Hydra-Matic won’t shift

[Fleetwood Meadow]

 In my ‘52 Cadillac, Hydra-Matic, I have a problem getting it to shift. The fact is it won’t shift. I just replaced the valve body and I’m suspicious that it may have been dirty even though it appeared very clean. It reverses fine and takes off without slipping. I took it apart and found that the T.V. couldn’t go in all the way because the piston inside was stuck. The bands were also just adjusted. But I can’t get it to shift into second. I get up to 15-20mph and the governor won’t let it go faster and it doesn’t shift. I’ve driven it with the T.V. rod connected and disconnected and still the same situation. Before I changed the control panel it didn’t have a T.V. rod and shifted 1-4. I had to replace it because the rod lever had snapped and wasn’t applying pressure to the T.V. I don’t know what else to try and really don’t want to have to take the transmission out and rebuild it just yet. 

 

I appreciate any help. And please don’t say the transmission is trashed like I have seen in every transmission thread I’ve read. Thanks!

[poci1957]

The manual says the most likely problems are as follows:

 

Valves sticking in governor, internal leak in governor or broken governor ring

 

OR

 

Valves sticking in control valve assembly or internal leak in control valve assembly, possibly from improper assembly, mating surfaces or loose screws

 

OR

 

Leak in front servo release passage

 

Do you have a manual? If not reply and I have an excellent one in PDF format that I can Email, Todd C

 

PS--I also know a transmission guy in West Roxbury MA that knows Hydramatics

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by poci1957 (see edit history)

[Fleetwood Meadow]

I do have a manual but haven’t gotten too in depth with it. I’m suspecting that something was in the control valve body that pushed into the governor when I started it for the first time since before I changed it it shifted through all of the gears. I took the NOS valve body apart yesterday and checked everything and found everything clean and operational with exception to the piston behind the T.V. piston. After freeing that the T.V. rod moved the full length it is supposed to again. I thought that might work but it didn’t and it’s still in 1st gear today. Is there anything I can add to the fluid or do to clean any possible obstruction in the governor without taking the covers off again? The bottom one is accessible but the side one is very close to the floor pan. 

[Fleetwood Meadow]

Good amount of sludge and debris in the pan. Is there a way to flush the transmission in car?