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

The transmission takes a minute or so to start moving when it sits for a long period. Once its moving it runs fine.Forward and reverse both work fine once moving.

The converter fluid drains back into the pan within a few minutes after the engine is shut off. When starting the engine again fluid has to be pumped back into the converter before much can happen. You didn't mention a year or whether this is something new so it could be a normal delay or possibly something like a clogged inlet screen or sticking valve is restricting the flow of fluid and it is taking longer than normal to refill the converter.

Another possibility is a sticking valve or a low pressure delaying the application of the high range clutch discs in a regular Ultra or the discs and/or the low range band in a Twin Ultra. Either delay would let the engine race with nothing happening until the clutch or band had a tight hold.

its a 1952 ultramatic.I havent had the car long but its aways done that.I did have the pan down a while back and it looked clean inside. I replaced the pan gasket because it was leaking.Will it hurt the trans to leave it like that it seems to work fine once it sucks up the oil.I did put the correct type a fluid in it

Ross is the Ultramatic guy on the forum so hope he sees your post and has a suggestion -- both as to cause and the damage question.

One thing to remember is the Ultramatic was sort of new and improvements were still happening in 52. Without driving the car it can be hard to know if there is a problem or is in fact what is to be expected. The Ultramatic is essentially a single speed gearbox with torque multiplication in the converter. That means it does not jump or screech tires when the accelerator is pushed like we are used to today. With normal operation it starts in high range and stays in high range. Only time it gets to low range is if the operator moves the lever to the low position. Torque multiplication in the converter provides what might be thought of as a lower gearing for starting from a stop but is no way comparable to a standard shift or even a Hydramatic of the era that did actual physical gear shifts from a low to higher range. Aside from smoothness is the fact the Ultra does lock out the converter above roughly 20mph for better efficiency and less heat or power loss generated by the converter. The slight jolt at the lockout or direct drive engagement is thought by some to be a physical gear shift but it is not. Another characteristic of the original Ultramatics is if going over 45 mph or so and you want more power to pass they do not drop out of direct drive or downshift to provide the fast acceleration we are used to today.

Assuming there is an actual problem, for my two cents, if damage could occur depends on whether it is the converter not filling or the clutch not applying. As long as you allow the time for whatever is happening to finally get finished and do not race the engine or try to move and apply torque then I doubt there would be any damage. If it is a slow converter fill then as it gets more fluid inside it would gradually start having enough power to move the car but no real damage would be done.

If it is the high range clutch not tight enough to grab that is another story. If the car does not try to move for the extra few seconds then there will be minimal heat generated. With the discs sliding against one another and trying to transmit enough torque to move the car however, there could be enough heat generated by the slipping discs they would be burned and worn down.

Burned clutch discs is a frequent issue when the throttle linkage is out of adjustment. The throttle linkage relates to accelerator position and engine speed or power. Packard designed the Ultra for smooth operation so among other things, throttle position determines how much pressure is applied to the high range discs to ensure they do not grab so suddenly when the car is at rest as to cause a jerk but are still tight enough not to slip when specific amounts of torque is needed such as when pulling away from a stop or driving and suddenly needing a burst of power.