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**1955 Cadillac trannsmission issue****

Started by txlowbrow, April 15, 2009, 08:13:10 PM

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txlowbrow

Guys i need a little help i've been working on my car for the last six months getting it ready for a car show six hours away. about a month ago I took the car into a local shop and asked them to rebuild the carb and fix the exhaust.  After I got the car back i started having transmission issues.  When you press the gas the car would feel like it's slipping. it has the hydromatic in it.  I took it back yesterday and they said it was leaking so they pulled the transmission back and said my torque converter is busted.  that car doesn't have a torque converter it has a fluid copler (taurus).  Now when i press the gas it goes into first , at speed it goes into second, ,but will not go into third just stays in second.  What do you think the problem is?  do you think when they rebuilt the carb they didn't adjust the PV arm correctly back to the carb?  what else could it be?  thanks for your help i have less than 24 hours to get it working :'( :'( :'(

txlowbrow

also my manual says if it wont shift out of second the front sprag clutch is broken?

wm link

I just went through that with a 49 automatic, same symptoms.  I attempted to clean up the valve body first thing, that seemed to help, but end result had to have it rebuilt. It had major issues despite only 25k actual miles. Sorry probably NOT a 24 hour deal!

txlowbrow

so i wonder why it won't shift from 2nd to 3rd

Otto Skorzeny

All I have to say is that if you decide to have it rebuilt, these Nimrods that told you the torque converter was broken are obviously not the ones to entrust with the job.
fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

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Glen

I think the shop did not adjust the TV rod correctly when they put the carb back in causing the slipping.  Now it’s possible the shift linkage is also out of adjustment and the transmission is in not in drive.  I would check those first before going deep into the transmission. 

Glen
Glen Houlton CLC #727 
CLCMRC benefactor #104

Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397

Glen has made a good point.  If your transmission is actually in Low instead of one of the two Drive ranges, that could be your problem because L in those transmissions allows them to shift between 1st and 2nd unlike modern transmissions where L is 1st gear only.

walt chomosh #23510

Upon reading that the trans had been removed,(or carburator for that matter)I suspected that the trans linkage arms had been bent or misadjusted.(been there and have done that!) It's critical that the TV rod be very close to perfect for correct shifts....at least thats been my experience....walt...tulsa,ok

paul

You should  be able to manually shift that transmission. Start out in low and shift the arm with the engine RPMS. I really doubt the guys who rebuilt your carb had anything to do with your transmission troubles. The TV rod is just connected to the carb linkage with a cotter pin. You pull that and it slides out . Unless they went and undid the adjuster nuts and moved them up or down the threads the adjustment should have remained like it was set from the factory. It also is not a very easy to bent rod. The fact that you had to have the carb rebuilt tell me that your in the early stages of putting that car back in to regular road service. Now that the car has been redone your driving the more ...correct. The transmisision is most likely original, its are seals shrunk and hard. I dont care if the car only has 10 original miles it, its over 50 years old and most likey original it will start leaking  because of non use and all of a sudden its being put back into service, valve bodys will start sticking and and these type of headaches will devlope. I dont think they pulled the trans back because you have to undo 30 somthing bolts to seperate the tork converter from the flywheel. ( the tarus converts the tork) They didnt come up with a seperate tork converter that just slides out till 63 turbo hydra.  I think your problems are from age and just putting the car back into service. You need to have the transmission rebuilt. Its nobodys falt but father times.     

Doug Houston

Firstly, the '55 transmission has no sprag clutches in it. Any shop who says so is blowing smoke.

Before you pull the whole transmission, you can remove the side pan on the transmission case, and unbolt the valve body. Carefully take it apart, and clean each of the valve bores. It sounds like they are badly hanging up in  their bores. They must be able to slide freely through their bores, by gravity.

After cleaning the control valve body, re-install it and get the transmission ready to go. But before you drive it, have somebody do an external band adjustment on it. This is vital to its proper operation. If the shop doesn't have the special tool for this, and they will probably say that they don't need it, bid them goodbye, and find a shop that DOES have it.

The above is not a  guarantee that the trans will shift right, but it's a ritual that you have to go through before you can indict the transmission itself. When it's working right, its operation is awe-inspiring.
38-6019S
38-9039
39-9057B
41-6227D
41-6019SF
41-6229D
41-6267D
56-6267
70-DeV Conv
41-Chev 41-1167
41 Olds 41-3929

Glen

Txlowbrow is correct when he says his transmission has no torque converter.  The torus or fluid coupling is not the same as a torque converter, there is no impeller between the drive and driven halves of the in a fluid coupling and no torque multiplication. 

Please click on the links below. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque_converter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_coupling
Glen Houlton CLC #727 
CLCMRC benefactor #104