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I'm having issues with the direct drive clutch engagement on my recently purchased 55 Clipper. The previous owner did a carb rebuild and the carb seems to work well. However, I suspect (hope) that the direct drive clutch engagement issue (moaning & slipping) is related to linkage adjustment. In service bulletin 340, it shows how to adjust throttle linkage length, but does not indicate where on the shaft to adjust (set) the transmission cross shaft collar, in relation to the threaded throttle shaft. Any recommendations? Midway in the threaded portion of shaft or so far from either end? Mine was set at the far (firewall) end of the threads, which seems an extreme position. Figure in service bulletin 340 shows collar somewhat midway in threaded portion.

If I am understanding your question there may be two adjustments involved. The 55-6 service manual starting on page 52 of the Twin Ultra section has you adjust the carb part of the rod to get a couple of conditions in the overall linkage. Once the overall conditions are met you then adjust the throttle linkage cross piece to get the 3 1/2" distance between the ultra portion and the dash as mentioned in bulletin 340. If the parts are the correct items and the overall rod length is correct the throttle linkage adjustment piece should fall about in the middle of the threaded portion.

when I read SB 340, it shows the 3.5 inch distance between the acceleration linkage center screw and the dash and says nothing about the distance of the Ultramatic lever to the dash. Am I reading it wrong?

If you have the overall 3 1/2 then I would wonder if the lever on the side of the trans is in the proper place. If that was not clamped on the throttle shaft at the proper spot then it would make the front end of the throttle linkage wrong. You might check the bottom end adjustment as per page 52 in the SM to see if the lever is clamped onto the shaft at the proper location.

I adjusted the transmission rod collar to the mid-range of the accelerator threaded rod & took the car for a drive. For the first mile or so, there was still slipping in direct drive, but the more I drove it, the slipping seemed to diminish. (Maybe clutch material was slightly glazed.)Mostly present under light load or deceleration only. Didn't moan at all & car seems to coast (decelerate) easier. Previously, it was like there was an anchor tied to it. Whenever you let off the gas, she would really slow down. Drives pretty good for having sat soo long. Only 1500 miles in last 20 years.

You really need to check the bottom end too just to be sure the geometry you are relying on for the rest of the linkage is correct. Once that has been verified go back to the top and see if it still wants to be where you have it. It may be OK at the bottom and the car will do well with where you placed the top end but throttle linkage adjustment is so critical on an Ultra. Among other things throttle linkage controls the amount of clamping pressure applied to the high range clutch plates. If a misadjustment allows those discs to rotate against each other a burned high range clutch happens very quickly.

Sorry to hijack this thread. I will start a new one if necessary but there was a lot of great HH56 info on this one that is relevant. After reading this thread, I remembered that when I switched from a Carter WCFB to the 4GC on my 55 Patrician I just did a quick linkage adjustment to ensure the linkage wasnt hitting the firewall. So I went back last night to be a little more careful with the adjustment. Following the top end procedure on page 52 of the SM, the throttle linkage adjustment piece ended up very far forward, close to the turnbuckle. This didnt seem right so I then went to do the lower end procedure on the kick-down lever on the passenger side of the tranny. When I first started playing with it, the lever would very easily move forward and back, even with the long connecting rod attached. It moved so easily that I thought it wasnt connected to anything inside the tranny. Plus, it did look like the lever was mounted a bit to far aft as per the SM procedure of using a straight edge etc. All I did was to use a socket wrench and box end wrench to loosen (didnt take too much force) the bolt that holds the lever to the shaft and the damn trans shaft will no longer rotate. It went from feeling disconnected to locked up. Not sure what I may have hit or done to it. I started the car and ran the tranny through the gears (brake on) so see if pressure on the system would put things back to normal. But no joy. I must have done something inadvertently to have the shaft no longer move. Any suggestions? Thanks

There is no hard or fixed connection between the throttle shaft and the throttle valve. A pin on the shaft slides in a groove on the valve. As you rotate the shaft the pin pushes or pulls the valve and it just slides in the bore. There is no load so it would almost feel as if nothing was connected or moving. Sometimes you can hear the valve as it hits an end stop but not always.

I suspect what has happened is either the pin has somehow been forced out of the groove or the shaft was moved and has gotten wedged under or over the valve so it cannot move. Either way the pan will need to come off so you can put the pin back in the groove. If the pan comes off you may need a new pan gasket so keep that in mind.

Here is a photo composite showing the two pieces. Note that the shaft has been pushed out of position in the photo. They are showing seal replacement in the view I chose which was the best one showing the pin. With everything in a normal position the pin would be positioned on the inside of the valve.

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Howard, thanks so much. With your description and the picture, I understood the internal geometry better so I was able to twist and wiggle the shaft back in a bit and it seems like it reseated in the groove. I played with the lever and made sure it was close to what was described in the manual (cold engine/trans). I think it was good before I started..

With the bottom adjusted, I warmed up the engine and at 450 idle adjusted the top linkage as per the manual. the throttle linkage adjustment is far forward, almost touching the turnbuckle. Seems too far forward. I measured from the firewall to the back end of this linkage as per the SC and it was 3-3/8".

Do I need to measure the lower trans throttle shaft when the engine is warm?

Other than that, not sure what else to do. Maybe this is okay for my car. The shaft has a noticeable bend in it, that could cause the position to be further forward than typical.

thanks again for your assistance.
-Bob

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Once the lever is adjusted on the throttle shaft there is nothing more that needs doing under the car. If the top measurement is correct then that part of the linkage should also be OK. While the adjustment point is far forward, it does look like there is still a bit more it could go so it is not past adjustment and may be OK. One thing I notice is your car appears to have never had the extension installed on the rear link piece. Installing one might help the situation.

The only other thing I can think of that might affect where the point sits is the shape of the rod going down to the trans. If that rod is bent and measurement is wrong that could be causing the issue. Here is the official rod measurement but as long as the bracket is not forced against the forward nut I think I would be tempted to leave it alone.

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