Re: Theoretical question-'54 Carribean transmission

Posted by HH56 On 2021/9/12 12:02:02

The front seals can have issues and I personally had one develop a severe leak not long after going back into service. Can't say how often it happens or exactly what the reason -- maybe a crack from being dried out or maybe a burn from the dry shaft -- but it does happen. It is also possible the valve body can become sticky and sluggish valves cause shifting issues. Often a change of fluid will fix that but if severe it may take a disassembly and thorough cleaning.

As to the transmission quirks, that depends on the unit. The early Caribbean production would have the original Ultramatic and those were well sorted out and very reliable by 54. The later builds could well have the model year 54 only Gear Start unit which was introduced late in production and was the precursor to the 55-6 Twin Ultramatics. By all accounts the Gear Start was sort of rushed into production and not all the bugs were even identified let alone corrected so some remained in the 55 units. The more serious issues did have a fix developed in 55 and the 54 got it but not unless the car was serviced by a dealer. The GS unit also has some parts only used in that partial year trans so any of those might be hard to come by if needed. Your friend might want to identify the unit in the car and then more info on any issues could be forthcoming.

The original Ultra has 5 positions on the shift indicator, the Gear Start has 6 with a dot almost in the middle denoting the 6th position. Gear Start also has an easily reachable dipstick in the engine compt that comes up very near the starter motor.