Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

My 1941 110 , 6cyl , with overdrive.
It works fine at first , but after driving awhile, most of the time, it will not shift into overdrive.
Usually when the engine has really warmed up.
Was planning to talk inquire about this at the 53rd Membership Meet Feb 12 in Orange , Ca.

When it fails to engage does the light come on indicating it is ready for OD? If no light then I would look at some electrical areas and particularly the governor ground and the governor contacts.

If the light does come on then I would wonder about OD wear and the viscosity of the lubricant. The unit requires controlled friction at a certain point to allow a ring to move to clear the path for the solenoid to move the pawl and engage OD. If there is wear and insufficient friction after it is warm perhaps the ring is slipping and not moving out of the way. Same with too thin a lubricant.

Another possibility is a set of contacts in the solenoid. If they are worn perhaps the heat and expansion is allowing poor contact. If those contacts are not closed tightly when solenoid is at rest, then when commanded one of the coils is inactive and solenoid can not pull in

Check for loose connections in the wiring - especially the grounds. An area where rust can be the culprit on any old car that has an electrical problem.

As Howard notes, it can be the balk ring is worn, but usually they will still shift if you leave off the gas long enough. Make sure your idle speed is nice and slow.

More frequently, your symptoms are due to excess electrical resistance as the vehicle warms. You will need to clean every electrical connection in the overdrive circuit. I would pay particular attention to burnishing the points in the relay, and the connections in the middle of the two-piece harness that goes to the solenoid on the tranny. In point of fact, I usually solder those together as that junction was for ease of assembly on the line and is now just a failure point. Also clean the contacts you find inside the solenoid and you will have many years of happy overdriving.

GUESS WHAT?
This being the only 6 volt car I have owned in a long time.
I was getting used to the slow starter turnover, the car always came to life though.
Also my ammeter was always indicating a good size charge when running.
Also when starting the car, many times the starter would just spin and not engage. But it always came around and started.
When on a charger the battery never took less than a 2 amp charge.
Well yesterday the car turned over very slowly and did not start and grounded to a halt after only about 10 seconds.
went to my favorite Interstate Battery distributor, where the battery showed over 6 volts.
But after a load was placed on it, it only put out about one half of the cold cranking amps.
Needless to say , I bought a new battery.
NOW THE GOOD NEWS!
My Packard now roars to life with a quick faster spin.
My ammeter barely shows a charge when running.
Best of all, the overdrive works like it should!
Thought I would share this happy ending with you all.

That is good news. Will have to remember it as a possibility for the next person. It is really interesting that the battery would have enough capacity to crank the engine but apparently not enough to pull the solenoid in.

Stephen,
for including your '41 One-Ten Convertible Coupe in the Packard Owner's Registry. Looking good!