Re: BigKev's 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe Sedan

Posted by HH56 On 2010/4/21 16:42:03

Just the friction in planetary will allow rotation of wheels with no resistance in air if pawl not catching so that is where that is probably coming from. Pawl is possibly broken or binding and could cause issue and could also be early design where the teeth would wear and round off so as not catch in gear--but would have to be horribly worn, burred or jammed to not engage at all. I think symptoms point to engagement mechanism since pawl apparently isn't going into gear at all rather than slipping out under load.

If pawl OK, then it is engaged by a roller assy which is pinned to the manual lever shaft. When engaging park, it rotates and pushes the pawl against a spring into mesh. It sounds as if not enough rotation is there to push all the way up so it is possible the pin has broken or loosened on shaft. Also possible the pot metal piece has worn or broken so engagement roller that engages the pawl has dropped so it can't push pawl high enough. Worn roller supports were an issue in early units.

When you take the pan off to check, also look above the pawl lever for a small pin extending from the rear of case in lever path. That is supposed to catch the pawl and prevent it from slamming so hard and high into gear it won't release--but very weak and frequently breaks which can lead to not being able to get out of park.