Twin Ultramatic situation

[mrpushbutton]

friends--a push button client of mine has a '56 Carribbean convertible that will not function in drive or low. I have confirmed that the electric shifter is doing everthing it is designed/meant to do--it rotates the gear selector shaft to the desired position when the corresponding key is pressed (it's easy to blame the shifter for everything!) From past experience I have advised him to drop the trans pan, and check the health/adjustment of the die cast link-arm (and associated linkage) that connects the gear selector shaft with the valve body "plunger". He did this, reported some slop which he was able to correct, but no improvement in the situation re: low and drive. Anyone out there have experience in this?

[Guest Randy Berger]

Are you saying it works in HIGH? Or does it not work at all? Or it only works in REVERSE?

[mrpushbutton]

OK-a little clarification: it WORKS in high, reverse, park and neutral--he's driving the car. The shifter works flawlessly (of course)and moves the gear selector shaft into all six different positions, but drive and low (positions)do nothing. The shift select shaft rotates into that postition, but the trans just sits there, as though it was in neutral or park.

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

Randy: u took the words right out of my mouth.

Mr. PB: ADJUST LOW BAND as per manual.

[HH56]

If the band adj doesn't work, the anchor pins for band stationary side being broken is a known issue and also there are some bulletin and SC articles with exactly these symptoms on Kev's website--55-T17 is one. This was a 55 issue but who knows if a 55 component was installed at some point instead of revised 56 that corrected problem.

[mrpushbutton]

Now hear this--I am not a trans repair/rebuild guy. I just fix the electronic shifter. Unfortunately, this often drags me into the trans,which not anything I have real training or experience in. I should know better--I worked in the electronic controls/monitoring business for 14 years, and the controls guy is usually the last man to touch a machine before it is tested out, and all problems usually fell on him, the assumption being that all previous vendors/manufacturers did everything perfectly (we all know better than that). My client is not on this forum, I am just funneling information to him. I thank Packard V8 (a man who knows much about these cars)and HH56 for the advice. I'll pass it on.

[Guest Randy Berger]

I looked at the T/U flowchart and the problem looks like it is somewhere around the low range brake. Your friend can drop the pan and check the strut to make sure it is ok and then adjust low-range brake to specs. If that doesn't work, then he needs someone familiar with the T/U to look at it. Ordinary tranny shops won't work - they don't understand and are unwilling to learn how this tranny works. I'm lucky. I have two people I can call on.

[Guest imported_PackardV8]

Make the low range band adjustment FIRST! It's real easy to do. It is an entirely EXTERNAL adjustement. NO special tools required. CONsult the manual for the procedure. While u're at it make the Reverse band adjustment too. The hardest part of these adjustments is raising the car with a jack.

I'm guessing prior symptoms to the problem at hand was alot of low range chattering, slipping, engine flair up and so-forth.

[Guest BigKev]

I just uploaded a 700+ pages of Ultramatic related information to the website. Maybe something in there will help.