Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Only on occasion, but nonetheless very annoying, my '39 Six will lock up in 1st gear as I try and shift from 1st to 2nd. I've had finicky linkage on older cars before and sometimes one can develop technique to avoid it, others it can be simple adjustment, and, in some cases, just the byproduct of excessive wear. Once locked, I have to pull over, shut the engine off and push and pull on the two linkage arms until the thing frees up. I haven't quite figured out yet what I am doing when I AM finally successful, as this may speed things up a bit, but am wondering if there are any kits, known fixes or adjustments that can be performed to eliminate the locking up altogether??? I presume this is a known problem and would truly appreciate the benefit of those who have successfully conquered it with the Packard linkage. (P.S. when I replaced my engine/transmission, I was careful to 'bag and tag' all the linkage components and during reassembly, made sure they were all well lubricated; AND the issue existed before I pulled the motor out)

Any number of causes and Packard found quite a few of them but worn or misadjusted linkage tops the list. Suggest you go to the Service Index on the left menu, Select 37-42 cars and then Transmission and Overdrive. Drill down to gearshift and all the various linkage and lockup categories and peruse the service bulletins to get a feel for what might be worth checking..

There are a few pertaining to some bushings which very early linkage such as your 39 might still have. There have been several people who have found the ends of their shift rods worn quite badly to the point they had to have them welded to build the metal back up and then ground to size for the bushings again.

I hope I remember this correctly and if not, someone please say so but as I recall Ross mentioned he uses the procedure as Packard wrote it to adjust the levers but then adds another turn to the low/reverse turnbuckle so first gear is kind of preloaded and wants to start to move out of mesh just a tiny bit before second wants to move in. This was on the Clipper body style linkage but there would probably be the same adjustment available for the prewar design.

Good Packard Morning to you...Just a thought...when we purchased our 1949 deluxe, 288 three on the tree with overdrive, it would stick in second and we would have to disconnect the shifter arms and move them back into natural and re-connect them...a real pain the neck!

We flushed the transmission really, really well and put 140 weight transmission oil in it and we have not had any more trouble. Only God (maybe) knows what was in that transmission when we purchased the car!

Maybe you should read this thread about 1939 to 1941 shifter linkage lockup:packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0

Yes, it is 4 pages and takes some twists and turns, but I think you'll gain knowledge along the way. It provides several causes for lockup and how to fix it.

Hope you find it useful.

--Roger--

Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate the time taken to reply. I will peruse the suggested reading and see if I can figure anything out. I recall many years ago, as a kid, having a Vauxhall, of all things, that did the same thing. An old-time mechanic put it on the hoist with me in the driver's seat, had me do some shifting while he adjusted the linkage underneath and the thing shifted like silk ever-after. Hopefully I can effect a similar outcome, loaded with the Packard bulletins.
Ernie, I did have the transmission rebuilt whilst I had the engine out, and it has fresh gear oil. Also, like I stated, it did this 'before and after' the engine removal, so I am quite sure it is a linkage issue. Thanks again for the info. Chris.

Was the problem resolved yet? John

John, the short answer is 'no' it is not. I DID go through that suggested long and convoluted thread on the subject and it sounds like the problem is both common and has myriad root causes. It is not something that happens with huge frequency on my car, but is very annoying and usually most inopportune when it does. I do find that if I don't PUSH the lever when going from 1st to 2nd, then it is less likely to freeze up. I also noticed that 'Ross' seemed to be the 'house expert' on the subject and I was going to ask him for some adjustment tutorage. He says in a post to someone else with the same problem: 'lengthen the turnbuckle on the 1-R link between the column and the idler on the side of the engine slightly. This will insure the transmission and the column reach their crossover at the same time.' I am not sure I fully understand this and I don't want to open a can of worms and maybe even make things worse!! So, to answer your question, I am just 'managing' the problem and trying to 'avoid' it.