1) There are a couple of electrical connections on my 3-speed overdrive from a late '50s thru early-60's chevy. I'm sure one if for the overdrive solenoid, but what is the other for? 2)Also, does anyone know where to position the tranny levers to get thru the gears....1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Reverse? 3) Last, there is a small rod at the rear of the tranny that I assume is an overdrive lever. Any idea how this works in conjuction with the solenoid? Thanks!
Reggie, You can find everything you need to know at this site: http://www.speedprint.com/deves50/overdriveindex.php Hope this helps. Terry
on the levers, I think if the levers are pointing up, then the front one forward is 3rd, front one back is 2nd, rear forward is 1st, rear back is reverse. If they're down, the position is switched (front one back is 3rd, etc). You can play with them if the trans is out, pretty easy to tell which gear is what...3rd is direct drive, reverse is reverse, 1st is lots of gear reduction, etc. need the od locked out to test it though. and there's an overrunning clutch in there, so it will frewheel when in overdrive.
The lever at the rear on the overdrive housing is the lockout for the freewheel clutch/overdruve solenoid. Also, squirrel has it backwards on the other levers. If it's a car trans, both levers will point down. '55-'56 truck will have the front lever (2/3) pointing up. There will be 3 electrical connections on the trans itself. 2 on the solenoid-pull in and hold in, and then one on the governor. The overnor isn't 100% necessary for operation, you could just wire to the solenoid and make it manual activation, but I prefer using the governor and have it operate as Borg-Warner designed it to.
My tranny must be a passenger car given the levers are down. I'm a bit confused on the solenoid wiring....one hot for pull-in and one hot for hold-in and the ground is chassis? or is it one of the wires for pull-in and hold-in and the second is ground? Can you shed some light on the purpose of the governor and how it functions differently if it is manually activated .vs the way Borg-Warner intends it to operate.
chassis is ground. here's more info about the electrical stuff http://www.merc583.addr.com/mopar/p15pages/gotodir/gotooverdrive2.html governor is simply a switch that closes about 25 mph, it grounds the teriminal when the car is going fast enough to be able to use overdrive.
Does anyone have a legible wiring diagram for the T-85 OD? IS there a simple way to wire it with just an on off switch and the governor to keep it from staying in OD when I put it in revers? Thanks Dave
i used a metal a/c relay (don't like the plastic bosch look), a repo ford o/d cable, toggle switch and a homemade bracket. didn't use the govenor and the toggle switch controls the ground of the relay so the solenoid doesn't have power all the time.
DO you know where I can pickup the metal a/c relay? DO you have a part number or know what the original application of the relay was? Thanks Dave
i have a standard catalog you just pick what relay you want and order it from your local parts store. i used standard #RY4, i was wrong about the a/c relay part the RY 4 is a high blower realy. i wouldn't recommend using a horn relay they are meant for momentary conact only.
also the govenor is basicly a speed sensor, it allows the o/d system to become engaged at about 23-25 mph so it has power to the relay but won't go into o/d unless the cable is pushed in. but also you can't disengage the o/d (pull out the cable) unless you are under 23-25 mph. the wire going to the points/solenoid/carb is so it will kick out of o/d when you floor it (sort of a passing gear). since i didn't have all the brackets/switches and didn't want the solenoid to be energized all the time (points inside) i didn't use the govenor. now i can engage it anytime i want, i can disengage it when getting off the freeway (you need to push the clutch in to pull pressure off of the output shaft so the solenoid can disengage) but i have to manaully shift to 2nd gear to pass someone (its overdriven 2nd).
I set mine up a little differently. I used the governor for actuation, but have a switch mounted under the dash for turning the power on and off. I can shut it off when I want. I also used a headlamp relay for mine, Standard-Bluestreak #LR-32. Works like a charm. I also used a Chelsea PTO cable for the lockout. The standard cables are just too wimpy for my taste. I did manage to find an original kickdown switch, Yesteryear Auto as I recall, but so far, have never had to use it. I do have 2 indicator lamps wired in, one for power on, and the other is wired to the governor to let me know it's engaged.
Well I went to the auto parts store today and the cheapest relay that would work was $45.00 and being the cheap skate that I am I am trying to find a way to wire it with no relay. If I am understanding the wiring diagrams correctly I think I could wire a hot lead to the solenoid and run a lead from the governor to the ground side of the solenoid. Then I would be in O/D when ever I go over 25 MPH? Will this work?
Not to Highjack your thread ,Reggie, but I heard you can bolt the tail shaft from 1 of these o/d trans. to a saginaw 4 speed. Is this true ? Danny
Only the tailshaft and o/d from a full syncro 3 speed overdrive tranny will work on the 4 speed. Both trannys are made by Saginaw. The old overdrive from a non-syncro 1st gear tranny won't bolt up. BTW, I wired my old chevy overdrive [55 passenger car] with a toggle switch and no relay. Worked fine all the time I used it....maybe 5 years and 50,000 miles. I believe using a relay is a better deal tho.. I also agree with using the Morse cable for the freewheel lever. I did and it gave me no problems. My kid found out it's best not to use overdrive in 1st gear because the torque multiplication of those low gears puts a lotta stress on the one-way sprag unit. He had to replace one. Still, I used all my forward gears with overdrive, giving me a 6 speed transmission. Another BTW, There is a mechanical lock which won't allow the tranny into reverse if overdrive is activated. It's attached to the freewheel linkage inside the tailshaft housing so no worrys about bustin up the 1 way sprag by engaging reverse gear in overdrive.
Well I went to Radio Shack and they have all parts I would need to do the full blown setup with the DPDT relay and all the bells and whistles for like $25!!! Sweet!!! I think just to get it working I am going to just do the bare minimum and use one relay and a switch. One last question. There are two wire terminals on the solenoid I assume one is positive and one is negative? If this is the case I can use the lead from the governor for the ground? Thanks for all the help. Dave
Not exactly. The main terminal on the solenoid (#6) is the power terminal, the other is for the kickdown. The overdrive grounds through the case. Here is the Chevrolet wiring diagram. http://chevy.tocmp.com/1955truck2shop/55ctsm0720.htm I wouls also suggest hooking up the ground for the relay to the governor, if only to prevent damage to the trans if you should leave to overdrive engaged. This will pevent the o/d from engaging in first gear.
OK so I will use the governor for the relay ground. I guess if I do not want to hookup the kickdown I can just power up the #6 terminal when I want to go into OD? Thanks Dave
Yes, that will work. I got lucky finding an original KD switch. Wasn't cheap, either, as it was NOS. To be honest, though, I've never had to push it hard enough to need to kick out of o/d to pass. Those 235s just make so much torque you don't need to kick 'em down.
Thanks so much for the help. I have had the OD trans in my truck for years it will be great to finally make it work. Just in time to because I am going to finish lowering it in the next few weeks then it will be a real PITA to climb around under there. Dave
here's the stock dia. i used the repo for o/d cable it was around $45, you need a heavy cable not like a hood release or choke cable. ok i looked after i posted this.....nevermind
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134582&highlight=overdrive More stuff. You can hide the Bosch plastic relay inside an old overdrive or horn relay (or similar) housing to get the old timey look. The governor (passenger side) is a switch and very seldom fails. The governor screws into the housing on T-85 overdrives. The solenoid should be checked. There are 2 sets of points inside that should be cleaned, and check to see if the piston moves freely or maybe needs just a small amount of lube. Solenoids are 6 volt or 12 volt, but I haven't found specs on how to test them for voltage (some are marked 12V) . Some guys claim to run 6 volt ones on 12 volt with no problem. Some guys burn a 6 volt one out on 12 volts. The length of the shaft sticking into the transmission is different on some models. When looking for spares keep this in mind ( new ones are a $100.00 or more). Some solenoids have different or more wire terminals (Studebaker/Packard), but they function basically the same and you can figure which terminals work on the Chevy or Ford. 2 bolts hold the solenoid in but it needs to be rotated a quarter turn to be removed. I like to be stopped when I pull my overdrive cable out to lock out the OD for operation like a regular 3 speed. You can push it in while driving to engage the OD. overspray
Here is simple OD relay circuit I designed and use on my Studebaker pickup. The kick down switch is just a button on my dash.
The Jalopy Journal
