Anders Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Hello everyone! My father owns an old desoto. Can someone please explain for me how this semi clutch transmission works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Need the year of the car. There are subtle nuances to how they operate depending on the version. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anders Posted February 21 Author Share Posted February 21 Its a 1948 model 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 6 minutes ago, Anders said: Its a 1948 model Read this.... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anders Posted February 21 Author Share Posted February 21 thank you so much good sir 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 42 minutes ago, Anders said: Hello everyone! My father owns an old desoto. Can someone please explain for me how this semi clutch transmission works? There has been a lot of discussion on the operation of this transmission on this board and the service and maintenance needs. A couple of long threads from 2008 in the Chrysler section under Fluid Drive. This trans setup was essentially a cross between a manual trans and an automatic. It was used from 1939 to 1953 in various forms, in Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, Plymouth, and Dodge trucks. The one in your DeSoto works something like this. Start the engine and let it warm up. Once it idles down to normal speed you can step on the clutch and shift into HIGH range. You can now release the clutch completely and sit there, with the brake on. Release the brake, step on the gas and it will take off like a typical automatic. Once you get going 14MPH or more, lift off the gas and you will hear a soft *click-clack* from under the floor boards. That is the transmission shifting into HIGH. Now step on the gas and go someplace. If you come to a stop light no need to touch the clutch, you can apply the brake and stop like an automatic. Step on the gas, lift off at 14MPH, etc. You only need the clutch pedal when shifting the lever into Reverse, Low or High range. Low is only needed for taking off on a hill, or driving slowly in deep sand, snow or mud. Low range works like High range but shifts up at 6MPH. You can start off in Low range and shift manually into High if necessary. It is recommended that you use the clutch pedal as little as possible. Let the Fluid Drive do the work. Your car has a very small clutch and if you try to slip it too much can wear it out. Just shift into gear, release the clutch and away you go. As you can see the technique is easy enough once you understand how it works. This was one of the first efforts at an automatic drive. On the good side, it is very simple and rugged and seldom gives trouble, and if something goes wrong is usually easy and cheap to fix which is a good thing, compared to some very complicated early automatics. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anders Posted February 21 Author Share Posted February 21 Thank you so much for this great explanation. This will be very useful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now