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Hello forums, my packard has run into an issue i cant seem to diagnose. just a couple days ago when i tried to start it up, my packard wouldnt get out of gear. i tried pulling the shift knob in every which way but am afraid if i pull any harder it might break. just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if they know how to fix it. It is a 1948 Packard Super Eight Touring Sedan if that helps at all.

A few more details would help. When you say "won't get out of gear" do you mean the gearshift lever will not let you physically move from one gear into another or into neutral and appears to be locked or do you mean the clutch will not disengage and the gears clash whenever you try to engage a gear. Both are known issues but have different causes.

The lever not moving issue is frequently caused by lack of lubrication on the shift levers in the engine compt at the bottom of the steering column. The top 2-3 lever in particular gets no lube and also gets condensed moisture running down the shift tube causing it to rust or corrode to the shift tube. The levers must be able to freely rotate independently on the tube and if the upper lever is sticking it tries to move its linkage even if the bottom R-1 lever is selected. That results in the interlock inside the transmission refusing to let any gear be selected. The clutch not releasing issue is frequently caused by moisture which has condensed on the flywheel or pressure plate and caused the clutch disc lining to "glue" itself to one or the other of the metal pieces.

The knob to the right of the steering column, when pulled out, locks out the overdrive but it does not directly affect the ability to move the gearshift lever from one gear to another -- except maybe into reverse under some circumstances.

Another question would be which overdrive do you have. The early 48s had the R9 and later models switched to the R11. R9s had an issue with shifting into reverse if certain abnormal conditions in the OD had occurred. Even if not the issue now it is good to know which model you have for any future needs. You can determine by looking at the overdrive relay inside the engine compartment. It is located on the drivers side of the firewall about halfway down. R9 has a fairly large squarish black box with 6 terminals and the R11 relay is a smaller rectangle and usually a natural zinc color with 4 terminals and a fuse mounted on the side.

Have you tried looking into the clutch linkage? Sounds like something is in a bind under there and not letting you move the shifter.

And you're right, if the shifter doesn't want to move, don't force it - find the problem or forcing it will likely make things much worse. Afraid there's not much info to go on from your post, but I'd start with the shift linkage.

Hello , yes I am talking specifically about the lever not moving. I’ll look into the linkage. Unfortunately at the moment I don’t have access to determine the type of transmission as the car is located a ways from home and I just got it a month ago. I will definitely get back with updates as I figure stuff out.

Also, thank you guys for all your help.

It is possible to get the transmission in two gears at the same time if the linkage is worn and then the lever will not move. It is necessary to manually move the shift arms on the steering column back to neutral, this can take some effort. I used to have the problem on my 48 till I replaced the arms on the column.

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I’ll check it out, thanks

It is possible to get in two gears but if you find this to be the issue would strongly suggest you look at the interlock mechanism inside the trans case. Possibly a spring has broken of the interlock block has come loose from the case. The entire purpose of the interlock is to prevent more than one gear being selected at a time. As soon as one lever moves the slightest bit out of neutral and toward a gear position all motions of the other lever and its two gears are blocked.

David,

I just lked at your profile and was quite surprised at what I saw. You're only 17! A lot lot youger than most of us on here. I'm also impressed you own a '48 Packard Super 8 Touring Sedan. Way to go!

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Precisely!!! Good luck with it. One of us geezers will/can help you with this.


Occam and I are betting on bound-up linkage.