Just bought a 56 ford ranch wagon 235 with a 3spd overdrive. I've never had the overdrive option. How do I properly use this? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
After you get up to speed (35 mph or so), you let off the gas pedal, and it will shift into overdrive. This is assuming you have the overdrive cable (under the dash) pushed in, and that everything is working as it should.
I know overdrives very well. All were made by Borg Warner and are electric mechanical. For normal driving around town pull the T handle out to disengage. There are two ways to use the kick down electric solenoid. The factory set uses a floor mounted switch under the gas pedal. It has a hot lead to one side and the other side goes to a relay on the firewall it will have a fuse that needs to be checked first. To engage overdrive on the highway push the t handle in towards the dash . This mechanically engages the drive pawl but not till you lift off the gas pedal to release the torque. It will drop right in overdrive . The switch under the pedal acts like passing gear when you mash the pedal to the floor. The switch sends power to the solenoid and kicked the OD back into 3rd gear. At this point is THE ONLY TIME TO pull the T handle out to disengage the OD . If you try to pull the handle while in OD it will destroy internal parts. I prefer doing away with the relay and floor switch with a dash mounted toggle or a shift lever switch to energize the solenoid to engage or disengage. This gives the option of splitting all three gears. Very cool and fun to play with. The 3 speed Now becomes a 6 spd.!! Also use 50 weight Torco with MPZ in the trans and OD!! No 90wt hypoid or you will kill the OVERDRIVE. That is right out of the Borg Warner instruction manual.. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Many moons ago, I owned a '57 Ranch Wagon with OD. I loved that ride. Had a 4.11 rear end. It was a kick. Ruined that pumpkin, replaced with a 2.92. It would do 85 in low OD! Congratulations with yours.
Squirrel mostly covered it; in 'normal' use with the OD handle pushed in, once you reach about 33 mph, the governor on the trans enables OD. Letting off the gas (unloading the transmission), will allow it to shift into OD. When speed drops below about 27 mph, the governor will disable OD and shift into 'standard' (again, only if the trans is unloaded). For most practical purposes, you can leave the OD handle in all the time. One downside to these though is they 'freewheel' when the cable is pushed in, so you have very little engine braking (you can run out of brakes going down a long hill... AMHIK...) and parking in a forward gear will still allow the car to roll (parking in reverse will eliminate this issue). You can push the OD handle IN at any time, but can pull it out (disabling OD) only when stopped, when going slow enough that OD hasn't engaged yet, or when using 'passing gear'. Any other time will destroy the OD unit. With some experience, you'll know when the governor has enabled/disabled the OD as it makes an audible 'thunk' when operating. One important note about the 'passing gear' and possibly rewiring for manual operation. When flooring the gas to drop out of OD, the relay on the firewall interrupts power to the ignition (killing power and unloading the trans; you'll notice this as a quick 'hesitation' and it's normal), the OD solenoid re-establishes ignition power once it engages (about 1/2 revolution). Failure to 'unload' the trans when downshifting manually (by either pushing in the clutch or fully letting off the gas) will kill the OD. I have a Ford wagon that had the same exact engine/trans in it when I first got it; left in OD all the time, I never got less than 20 MPG, including in-town driving. That trans doesn't suffer abuse well though; speedshifting it and general beating will kill it, even behind the 6 cylinder. Treat it 'nice' and it will give years of trouble-free service.
I have a Ford wagon that had the same exact engine/trans in it .[/QUOTE] Wow. Two documented cases of a Ford with a factory installed Chevy 235 six cylinder in the same day. Who would have thought. Farmalldan Well, my smiley face keeps disappearing. Don't know what the deal is with that. OK, figured it out. I apparently have not drank enough Microsoft Kool-aid.
You said a mouthful there. I had one of these B/W overdrives behind a 259 V8 in a Studebaker many, many moons ago and I found out the hard/expensive way that they will not stand much abuse! Good transmission otherwise.
Steve, The relay does not interrupt the ignition. The relay stays energized as long as the governor switch (speed) tells it to. The double-pole kickdown switch kills power to the solenoid and interrupts (grounds) the ignition via the solenoid internal ground. The ignition is grounded until the solenoid retracts. The retraction of the solenoid causes the ignition to resume.
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