1963 Jetaway governor - RATS!!!

[Dave Burke]

Hi Y'all,

Well of course this wasn't going to be smooth sailing.  Why am I even surprised?  I finally got the tail housing off of my 1963 Series 62 with the Jetaway to check the governor.  After spending half the day getting things disassembled and out of the way I finally pulled the thing out easily and started taking it apart.  The weight was a tad sticky but a soak in MEK soon freed it up nicely and I blasted the valve with degreaser and had it surgically clean. 

Here is where it gets fun, because you know that demonic tome called the "Shop Manual"?  Well, it says that part of the disassembly process is to remove the oil rings to check the lands and make sure they are nice and clean.  Do you hear a 'snap' coming?  Neither did I, as I got them all off intact and everything was great.  BUT as I was putting one of them back on, 'SNAP'!  Well, let's see - that isn't a good thing, especially as these seem to be difficult to obtain.  I e-mailed Autotran, but it was late and I haven't heard from them yet concerning the oil seals on the governor and possibly a governor assembly in whole.

Why a governor assembly?  Because the Shop Manual says that there is supposed to be a "stop washer" in there that is absent.  So I figured that I can get a complete governor and a seal set and end up with a spare governor.  I am sure that I can always get rid of one if need be.  However, this is my question: where else might I be able to get these parts in case Autotran cannot get them?  In the worst case, if I can just get the oil seals for the governor shaft, I will at least be able to have a drivable car.

Why must I always quest for perfect function and end up where mere adequacy is a major improvement?

Thanks in advance,

Dave Burke
CLC# 27968

[savemy67]

Hello Dave,

I think Dave Edwards at AutoTran is probably your best shot, other than stumbling across that part on eBay.

In answer to your last question, the car is 54 years old, and if it was easy, it wouldn't be a "hobby".

Good luck,
Christopher Winter

[russ austin]

Dave, I can check my parts transmissions for that washer. I have some 63 jetaways for parts.

email me at  russ85747@hotmail.com

[russ austin]

I took apart a governor and have the washer. I would recommend new rings, but I have them too.

[Dave Burke]

Hi Russ,

What would the result be if my governor did not have it?  Again, the car has a weird tendency to upshift at a dead stop and the kickdown sometimes does not work, which makes for a hell of a shudder!  The valving is surgically clean and the next (dreadful) possibility is that a seal or something requiring a tranny pull is the problem.  I do NOT want to have to pull it out of the car if I can help it! 

Thanks for letting me know you have the parts and if Dave (the other Dave) doesn't have them, I'll be right in touch!

Christopher - there is "easy" and there is "challenging."  What this feels like would probably get me banned from the forum if I applied myself to being more descriptive!

Thanks!

Dave

[Roger Zimmermann]

Dave Edwards has most certainly the rings for the governor, but I doubt he has a complete governor. If you cannot do a deal with Russ Austin, I have also a used governor.

[gene harl]

I just got a set of rings from David Edwards with in the last 30 days..  call him , you can have them in 3 days....
   Gene

[wbdeford]

Governor rings were part of the 58 rebuild kit I bought from Fatsco, so they should have them. 

[Dave Burke]

Hi William,

I will look again - I have purchased some and the "Stop Washer."  I will probably source some more as disaster replacements (i.e. I break some more putting them on).  Here is a question though: in the manual, it looks like the washer goes into the valve bore before the valve body as to perhaps act as a spacer between the valve body with the bushing and the spring-loaded one with the weight.  However, the manual says to put the washer on the valve and then insert the valve into the bushing - so where in the heck is it really supposed to go?

Dave

[wbdeford]

When I first disassembled a governor (58), I tried to use a tool to remove the rings and broke at least one.  They were being replaced anyway, so it didn't worry me too much.  Since then, I just use my fingers to gently scoot them past the lands, in and out of other grooves, and on to the proper groove.  I had no other problems.  It might be a good idea to use a little transmission lube for extra protection against damaging a surface.  This worked for other rings too, such as the accumulator.

(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NVY4Q2/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item is what I have used)

[Dave Burke]

Hi William,

I used my fingers too - I guess that it was just that ring's time to go. 

Still, where does that stop washer go?  Between the valve assemblies or on the shaft?

Best,

Dave

[Roger Zimmermann]

Will this drawing help?
This governor is a little bit different than the prior versions; the '57 shop manual is showing no washer...I believe the washer is going first into the body, then the governor plunger.

[russ austin]

That's how I took apart the 63 Governor. The washer came out last.

[Dave Burke]

Hi Y'all,

Thanks for the diagram and explanation - the instructions seem a bit conflicted and I just wanted to know a bit more.  That is a similar illustration as in the shop manual so that is how I will put it all back in.  Again, I did not have a washer in mine when I disassembled it, and I saw at least one drawing where it did not show one, so again I was puzzled.  I am hoping that this solves the phantom shifts - I did get some stickiness out of the weighted plunger and I hope that helps the kickdown work more smoothly!

And to think that just a few years ago, automatic transmissions were a mystery to me deeper than that of the Bermuda Triangle and now - oh Lord how I long for those days of innocence!!

Best and thanks for all of the help!

Dave

[wbdeford]

Are you also re-examining the valve bodies? 

[Dave Burke]

The valve bodies are sparkling.  As that was the easiest thing to examine, that was the first thing I did.  I disassembled and polished everything so nothing stuck.  It was only after that did not solve the problem that I went after the regulator.  If it turns out that the regulator does not solve the problem, then it will be something on the inside requiring removal of the tranny and I am not ready to do that yet. 

Best,

Dave

[Dave Burke]

Hi Y'all,

Thanks for the help!  The governor is back in and the car runs a whole lot better.  I do not know if it was the soaking it in solvent or putting that missing washer in it, but it no longer wants to up-shift at a dead stop.

Best to All,

Dave Burke

[wbdeford]

Great news!

[russ austin]

My bet is that the missing washer was the culprit. Precision tolerances inside that transmission, my friend.