowing it apart for a rebuild especially given Pete's situation, whereby the transmission is still in the car and the car is somewhat operable. Why not do a complete analysis similar to what a qualified Buick dealership or tranny shop would do to troubleshoot the possible problems? Would you give someone the go-ahead to R/R/R your tranny before they mention probable reasons why you are experiencing problems besides the generic answer "that it leaks?" I don't think so.

Just the basics here:

#1. Read up on your year-specific Dynaflow.....Buick invested many hours and dollars in engineering before the first Dynaflow went into production in 1947 and numerous upgrades have taken place since the first one rolled off the assembly line without any leaks. Comprehend how the major components work and note the upgrades made during the production year. Read through the troubleshooting tips in your year-specific Buick Shop Manual and Product Service Bulletins. Make a list of the beaucoup reasons why a Dynaflow might show some leakage. Rebuilding a 1954 Twin Turbine Dynaflow using a 1959 Triple Turbine Dynaflow rebuilding guide is not highly recommended and "close enough" doesn't apply here; :(

#2. Do the Road test.....check for obvious problems in all driving ranges (clunking when putting it in reverse, slippage, questionable linkage adjustments needed, etc.);

#3. Visual inspection.....check the oil level and color of oil; understand why the red oil might be black or brown; where is it leaking; is there any exterior damage that might cause alignment issues; are the rubber mounts worn, etc.; and

#4. Pressure testing.....gives you a pretty good picture of where to look for problems (beyond gaskets and seals) when you decide to do the rebuild. Being able to put the car on a rack and spinning the rear wheels through the gears (with the proper gauges hooked up) should tell you something about the front/rear pumps, low/high accumulators, low/high pressures, etc.

post-41556-143142335782_thumb.jpg

Transmissions are a maintenance item. Replacing just the gaskets and seals on a high-mileage 50+ year old Dynaflow might not be enough to stop all the leaks. Checking for pressures and clearances, along with replacing worn parts might require access to special tools. There are a lot of half-a$$ rebuilt Dynaflows out there by 'mechanics' who don't have the knowledge and/or proper tools to do the job correctly and they are most likely the first ones (along with the general public) that give the Dynaflow a bad rap by claiming "all Dynaflows are known to be leakers."

I also highly recommend re-doing the pressure testing, as you mentioned, before you re-install a rebuilt Dynaflow. You do not want to R/R/R your Dynaflow twice. I guarantee it.

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

Edit: Recommended engine rpm's and pressure readings vary for different year Dynaflow Transmissions. Check your year-specific Shop Manual.

Edited by 1953mack (see edit history)
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Guest 53 Roady

Thank you Mud and thank you Mack

I have a Service Guide called Dynaflow Doctor. I am scanning it as I write this. It will be in a PDF file. Anyone that wants a copy, send me a PM with your e-mail. I used this as a guide to test mine. Mud
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I have a Service Guide called Dynaflow Doctor. I am scanning it as I write this. It will be in a PDF file. Anyone that wants a copy, send me a PM with your e-mail. I used this as a guide to test mine. Mud

I finished scanning the book. (41 pages) It may be too big to send in its current form. I have a buddy that can make it smaller without losing the quality. It may be this weekend before I get it sent. I will try sending it the way it is first. Mud

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Old-Tank sent me a smaller copy of the Dynaflow Doctor. I added the template for the shift Quadrant. I sent out two e-mails with the file. Anyone else, let me know. Mud

I am sure this book came with a film strip and vinyl record. How cool would it be to have that? Mud

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Ron reopened the torque converter on the 53 removed his guestamate shim and measured the end play with his depth caliper as instructed in the 53 Shop Manual (see pp. 4-15 and 4-16). We had a #5 washer .054 thick and .018 clearance. The specs are .002 to .010. I have ordered part #1161654 from Northwest. They miked the new washer at .069. This should give a final clearance of .003. Ron sent the trans home with me to install the washer when it arrives. I think this is all good. Any comments or advice?

Pat

I used modeling clay. Put it together and then measured the thickness of clay. I have a video somewhere. I will try to find it. Mud

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My trans expert read the 52 manual on setting the converter end play and told me he had to guess because no one had the bridge tool(j2596).I showed him the 53 book and we are going to check again on Monday. I have a dial indicator with a magnetic base and a big washer. It looks a little clumsy and the probe does not lock. (See p4-15 and 4-16 in the 53 book.) Do any of you have any pearls of wisdom on this?

Thanks Pat

I have hours and hours of raw video of rebuilding my Dynaflow. (That is the easy part) I only have a few on my You Tube channel, as the editing is very time consuming. I put this one together so you can see how I set mine. I hope this will help you out. Mud

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Guest 53 Roady

Cool trick with the clay. Ron measured mine at the shop with a depth gauge and got .018. The specs say .oo2 to .010 so I ordered a washer from Northwest. They thought it was .069 which would have yielded .003. But it mikes .072 which would yield no clearance. I tried measuring myself and got .013 with the factory washer (used it mikes .053) and got -.004 with the new washer.

The factory 53 specs of .002 to .010 are much tighter than your 55 specs. We were worried about this specification because there is some scoring on the front face of the torque converter and we don't know why. We just got the car and it did not drive too badly once it got enough fluid, but the clutches were fried and the bands were way out of adjustment. I did not know about the diagnostics and so forth then. But I,m thinking that my end play might be OK even if its .003 to .008 loose. I wonder if the factory decided a little more was better later. Of course the 53 does not have the variable stator. Am I trying to fix something that is not broken? Does anyone have the torque converter end play clearance for 1954?

Edited by 53 Roady (see edit history)
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Mud: ... What source did you order the shim packs from and the various thrust washer sizes from? Also could one increase the size of the sun gear thrust washer so the end thrust washer over the cover would be less in thickness or does the sun gear have to have a certain given stated thickness of thrust washer on the bottom of it?

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Mud: ... What source did you order the shim packs from and the various thrust washer sizes from? Also could one increase the size of the sun gear thrust washer so the end thrust washer over the cover would be less in thickness or does the sun gear have to have a certain given stated thickness of thrust washer on the bottom of it?

I called Fatsco and just told them what I wanted. As far as select fit washers/shims. I just followed the service manual. I started out with .100 end play as the shims were missing. The trans did work with that much play but it had very few miles on the rebuild. Mud

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Guest 53 Roady

Thanks again. My real problem is an inability to get the measurement inside the torque converter cover with sufficient accuracy. I thought about Mudbone's clay but .002 would be just a smear. I am going to try plastigauge tomorrow.

Pat

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Thanks again. My real problem is an inability to get the measurement inside the torque converter cover with sufficient accuracy. I thought about Mudbone's clay but .002 would be just a smear. I am going to try plastigauge tomorrow.

Pat

If you could find some real soft solder, that will work too. Mud

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