Hello everyone. My problem persists and now there is another problem- winter has arrived on the weekend which prevents me from driving the car to check results of anything I try. I guess I will move on to other [inside] projects and come back to this in the spring. At this point I believe my problem lies somewhere in the shift controls [actuator, adjustment, etc.] although I can't understand that I've never managed to hit it right after all my attempts. Anyway, my project is going on hold for now until I can drive the car on dry roads, and I will be back on it in the spring. Will post on it then. Thanks to all who weighed in, and Merry Christmas to all.
Clifford

If you scroll back on this topic you will see 2 pictures of the shaft [taken from underneath, car on hoist, pan removed]. I believe that I must have installed something wrong when reinstalling the shaft after having it out to replace the seal. As I said, if I pull the shift motor down until it hits the trans. case, then move it up slowly until there is an obvious click when it drops into a detent [should be in reverse], car wants to move forward. Moving the motor back downward, there is resistance part way down, but no click into a detent. At this point the car goes into reverse, but in "high" it is in low gear. No matter how I adjust the actuator, pushing the "high" button always gives me low gear. When I removed the actuator and installed the shifter arm from a non push button car, setting it in high manually, car was in high.

I installed the shifter arm [on the outside of case] only to be able to place the trans. manually into the different gears. When in high position with shifter arm, the car was in high as it should be. However, with the electric actuator installed, that is where I'm having problems. I've tried a second actuator same problem persists.

Here we go again- my problem persists. I don't think it's a trans. problem as I replaced the actuator with the small shifter arm used on non push button cars, placed the trans manually into drive, and it was fine. I replaced the big cotter pin that was holding the shifter arm to the plunger, and slid the lock ring against the trans. case as suggested [I figured this was my problem because it was allowing the shaft to move]. Put everything back together, but things are still the same. If I loosen the bolts a move the actuator motor down until it comes against the trans. case, then move it slowly upward until there is an obvious click where it drops into a detent, the car wants to move forward instead of reverse. At this point, the motor is approx. parallel to the case [or ground], and there is approx. 1" between the end of the motor and the case. If I slowly move the motor downward, it comes to some resistance, but no detent click. Locking it at this point gives me reverse, but still no high gear. Approx. 1/2" now between end of motor and trans. case, and motor is downward from parallel. Please look at the pictures I sent previously to see if you can see anything that I could have installed wrong when I reinstalled the shaft after replacing the seal. Car shifted ok before I removed the shaft. so I'm convinced that I created the problem, but don't know how. Thanks.

Just submitted pictures taken from underneath car looking up into rear section of transmission. Do I have everything on the shift shaft together correctly before I put the pan back on. Thanks,
Clifford

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I've read the procedure for installing the actuator in the manual. Always wondered how you rock the engine while holding the actuator in place- must be a 2 man operation. How about this plan- if I pry the trans over and remove the actuator and replace it with the little arm [3.57787 outer] and place the trans in reverse manually, then reinstall the actuator and tighten the lock to shaft, and tighten both bolts on the support arm wouldn't everything be centered properly?

I now understand what is being shown in the diagram, I believe. I hadn't noticed the arc on the diagram which shows the movement of the arm. If this is showing the trans. in park, I assume as the arm rotates downward through the various gears & detents, that the plunger would be out to the final detent when the trans. is in reverse. Have I got that correct?

Let me try to clarify exactly what I'm referring to. As far as the diagram goes, I can't make head or tail of it- it doesn't look like anything in the actual tranny. The exploded parts diagram for the Ultramatic control assembly shows the parts, so lets go with that. Part # 3.57787 is used for the outside shift arm used on cars w/o electric actuator, and also the inside shift arm inside the trans that comes off the shaft. attached to this inside arm is part # 3.57786, which covers both the manual valve [I referred to it as plunger] and the arm that connects it to part # 3.57787. This is the arm I'm referring to. Since the manual valve can turn full circle in the control [if the arm is disconnected], then the arm can be connected with the L-bend facing either up or down. That is what I would like to see a clear picture of to see which way it should be connected.

Let me begin with an apology for not posting sooner, but I haven't yet solved my problem. I haven't had much time to work on my car [56 Caribb.h/t] as my wife just had major surgery [lobe of her lung removed]. The good news is all went well and she is recovering great.

My problem which I posted about probably a month ago. I replaced the shift rod seal on my Ultramatic, which was working fine except for the leaky seal. I removed the pan and took the shift rod out to check its condition, and installed the new seal - no leaks. However, the car now stayed in low gear, even with the "high" button pushed, no matter how much adjusting I did on the actuator. I installed a spare actuator with the same result. Then I removed the actuator and tied it out of the way, leaving wiring attached, and installed the arm from a 56 with regular column shifter on the shifter shaft. Then I crawled under the car and set it manually in the different gears, and all gears worked as they should. My conclusion was that I must have put something together wrong on reinstalling the shift shaft. Off came the pan again. I believe I put the arm that connects the shaft arm to the plunger that goes into the trans for the different detents on wrong. It can be installed with the slight L-shaped section facing up or down. Can't tell from the manual which way is correct.

I'm wondering if someone would post a close up of the shaft and connecting rod in the correct position. Hopefully someone has a transmission pan off that has things together properly. I could install it the opposite way and put it all back together, but I'd rather be sure before going to all that work. Thanks.