Hey people! First off, thanks to everybody who contributed to the discussion Fat Hack stirred up about the 2.8L the other day. I about fell off my chair laughing! Here's the matter at hand: I finally have some decent mileage on the 56 Special and the nailhead is running great. I'm a little curious about my tranny. The gear selector has 2 forward positions--Drive and Low. When starting from a stop in Drive, I cannot distinguish a shift anywhere from 0 to 200 mph . Well how 'bout 80mph then . Is this typical or is Dyna sending me a message that she might be leaving me soon?? Any ideas on what might be going on here?? Fluid is still nice and red and not burnt. Fluid level is where it should be. If I shift "manually" from Low to Drive I can feel a definite shift. Dr. Dynaflow, calling Dr. Dynaflow!
I'm no expert, but your Dynaflow is working properly and sounds like it's in great shape. A transmission man told me they should not be shifted from low to drive under full throttle. There is a drum that can crack under overload conditions. Don't worry...be happy! Frank
St Joe , eh?? Used to pass through your neck of the woods on the way to KC from Omaha. Thanks for the input Buford T Justice
Thanks Shifts, my day is gettin' better by the post Gotta go look at a 39 chevy business coupe stock car. could be the ultimate rat project.
I've heard this plenty since I got into Dynaflows. When operating correctly, they sound like the engine winds up, then gets pulled down slightly as the car begins to move, then it sounds like they never shift. One long, weak gear... It's due to the inefficient torque converter and shouldn't be anything to worry about. When mine is low on fluid (cuz tehy all seem to leak like sieves), it'll just stop working for a second until fluid pressure returns; usually happens when going around corners. Very sad but very true. I thought mine was messed up when I first got it too. I kept checking ATF levels and even when it was up to full, it still didn't "feel" right...then, it happened... I was home one night and saw that "Rainman" was on TV...I remembered the Buick ragtop they had in the film and since I was now an early Buick owner, I was anxious to get a look at the one in the film. So, I'm watching as the smartass and the tard are in the car about to leave, and as they began to roll forward, I hear the Straight 8 wind up, then pull down a few rpm as the car moves forward. It sounded exactly like mine, and I saw the Dynaflow script on the rear fender as the car passed out of the camera frame. I knew then mine was, at least, typical. Further research with experts confirmed my suspicions. My Dynaflow was working just fine, and this is simply the way they operate. It's a primitive automatic by today's standards, so comparison to what you're used to is useless. It's one of the cool quirks about owning one of these early Buicks, and once you get used to it, it's okay. Of course, I'm swapping in a 700R4 to make it more efficient...but that's not the point. Your trans is probably fine...just keep the fluid level topped off. Scotch!~
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