Re: Transmission 55 Packard Clipper
Posted by HH56 On 2023/6/17 15:26:02
55s did have some early park issues which were all covered in updates but there is no way to know if your car saw a dealer after the sale to have had them all installed.
There were 3 primary known reasons for sticking in park. Some are linkage related and others are parts refinement. All are covered in the service articles which you can read or download from the literature archive. Go to the service index, 55-6 Twin Ultramatic and then look for the three written about park issues. Those will give you ideas on what to check but on the revised internal parts there is no easy way for someone unfamiliar with Packard Ultras to tell by a glance whether the part is early or revised. The linkage issue is generally noted as a problem in getting out of park, not going in but have a look anyway. If the long rod and lever at the trans is almost in a straight line or even dropping down slightly when it is in park that is the early issue. If the end of the lever at the trans is pointed up maybe 5-10 degrees then is is the revised lever and issue is probably inside the trans.
On the gear select issue there can be a couple of reasons. Loose linkage or loose bolts and deteriorated rubber at the pivot arm positioned between the frame and engine/transmission where rods transition from vertical to horizontal is one place to look. The other or more common issue is a setscrew inside the transmission shown in the photo below. The screw can loosen or threads in the lever can strip letting the setscrew loosen and the lever that operates the manual valve used to select a gear range moves on the shaft. This valve also controls the detent feel so if you can move the operator lever up and down and there is slop instead of a noticeable detent feel between gears a loose lever is suspect. Easiest way to prove whether it is the setscrew or loose linkage somewhere else is disconnect the rod at the outer transmission lever and manually move the outer lever. If there is slop it is the setscrew. If it is tight then look for worn or loose linkage issues between the operator lever and transmission.
If the linkage feels tight but the indicator is off so it is hard to tell where the indicator is pointing, on early 55s the needle in the quadrant pointing to the various PNDLR letters could have moved and needs adjusting. That assy is located under the rubber flap covering the bottom of the steering column where it passes thru the dash.
Attach file:
lever.jpg (59.87 KB)
There were 3 primary known reasons for sticking in park. Some are linkage related and others are parts refinement. All are covered in the service articles which you can read or download from the literature archive. Go to the service index, 55-6 Twin Ultramatic and then look for the three written about park issues. Those will give you ideas on what to check but on the revised internal parts there is no easy way for someone unfamiliar with Packard Ultras to tell by a glance whether the part is early or revised. The linkage issue is generally noted as a problem in getting out of park, not going in but have a look anyway. If the long rod and lever at the trans is almost in a straight line or even dropping down slightly when it is in park that is the early issue. If the end of the lever at the trans is pointed up maybe 5-10 degrees then is is the revised lever and issue is probably inside the trans.
On the gear select issue there can be a couple of reasons. Loose linkage or loose bolts and deteriorated rubber at the pivot arm positioned between the frame and engine/transmission where rods transition from vertical to horizontal is one place to look. The other or more common issue is a setscrew inside the transmission shown in the photo below. The screw can loosen or threads in the lever can strip letting the setscrew loosen and the lever that operates the manual valve used to select a gear range moves on the shaft. This valve also controls the detent feel so if you can move the operator lever up and down and there is slop instead of a noticeable detent feel between gears a loose lever is suspect. Easiest way to prove whether it is the setscrew or loose linkage somewhere else is disconnect the rod at the outer transmission lever and manually move the outer lever. If there is slop it is the setscrew. If it is tight then look for worn or loose linkage issues between the operator lever and transmission.
If the linkage feels tight but the indicator is off so it is hard to tell where the indicator is pointing, on early 55s the needle in the quadrant pointing to the various PNDLR letters could have moved and needs adjusting. That assy is located under the rubber flap covering the bottom of the steering column where it passes thru the dash.
Attach file:
lever.jpg (59.87 KB)
This Post was from: https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=258187