unimogjohn Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 (edited) Hi everyone, I have a transmission shifting issue with my 1928 standard, model 29, Town Brougham. When cold I cannot get the shifter to move from neutral to first or reverse. It feels like the spring detent is frozen. I can get it into second and third with no problem. When the gear oil heats up, about five or so miles, it will let me shift normally into first and reverse. Is there something I should look at to correct the problem? I do have new 600 wt transmission oil in the transmission. Should I add some Seafoam detergent to free up the detent/spring? Edited October 16, 2016 by unimogjohn (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert_25-25 Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 John, You may get different opinions on this, but here is mine. Floor boards are easy to remove, and then, so is the top of the transmission. Clean the top of the transmission with "Gunk" especially at the transmission parting line. With the top off, you can check all the working components of the transmission. You can disassemble the shifting mechanism in the top easily and make sure there is no old grease or rust or 90 year old sludge preventing parts from moving properly. Clean it and reassemble the top after wiping down the parts with new gear oil. You really do not need to change the oil in the transmission if you kept it all clean. I would not put anything in the oil that could minimize the lubricating properties. I also am not a fan of old school 600 WT oil. I tried it in the 1922 Dodge and hated it. It really made shifting difficult. I was surprised that it was ever recommended, but back then they would just add something to the oil to thin it out. Another easy option is to just replace the 600WT with a 90 WT GL-4 Gear Oil. My favorite is redline MTL. You can buy this on Amazon and ship it to your door. This will likely fix your problem with an oil change. This is synthetic, and you can buy less expensive conventional gear oil too. By the way, I also use MTL in my Jaguar XK 120 transmission. Hugh https://www.redlineoil.com/content/files/tech/MTL and MT-90 Tech Info.pdf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27donb Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 Never had an issue with Trans oil 250, which is equivalent to 600W. However, I let my Buick warm up completely before venturing out. In winter storage at freezing temperatures, the shift lever will barely move, the oil is so thick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hidden_hunter Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 2 hours ago, gr8success said: John, You may get different opinions on this, but here is mine. Floor boards are easy to remove, and then, so is the top of the transmission. Clean the top of the transmission with "Gunk" especially at the transmission parting line. With the top off, you can check all the working components of the transmission. You can disassemble the shifting mechanism in the top easily and make sure there is no old grease or rust or 90 year old sludge preventing parts from moving properly. Clean it and reassemble the top after wiping down the parts with new gear oil. You really do not need to change the oil in the transmission if you kept it all clean. I would not put anything in the oil that could minimize the lubricating properties. I also am not a fan of old school 600 WT oil. I tried it in the 1922 Dodge and hated it. It really made shifting difficult. I was surprised that it was ever recommended, but back then they would just add something to the oil to thin it out. Another easy option is to just replace the 600WT with a 90 WT GL-4 Gear Oil. My favorite is redline MTL. You can buy this on Amazon and ship it to your door. This will likely fix your problem with an oil change. This is synthetic, and you can buy less expensive conventional gear oil too. By the way, I also use MTL in my Jaguar XK 120 transmission. Hugh https://www.redlineoil.com/content/files/tech/MTL and MT-90 Tech Info.pdf My cadillac manual tells you that if cadillac formula isn't available for the transmission to mix 600 WT oil with (I believe) grease - I can check the is exact composition when I get home from work but I can't imagine that it would have been too different between cad and buick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 John, I doubt if it is cold enough for the gear oil to prevent shifting. I suspect it is not the gear oil as much as it could be a bind in the shifter itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimogjohn Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 Thanks for all the hints. I think I will take off the shifter cover and peer inside to see what is up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimogjohn Posted October 18, 2016 Author Share Posted October 18, 2016 Tuesday, October 18th. A couple of days ago I took the 28 for a long run, over 40 miles. Once the tranny warmed up it shifted just fine. When I got home I decided to back it into the garage so I did not have to use 1st or reverse. The next day, and to my surprise, it shifted easily into 1st/reverse. I took it for another 10 mile ride. And today, it shifted just fine also. I surmise that the new gear oil finally washed the old crud out of the shift mechanism. I am a happy camper. Thanks all for the suggestion for a fix. I still may need them, but intend to just drive the heck out the car and keep everything lubed up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27donb Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Success! Good to hear! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Great news John! Now I can come for a visit and you can take me for a drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 (edited) And thank you for including a picture ! I wish everyone would "introduce" us to their cars this way. It makes things much more real to actually see the subject car. Is it completely original ? I also use 250W synthetic gear lube in my mid '20s Cadillacs. 90 is way too thin to get the trans into gear from neutral with the multi-plate "clutchpaks" these cars use. - Carl P.S. , I would include pics of my cars , but I am sure they are already familiar vehicles here. Edited October 19, 2016 by C Carl Spelling (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimogjohn Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 CCarl, the 1928 Buick, model 29, Town Brougham, is 1 of 10,000 plus made of that model. I bought it in 1984 from the daughter of the original owner. The car has about 44,000 original miles. The top (long grain cobra material) is original as well as all the interior (however, the light blue color has changed to a gray toned material. The seats have a couple of moth holes, but nothing too serious. It still has its original rear carpeting and shades on the back windows. The body has its original Harbor Blue paint with the exception of the engine hood and side panels and half of one front door. All the fenders, mud guards and gas tank covers have been repainted and are black. The black when I got it was non-existent, it had just all oxidized off and was just surface rust. The wheels are original, and just have a light coating of tung oil to protect the wood spokes. Everything in the engine bay is original with the exception of the distributor cap and plugs/wires. Here are some more pics. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Great patina.... just drive it and enjoy it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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