Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I was working under the hood of my 56 Executive when I noticed that when I pushed the 'L'ow button, the car went into REVERSE! The 'N'eutral button is in-between gears, and the 'R'everse button is Neutral! 'D'rive still seems to be Drive, but I am at a loss as to what to do to fix this, if I can fix this

Mr. Pushbutton might have already seen this and have an explanation but I would also be curious if the motor assembly is tight-- both on the transmission and on the shaft. If either is loose allowing assy to shift back and forth or causing a loss of precise travel when a button is pushed, that could cause a similar problem but if all is tight, then sounds like something in Mr. Pushbuttons dept.

Agree with Howard. Remove one screw on the cover at bottom of motor unit and swing cover aside. Observe while someone else goes thru the button range. If the unit remains still and the gear itself moves with each button, then you need some better diagnosis, ie Mr. Pushbutton.

Bhappy writes:
"working under the hood of my 56 Executive when I noticed that when I pushed the 'L'ow button, the car went into REVERSE!..."

I don;t quite understand. How do u work under the hood and press a button on the inside of the car too???? U have very long arms?????


Either way. TRy this:

Before pushing any button try pushing "P" or "N" first.

e.g. insteasd selecting "D" directly, select "N" or "P" then select "D".

Thanks for the info and I'll start looking when I have more time. It's a little frustrating with these special features of my Packard. I get one thing working properly and another thing goes TU

Guess it's what I signed up for when I got this beauty. After fixing this, I'm going to try and get my TL system working properly.

There is always the temptation of apply the quickest fix to problems like the push-button system. And I can certainly appreciate the situation if budgetary restrictions apply, but if finances allow it in the long run you'll be better off doing a comprehensive repair. The likelihood with a full repair of the PB system giving you a long and trouble-free future is much greater. I'd suggest if you can afford it that you remove the actuator motor assembly and make arrangements for Mr. Pushbutton to review it and bring it back to the best possible condition. He's built a fine reputation doing these units - I'm speaking from personal experience here and know that others share it.

I know that Mr. Pushbutton's work is very desireable and I would like to talk with him about this (maybe he could PM me w/the appropriate contact info?).

The problem started after tuning-up the carburetor and discovering a bad motor mount when reving the engine. The motor/trans movement probably did the damage to the actuator.

I hope to hear from Mr. Pushbutton soon.

A go thru of the unit would certainly be a good idea but in the short term, with your mention of a bad motor mount, all the more reason to check the unit and it's positioning. The frame is extremely close to the actuator assy and if the motor rocked or sagged, it's very possible actuator got bumped and is now out of position. I believe that was even mentioned in an article.

At the very least, I would check and verify the motor is fairly horizontal as shown in fig 240 in Twin Ultramatic supplement section of SM. If it's tight but at an angle, then I'd be suspicious. Might even pay to go thru the alignment procedure even if all is straight. If you remove the unit and send it in, you'll need to be familiar with the procedure anyway so you can remove and reinstall it.

Another advantage to going thru the procedure now is to check the tightness of the inner control valve link to shaft. A loose set screw there (a frequent and known issue) could also cause your problems and could not be ruled out if feeling the hard detent the procedure asks for is not happening within a very small amount of moving the assy.

One of my motor mounts was devulcanized on the 56 Carib when I got the car, the one on the "lift" side as the motor torques. At that time Kanter's new mounts were just on the market, much cheaper than a revulcanziing service on the old ones. Perfect duplicate of the original and not a hard job to install. Given what you've found, I'd recommend replacing your motor mounts at the same time you tackle the PB actuator. The rear mount mount (on the trans) also deserves a look-see but generally they have a pretty long service life compared to the fronts.

Great news, all is well with the push button controls. The actuator and motor had loosened and moved out of position Just needed to be aligned and tightened.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful guidance.