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New issue for my 41 Packard 110 deluxe…got into car other day and could not shift into reverse or first gear…tough feels like I can get it into second and maybe third but stiff….recentl the starter relay fried and I had starter repaired and put back…it starts right up again but now have this tranny issue..is there anything electrical that could have fried when the starter relay did that would effect tranny? Otherwise not sure where to begin..tks!

Probably the linkage is jammed. Perhaps it got bumped while working on the starter.

Nothing electrical at all connected with the transmission itself except 2 switches mounted to the outside of the case on the passenger side IF you have the Electromatic Clutch. They are not part of the transmission and are just actuated when you shift into a gear.

In addition to checking for something that bumped the linkage, have you checked the condition of the two shift levers at the bottom of the steering column? That symptom is somewhat typical if the upper 2-3 lever has started binding to the shift tube because of no lubrication. The upper lever has no provision for any kind of lube and water condensing on the shift tube can run down and get behind the lever. That starts corrosion and rusting which can bind the lever to the shift tube. Both levers must be absolutely free to turn independently because if you select one lever for a specific gear and the other wants to turn at the same time it causes the interlock inside the transmission to go active. Depending on which lever moves its linkage first determines what the trans will do. Geometry of the levers and linkage somewhat favors the 2-3 lever wanting to shift the trans first which locks out R-1.

Another possibility is the interlock block in the trans has loosened which was an issue on the prewar trans. Another possibility is wear on one of the detent balls or plugs in the interlock has allowed the ball or plug and the spring behind it to slip out of position and bind. That has also happened to others on the forum.

At the least I would verify the condition of the levers. You can disconnect the rods at the lever and then reach down and turn them by hand. Just sitting, the lower lever should be very easy to turn. The upper lever will be connected to the operator lever and will want to move it when you try to turn the lever. Having a helper pull the operator lever back will select the lower R-1 lever and the upper 2-3 lever should be very easy to turn. If the levers check out OK you might also go to the service index on the left menu and select the prewar models to check out transmission, then look at the gear shift, linkage, and lockout articles. There are quite a few referring to adjustment and wear issues that can cause the symptoms you are experiencing.

Here is an illustration of the column with the arrow pointing the suspect lever worth checking for being free to turn.

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Thanks! I just removed pins from the vertical rods from the two levers….they do NOT turn independently…I can wiggle them a little bit can’t separate them….what is best way to try two free them ?? I will be back at it at 330… thanks for the immediate help…!!

You need to first determine the reason why you cannot separate the levers and they both want to turn at the same time. Are they both starting to seize to the shift tube or is the selector tongue not being held firmly in the upper 2-3 lever by the spring when the operator lever is not being touched and has partially dropped into the lower lever.

Here are a couple of photos showing the levers. These are Clipper levers but aside from shape of the levers, the conventional body has the same selector arrangement. Note the rectangular sockets inside each lever. If you look at the illustration from one of the service articles you see the selector tongue in profile. That item is moved by pulling back on the operator lever. At rest, it is being completely pushed and held firmly in the socket in the upper lever by the spring. It is possible a mechanical bind or a weakened spring is not holding the tongue completely inside the socket in the upper lever.

To rule out an issue, it would be good to have a helper. Have him push the operator lever toward the dash and then see if the lower R-1 lever is now completely free to rotate. Then have him pull the operator lever back toward him as if shifting to R or 1 and see if the upper 2-3 lever is free. If that solves both levers wanting to turn together then look at the rod or spring inside the tube. Spring could have broken as another poster found to be the case on his car not too long ago. The spring is held by the cotter key below the bracket at the end of the tube. If you check the spring and remove the cotter key, take note that there may be a small metal disc at the end of the spring that acts as a spring seat. If present it will be held just above the cotter key and will want to come flying out along with the spring. There is the socket assy at the top end of rod and some anti vibration bushings along the rod. Something could have happened to one of them causing a bind.

If the spring and rod part is OK and levers still want to turn together it is probably a lube issue. If it has not gotten too bad, you can try some penetrating oil first. To get oil in the space between the lever and tube, you will probably need to remove the upper clip and slide the washer up. Add some penetrating oil and let it run down the tube into the space where the lever rotates. If there is a lot of build up it may take several treatments then when levers are free apply a liberal amount of regular motor oil. If they are still not completely free then it may take disassembly to hand clean the tube and inside of levers.

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Ok thanks I think I understand…I’ll get a helper and begin checking it out…will get back asap thanks again!

Ok had helper move shifter towards dash and then pull back….this made no difference…I can see that the bottom lever is free to spin on the column but the upper lever is frozen to column..it also seems like the lower lever is hung up on the upper lever? Making it impossible to rotate independently…like it’s caught on the upper lever?

I would suggest reading thru the service articles on shifting issues from 39 onward paying attention to those on gearshift, linkage, and locking in gear. There were some changes to clearances on the conventional body levers and a shim replaced a wave washer. There were also a couple of issues or changes with linkage farther down. Perhaps those items need checking or a burr has developed on one of the levers. Just because you have a 41 there is also no telling what parts might have been substituted if repairs were needed after Packard went away and a scrap yard was handy.

If the upper lever is sticking, by all means try the penetrating oil first but if it has rusted to the tube and is in the condition my 47 was in then disassembly and cleaning will probably be needed.

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Ok thanks..the bottom lever just freed itself but the upper is rusted to column ..I’m assuming it’s been this way for a long time and I was still able to shift it somehow….got it soaking now I will leave overnight…if that doesn’t work I will move to disassembling and cleaning ….have not done that before ..thanks to all…

Will I have to pull steering assembly out of car or can it be done under hood?