Re: 1950 327 with Ultramatic - Idle Speed

Posted by Joe On 2023/2/5 1:24:13

Hey Howard and Jerome,

Can't thank you both enough for the insights on all this. Couple things I can answer about my transmission, and things I'm going to keep working through. I had some time tonight to take the care out for a longer drive to get a sense of some of these things. I recently put a new gas tank in it, and this was it's first time going to a gas station in who knows how many years. Never thought I'd enjoy going to a gas station so much as I did today! But anyways...

Howard - can confirm the Direct Drive is working. I followed the procedure outlined in the service manual as best I could (without the special tools described) for adjusting the linkages to ensure nothing was dragging. Neither heard nor felt anything (other than how horrible by tires are), but the RPM definitely drops and the engine goes silent when cruising. It'd kick back up (or "kick down" as they describe) with more throttle. 0-65 felt really pretty normal. And no worries with the Low to High shift. My Low gear just puts the car in neutral - going to try adjusting the Low band screws. By the end of the night, I had the Park idle at 510 or so, and the High idle at about 310. Bringing it to 375 in high was bizarre, though. I would turn the idle screw and nothing would change (or it would be minimal). I basically had to double the distance the screw was pulled out to achieve the 375, but then of course putting it park brought the Park idle to like, 750. That screw has an immediate effect when the car is in Park

The car does still idle well at 310, and I don't get a sense of hesitation on acceleration, or concern it'll stall. So I'm not sure if this is really a problem at all, other than it's just not "right."

Jerome - super, super helpful. When I had the linkages apart, I made sure it went back together with the lever very nearly seated. The transmission fluid situation is... not great. I do know it's Type F, because I've emptied it twice in changing the pan gasket (thinking I screwed up the first gasket, only to find out/realize that the source of my leaks are all of the seals). I do check the fluid often and always refill it following the procedure outlined in the manual. I will say, shifting from park to high is smooth - a gentle bump if you will. Low isn't functional. Reverse is often a hell of a jolt, though I'll occasionally get some smoother shifts here, too. The transmission is definitely due for a proper/complete overhaul, just not in the budget at the moment.

I do have a couple things left to do with the carb, and I'm not sure this idle issue doesn't come back to that. The engine is FINALLY no longer running rich, but I have the thermostatic choke capped because the line rotted away at the exhaust manifold. I just have the choke wide open all the time - not sure how (if) this would effect the fast idle, but getting the choke to function correctly is on my to-do list as well.

Please let me know if you have any other suggestions on this. I appreciate this all very much.