So i broke the stock three speed od trans last year. Broke when shifting to second. Had it repaired, put it back it, works great but doesnt want to shift into overdrive. I checked all connections and thought i had some wires switched. Swapped them and nothing changed. Anyone have any suggestions what i should troubleshoot, or what my issue might be? The trans will "freewheel" when i have the od lever pushed in, and doesnt freewheel when the lever is pulled out. So i know that must be working. Any help is appreciated.
Well, assuming that the OD didn't break when the transmission did, you have a solenoid problem. Either it doesn't work, or there's no power getting to it, or it isn't assembled into the OD unit right. You have to line up the flats on the ball end and twist it into place. If that's done right, it has to be electrical.
Well my guess might be that i dont have the wire connected properly. I had to cut it when i pulled the trans, then reconnected it when i reinstalled the trans. Maybe i will cut it again and re do it.
Had an OD in a 53 Merc when I was in the service (1963) and it wouldn't work. Tokk the cover off the solenoid and sanded the points. Worked fine.
Here's plenty of info. The PDF of the Studebaker OD manual includes a step by step trouble shooting guide. http://www.1956goldenhawk.com/manuals/overdriv.pdf http://www.classictruckshop.com/club...5n/rebuild.htm http://www.fifthaveinternetgarage.co...counter_3.html http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/f...ings_trans.htm http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=173331 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=134582
Well i finally got to look into this problem. so first i checked the fuse. it was blown. so i swapped the wires into the solenoid thinking i had them flip flopped. put a new fuse in and took it on a road test. blew the fuse again. so crawled back under to reinspect everything. and all wires are hooked up correctly. so just for the hell of it i put another fuse in to be sure, and that popped also. anything else i can try to trouble shoot? the solenoid seems to be installed properly. not loose. i want to do all the trouble shooting i can before i go and try to buy another solenoid. the only other thing i am wondering about is the kickdown switch under the go pedal. if that is not working properly could it be popping the fuse? or is that not related to the solenoid not kicking in? also where is there a solenoid even available for this? any help in much appreciated!!! thanks Jason
The kickdown switch could be shorting and causing the fuse to blow. They get corroded from moisture and dirt and are located in a bad place. Also check all the wiring and connections for a place that could short the system. Here's some good info and a troubleshooting guide. http://www.fordification.com/tech/overdrive.htm
OVERSPRAY- thanks for that link!! it is a great explanation of the od trans. i am going to try a few more things before i order some parts for this thing. i think my problem might be in the kickdown switch. when the trans broke i was basically beating on the car. ti broke between the 1st and 2nd shift when i slammed it into 2nd. so i know the pedal was all the way down. im wondering if i might have damaged the kickdown switch when it was pushed down? if the kickdown is the problem, could i A: just diconnect the switch and not use it? or would that cause problems with the complete circuit? B: buy a new switch and replace it? where could i even find a new switch if it is the source of the problem? thanks again for the help! Jason
switch http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-...tZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories Some early ford parts places might have them for a little less. When I get back to my home computer I'll check for the wiring diagram I have for using a bosch relay to replace the Ford one.
thanks again for the link! they are a little spendy. i will do some more trouble shooting before i order one. but there are really only a few more things to check. i will check back tonight!! thanks Jason
The relays can go bad,but i don't know how to check them out. Sorry ,that's probably no help at all.JIM
Replacing the Ford Mercury OD relay with a bosch relay. I put mine in the housing of a burnt out original, after removing the old "guts", so it would look like factory. It still uses the original fuse holder. Cleaned up with the cover installed and a shot of aluminum paint. WIRING--This swap was posted by another HAMBER a long time ago, so I made a couple and took some pictures for reference. I soldered the leads from the bosch relay to the appropriate terminals on the old relay and glued it to the housing using a spacer block.
HOPE this isnt a HIJACK-- its on topic with adjustment/trouble shooting..... Does anyone know how to adjust the speed when OD engages? It seems like if I want mine to kick in the stars and the moon have to align, I have to be leaning to the right, Indiana Jones has to hold up the magic crystal....... Seriously though I have to baby it thru the gears and try to hit 4th by 30MPH or so.....real pain in the ass on an onramp with a curve and bogs the shit out of my engine. Can I adjust it so it goes in at a higher speed? Thanks..... and good luck getting yours engaged again. I blew a bunch of fuses in mine till I realized there was an exposed wire swinging around and arc-ing on something. Replaced that and no problems....except the slow-speed engaging.
"Cut-in" speed is 29-30mph for Fords and Chevys. The governor is a centrifugal switch on the right rear of the trans and as it spins it opens. It "cuts-out" at around 26mph, as you slow down, and then the transmission "free wheels", without compression braking. It has a gear like a speedometer gear that runs off the tailshaft. I'm not sure if you could change it to operate at a different cut-in speed. Old Studebakers had a cut-in speed of 55mph. You can let it shift into overdrive in all gears, but first gear would really wind up the engine rpms. I use second gear overdrive often, which is an almost identical ratio to 3rd gear underdrive, and then shift from 2nd overdrive right to 3rd overdrive. I run a taller rear end gear (3.55:1), as the stock 4.11:1 was too low for freeway speeds on my old flathead motor. You could up the ratio from 4.11 to 3.70 or slightly higher for todays traffic speeds, without losing much low end power, and it's easier on the old engines. Also, check and clean the points in the solenoid. Check or replace the old wiring, as a reproduction overdrive harness is not expensive. Good connections will help operation. Add a little Marvel's Mystery oil to the gear lube in the trans case and also in the overdrive case--they have separate fill plugs and drains. It will help clean up the internals and possibly help for smoother operation.
2nd OD to 3rd OD? I have never tried that. Is that for all models? You are saying 1st to 2nd, lift off and it will click into OD? And then shift into third with clutch and it will stay in OD? I will have to try that.
Baggs: Just a quick note on the kick-down switch....if you need one, don't get that pricey one on Ebay. Dennis-Carpenter has one for $25 (part# 8A-6918-B). I'm looking at last year's catalog, but I'm thinking that price is about the same this year.
Nope. I tried it a bunch and just got people behind me in traffic mad. Would have been nice to just shift into 3rd after getting up freeway speed in 2nd. Im just glad it has a big torquey engine out front.
The shift govs are adjustable. There is tar covering two screws that are next to each other in a figure 8 sort of raised portion. Scrape out the tar. You can now adjust the screws. Little adjustments at a time. One screw is the upshift, the other is downshift. You can raise the upshift, lower the downshift, or increase the split by playing with these screws. I used to have a machine that would hold the governor and spin it with a variable speed electric motor with a speedo attached to calibrate these things. I gave it to a museum in CT. BTW, the same gov was used on GM buses with V-Drive automatic trans to control the shift. This is before hydraulic shift which started in like 1960.
There is a ton of INFO in this thread. Like I said, hope it didnt get HiJacked but I think all of this is good info for anyone who owns/operates one of these OD units. Thanks to all who answered my question..... I appreciate it.
Just finished performing Overspray's masterful O/D relay conversion. What a great modification. Cost me about $12.00 to convert the relay and it looks original from the outside. Much better than spending $165.00 for a repop relay. The Radio Shack relay part # 257-226 is no longer available according to my local Radio Shack so I used a 40 amp relay from my local CarQuest part # 83162. Great mod thanks again to Overspray. Pete
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