Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I was driving my 1952 packard the other day and it shifted into high gear but when i stop at a light it felt like it was still in high gear. When i tried to take off it felt like it was about to die on me. Like it didn't down shift from high gear. What could be the problem?

Just to get the terminology more correct, I assume you know that the Ultramatic doesn't really "shift gears", the perceived "upshift" is really just the torque converter locking up via the direct drive clutch. Had the direct drive clutch failed to disengage when stopping (a perceived downshift) it would have stalled the engine so I rather doubt that was the problem. I'll let others speculate on what might explain your observations but are you pretty sure it was transmission-related and not engine-related?

Please describe in better detail as to what you mean by "still in high gear" ( e.g. it is sluggish when staring from a stop). Also, was it performing without any issues or strange noises before this?

One other thing, you want to avoid staring in "Low" and then shifting to "High" when starting from a stop.

Driving the car i can feel the transmission up shift but when i slow down it feels like it doesn't want to downshift. i have to push on the accelerator pedal slowly so the engine wont die.

It MUST ultimately "downshift" (direct drive clutch disengage) or the transmission will stall the engine when you come to a complete stop. If the direct drive clutch disengagement is simply show or delayed but ultimately does disengage, that's another matter and I'd suggest you consider examining the governor.

When is the last time the transmission pan was removed, filter inlet screen cleaned, and fluid replaced?

I don't know when the transmission was last serviced.

When the car stalls does it feel like a stick shift car when you stop without pushing in the clutch.

In any case, if it has been a while since the oil has been changed I do that and like Dave recommends I'd drop the pan and clean up things. Use Type F fluid when you change the oil. Max Merritt should have the gaskets.

Also "Best Gasket" makes the transmission pan gaskets as well and usually can be found through one of their distributors pretty inexpensively.

And when you remove the pan, before placing the new gasket in position and reinstalling the pan take time to use a straight edge on the pan flange facing the transmission. One or more bolt holes may have been distorted or pushed up when the bolts were previously tightened. If any areas are raised so the flange is not perfectly straight where it mates to the transmission the new gasket may not be able to seal properly and will leak. You can use a small ball peen hammer to gently tap any raised areas back down.

I don't recall what it is called, but some older cars with automatic transmissions had a device on the carburetor to prevent stalling when you slowed down. Did Packard?

Also, did you check the fluid level in the transmission? When doing so, it should be a nice red and not hazy with no burnt smell.