Guest DR.J1955 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I've been restoring a 55 Buick special with a automatic and it works great in park, neutral, Reverse and Low. However when i shift it into drive i can't get much out of her. Now in drive only, I will put my foot on the brakes and press the gas only being able to achieve around or less then 1200 rpms, If i do this for about a minute it will smoke a little from the exhaust and motor, also there is next to no move ability with the foot off the brake. All other gears are great with no smoke and great rpms. I been restoring this car for 2 years, and i need to take if for its first ride, besides just in the parking lot. Im open to all suggestions with easiest first. Please help this old guy out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Take this to the Buick forum. First thing to check is front pump pressure.........Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DR.J1955 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I didn't realize there is a just a Buick forum, but Im open to anyone's knowledge. When you say front pump which pump are you referring to? and what reading would I like to see or set it to? Thank you Bhigdog for your response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 If you are restoring or plan to own a 55 Buick you MUST HAVE a 55 shop manual. They are readily available on EBay, as repro reprints, and CD. The pressure tests and diagnostics are covered in the manual. Get one.................Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vila Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I totally agree with everything above, but I would suggest the paper version of the manual for the following reasons. I used several CD versions back 10 years ago and the way one was organized it was difficult to find anything. The other CD would not work after I switched to a newer version of computer software. Now that I only buy paper copies I don't have those issues. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DR.J1955 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I have a manual will go over it this weekend, still no sure to what you are referring to when you say front pump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Keep driving it around the parking lot in low range and nudge it into drive once in a while to see if the pump starts pulling a suction. In five or ten minutes you will hear the torque converter fill up and groan into motion. Get it to hook up once and it will feel good all day. Then you might experience the lag on the first start in the morning. Sometimes a can of Trans X conditioner will help. It has happened to me on a couple of cars. Option 2, leave it running in Park, go in the house and have a cup of coffee, come out and drive away. The pump holds its prime overnight due to the surface tension of the transmission fluid. When it has been dry a long time or the clearance is a little loose it takes more to prime it and establish a suction. Once you get used to it the sound and feeling are kind of neat. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DR.J1955 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Will do thanks for the tip, where is the front pump located? Does it have a screen i should clean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 56 minutes ago, DR.J1955 said: still no sure to what you are referring to when you say front pump It's internal inside the trans. Pressure is checked by a pipe plug port. If it's bad it's bad. Lots of straight info in the book..............Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 And the Buick forum, if you want to go there, is within the AACA Forum. Just go to the overall list of topics, scroll down to the Buick section, and choose one of the categories in that Buick section. "Buick General" or "Buick Post-war" seem the most appropriate to me. There are plenty of Buick specialists who regularly check those categories, and they can probably tell you more. Hope everything works out easily, Dr. J! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 This will sound stupid, but if the trans is between one and two quarts low on the fluid then off line performance will be impacted. Look at your trans dipstick closely. My own has a loose cap. That results in the cap floating to different positions on the dip stick. For me to check the trans fluid I have to put the cap in the proper position and hold it in place while installing the dip stick. In addition, if you have a broken motor mount, then brake starting in Drive may cause the engine to lift off of the broken motor mount, and this could impact the range of the throttle linkage. Have the mounts been rebuilt, replaced, or tested for integrity? Besides this, there is an oil pressure test for the trans in drive. Was the transmission rebuilt? Regardless this test needs to be performed to determine if there is enough oil pressure to run the trans in drive. If so then you may need to have the drive bands inspected and replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DR.J1955 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I dont know if it ever was rebuilt. How do i check motor mounts? To give you an idea of how powerful it is. I can get up to 20 mph in low. But i can barely and i mean barely climb the 1.25" lip to get in my garage. It does shift/jerk hard when i switch to reverse. Also some time when i back out of the garage and out it park it rolls a couple times, i put it in low and it usually will work next time i put it in park. I do have a very light incline to ky driveway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Honestly, it sounds like it is low on trans fluid. It should go a lot faster than 20 MPH in low. There are so many questions but let me ask, have you replaced the carpets in this car, and put too much padding beneath the gas pedal? The original carpet is not that thick, and the addition of insulation or padding and a thick carpet can prevent the gas pedal from traveling far enough to open the carb fully. Is this still a 2 bbl carb on the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DR.J1955 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 2bbl no carpet yet, anyone have a dipstick to tell me how many inches it is from cup to full line on their trans dip stick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DR.J1955 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Anyone able to give me a measurement in inches how long their trans dipstick is from top of inside cup to full line? my dipstick is not original to the motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 16 hours ago, DR.J1955 said: Now in drive only, I will put my foot on the brakes and press the gas only being able to achieve around or less then 1200 rpms, If i do this for about a minute it will smoke a little from the exhaust and motor, also there is next to no move ability with the foot off the brake. That is abuse, don't do it. Check the engine and transmission mounts and thrust pad. When that is right check the linkage adjustment and try again. If no joy do the pressure tests. Be sure the brakes are releasing (rusty drums, oil or brake fluid soaked linings will bind). Engine condition?...ignition in good condition and timing set correctly? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DR.J1955 Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Just did the rear brakes as they were grossly coverd in oil n fluid, next i will check all mounts n timing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 If the rear brakes are covered in oil and fluid, you should consider replacing the wheel seals and backing plate gaskets. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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