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

I have a '53 Clipper with Ultramatic. The TCC appears to lock up at appropriate speeds, depending on throttle setting. The problem is that when the engine and transmission are thoroughly warmed up, the TCC does not disengage until the car is at a crawl. This causes the engine to lug on deceleration to a stop. When the transmission and engine are cold, the behavior is much better. I believe the tranny has Type F fluid in it.

I found a receipt from a previous, previous owner for a transmission rebuild only a few years ago, but it doesn't go into detail about what was done.

Does anybody have any ideas? I searched the archive but didn't run across anybody who had this specific problem. The TCC engagement seems grabby.. It is quite noticeable when it happens, though I wouldn't call it a jerk or a lurch.

The direct drive should disengage at 10 to 11 mph and since one would assume it has been working normally prior to the recent issue I believe a dirty or sticking governor valve has been the usual cause of the late disengagement on units that suddenly started having the problem. If you recently acquired the car and have no history of it's prior performance then other things could bear looking into.

If the rebuild could also have included doing a factory mod of changing or modifying a check valve which had not been done back in the day when car was in normal use, there could be a condition in the governor which may need to be corrected.

A less likely cause could be the quality of the rebuild. If some critical bushings or a worn shaft did not get replaced pressure could be bleeding off and not allowing other valves which are involved to function properly. Since it seems to happen when warm and oil is thin a pressure bleedoff problem could need to be investigated.

The "grabby" part may be due to glazed and hard direct drive clutch lining. It is a common occurrence after all these years and is frequently accompanied by a groan or "mooing" sound. The oondition is more annoying than harmful and can be relieved by letting up on the throttle as the direct drive transition is made so the clutch is allowed to engage quickly without as much slipping.

I know some don't care much for the transmission "wonder products" but if the car sees very little use and since something needs correcting anyway, perhaps a bottle of transmission conditioner designed to free up valves might be worth trying.

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It's not clear to me that the Service Counselor advice applies as it does not explain your observation that the problem is exhibited when the transmission fluid is warm or hot and presumably the hydraulic pressures might be lower. Probably the best person to discuss it with is Ross Miller, but for what it's worth my advice is to try the very simple and easy things first, remove and clean the governor.

The article may not be the most appropriate but is one of the few that mention speeds and how the governor relates. Here is an article on cleaning the governor and another warning about wire brushes and what diameter nylon brushes to use.

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Something like that happened on my 1953 Patrician and it was to the point that the engine would actually stall when coming to a stop. Unfortunately it happened on a local Packard Club event about 100 miles from home but I was able to get back without stopping much. When I did have to stop, I shifted to neutral, then dropped it into gear when it was time to move. It turned out to be the centrifugal weights on the governor which are accessed quite easily behind a plate which was, I believe, the driver side and it wasn't even necessary to drain the fluid. Simply taking off the cover, removing the governor and freeing up the arms, it worked fine from then on until I sold the car decades later!