GasWorksGarage Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 as stated 49 T&C I can get the car in 2nd and 3rd easy as should be but will not go into 1st and grinds when putting into reverse. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 (edited) Is it Fluid Drive? There is no first gear with Fluid Drive and first gear position is locked out. Second gear position (up and away) is actually low range with 1st and 2nd gear, while high gear position (down and away) is high range with 3rd and 4th. Put it in the range you want, release the clutch, and accelerate. As the engine winds up and it's time to shift, abruptly release the accelerator and it should automatically shift into the next gear with an audible clunk. Most ordinary driving only requires high range, so you can set it and forget it. As for grinding going into reverse, check your clutch adjustment. Fluid Drive uses a fluid coupling AND a clutch, so once it's in gear you don't need to use the clutch anymore and it sits at idle like an automatic with a torque converter. No need to push in the clutch to stop and you don't need to slip the clutch to accelerate. The clutch is only used to put it into low, high, or reverse. Try it--put it in high range, put your foot firmly on the brake, and release the clutch slowly. The engine should not stall and then you can drive using only the accelerator. It sounds complicated but once you figure out how it works, it's easy. Edited January 20, 2023 by Matt Harwood (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 Very interesting and straightforward explanation of Fluid Drive. Should be pinned somewhere as I am sure the subject will come up again. OP - let us know how things are going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 1 hour ago, GasWorksGarage said: as stated 49 T&C I can get the car in 2nd and 3rd easy as should be but will not go into 1st and grinds when putting into reverse. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance If it is truly a 3 speed manual, then if I remember from my mechanic years, 1st and reverse are on the same shaft. It might be time for a rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootey Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 1 hour ago, B Jake Moran said: Very interesting and straightforward explanation of Fluid Drive. Should be pinned somewhere as I am sure the subject will come up again. OP - let us know how things are going. How does one pin an entry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 A moderator has to do it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GasWorksGarage Posted January 20, 2023 Author Share Posted January 20, 2023 40 minutes ago, Shootey said: How does one pin an entry? This one is NOT a fluid drive. We have a Newort that is Fuild drive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GasWorksGarage Posted January 20, 2023 Author Share Posted January 20, 2023 1 hour ago, B Jake Moran said: If it is truly a 3 speed manual, then if I remember from my mechanic years, 1st and reverse are on the same shaft. It might be time for a rebuild. It is truly nd you are correct the are on the same shaft 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 42 minutes ago, GasWorksGarage said: It is truly nd you are correct the are on the same shaft I would just say - remove and either you rebuild or have a qualified shop rebuild it. It has been many years since I was in automotive school -1996-1998 - so I am no longer an expert on them. Not sure where to get hard parts, but hopefully still available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 Never seen a 49 T/C that was straight stick. Doesn't mean they don't exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 2 hours ago, GasWorksGarage said: This one is NOT a fluid drive. We have a Newort that is Fuild drive Please give us a photo of the transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldsfan Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 1949 Chrysler sales brochure say that Prestomatic Fluid Drive was standard on all models except for Royals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 The "Newport" was a 1950 Chrysler Town and Country hardtop. There was never a 1949 T&C convertible hardtop. Never seen a 3 speed in a T&C. Had four T&C's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 Yep. The semi-automatic was standard on the T&C. Still three pedals. I made the same mistake when I first got my T&C, thinking I was going from first, to second, to third. What I was actually doing was going from third to second, then back to third. I also have a little bit of a hard time "banging" the shifter into reverse. I don't get grinding, but it's difficult sometimes. I was told there's some linkage adjustment I need to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 (edited) Your problem may be that the gear shift leaver is not coming back far enough to get into the reverse / first gear section of the selector. I had that problem on a '50. There is an oillite bearing at the top of the shift column where the gear shift leaver attaches to the shift column. Use a light lubricant to oil that bearing and move it forward and backwards in the neutral position. This will free up the shaft. I would be surprised if you need to adjust the linkage under the car as it is shifting into second and third with no problem. Edited January 25, 2023 by 61polara (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GasWorksGarage Posted January 25, 2023 Author Share Posted January 25, 2023 On 1/20/2023 at 1:52 PM, JACK M said: Never seen a 49 T/C that was straight stick. Doesn't mean they don't exist. 1st 2 pics are of the Town & Country 2nd 2 are of the Newport. The T&C is what I posted the original question about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Fluidmatic =/= Fluid Drive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 The two lower Newport Fluid-Matic pictures are of a 1951-52 Chrysler. "Fluid-Matic" means M-6 Presto-Matic transmission with the std. fluid drive coupling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 An easy way to tell that the car is a 3 speed manual is the clutch pedal. A fluid drive semi automatic transmission would have "Safety Clutch" on the pedal. His Town and Country doesn't, so I say it's a rare manual 3 speed on a Chrysler. I've only seen one Chrysler post 1940 that had a manual trans. It was a 1950 Chrysler Royal. Now I've seen two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldsfan Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 (edited) Except it appears Chrysler didn't label the clutch pedal "Safety Clutch" in '49. The Prestomatic transmission page in the sales brochure shows regular round clutch and brake pedals. I looked at a bunch of New Yorkers and T&Cs on Google and they all have the same pedals as the one above. Looks like they went back to the square pedals and the "Safety Clutch" for 1950. Edited January 26, 2023 by Oldsfan (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtech Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 The OP needs to stick the phone under the car and snap us a pic of the transmission. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 (edited) 1949 Town and Country's only use the oval pedal pads. 1946-48 and 1950 - 52 Chrysler's all use the square/rectangular pedal pads. The domestic 1949 T&C's all use the M-6 Presto-Matic hydraulically operated transmission. Edited January 26, 2023 by c49er (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 I'm still betting that the T&C has fluid drive. If you put it into gear, put your foot on the brake, and lift off the clutch pedal, the car should continue to idle, albeit slightly different sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 All 1949 T&C's and other years use the Fluid Drive coupling and M-5/M-6 transmission.😏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan G Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 I can confirm, my 49 New Yorker has a clutch pedal that is identical to the brake. If for some reason you can't get under the car, you can roll back the right front carpet and pull off the access panel on the transmission hump. One at the front for the Fluid Drive, a bigger one a bit further back for the governor/solenoid. Grinding when going into reverse? I put mine into low range (where 2nd would be a on a 3 speed) let out the clutch, depress clutch, shift into reverse, let out the clutch. Works for me. A straight 3-speed without Fluid Drive might have been a good performance package behind the eight on the senior Chryslers but that wasn't what they were about at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Walling Posted January 29, 2023 Share Posted January 29, 2023 I just like to add this tid bit of information about 49 Chryslers. I have a true 1948 Chrysler that was made in 1949. It is registered as a 49. In late 48, there was a problem in the production for the 49's so they continued making 48's and called them 49's. WTF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 My buddy's '48 had the rectangular pedals, BUT there was no nice shift quadrant on the column like the OP shows on the Newport he owns. There was no indication of Fluid Drive except the Safety Clutch molded into the pedal and probably some emblem Inside the car. I suspect the '49 went to the round pedals because everyone* who drove cars in 1949 knew all Chryslers were Fluid Drive, so why even mention the Safety Clutch? Anyone currently own a '49 to confirm there is no shift quadrant on the steering column for Fluid Drive? *OK, not everyone, but all those who drove Chryslers.😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Shifter quadrants came out in 1951 on Chrysler... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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