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Based on a past thread or two here and over on the AACA forums, I went to Tractor Supply today and purchased a bottle of "Traveller Ford Tractor All Mineral Oil 90 Transmission Fluid". I helped my father years ago when he added gear oil after removing the floor boards of the car. It had been very low and needed more but it was some standard gear oil to the best of my recollection. My question is should I drain what is currently in there before I add the new oil and if so, how?

I know I usually have some pretty basic questions, and I try to do my homework by looking in my physical copies of the Motors Manual that covers 1937 and the Packard Operation And Maintenance Data as well as the Shop Manual on this site, but sometimes they take for granted that I should have more practical knowledge than I really do.

You can check and fill the transmission oil without having to remove the floor boards, if you can jack up the car. Take it to a quick lube and have them check and fill, if not able to jack it up. A good transmission oil many of us have found to work well is a modern GL-1 85W-140 fluid available at your local auto parts store.

Hi Cartrich,

Attached is a picture of your transmission and you can clearly see the drain plug (front) and the fill plug (rear). Following John's advice (and making sure you block the car up safely) I would undo the drain plug and just let a bit of oil out and have a look at it. If it's totally black, it certainly wouldn't hurt to drain it completely and refill with new oil. They only take around a quart, so not an expensive flush. If you can see through the lubricant, it would probably be okay to top it off. You can't overfill it as the fill plug only allows the correct level and then it will just run out. The bigger issue here is 'where is the oil going'?? If it's leaking, that is something you should address and it also might be time for a 'condition evaluation' of the tranny itself. How does it shift and are there any noises you can correlate to any shifting or specific gear running, etc.?? Kanter has a minor service kit for these gearboxes for around $150 and if you remove the unit, clean it up and take it to a good transmission outlet, you should be able to get it redone reasonably. When I took mine out, I noticed a bit of play in both input and output shafts and, although it wasn't leaking per se, (no drops on the floor) there WAS a bit of oil weeping past the seals, so definitely time for a service. Good luck. Chris.

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this is a VERY easy trans to rebuild.

also do yourself a favor and get one of those pump attachments that you can hook on top of the oil bottle.

tilting the bottle up high enough to fill with the trains in the car is a pita.

For what it's worth, the photo is of a 39 or later column shift transmission whereas 38 and earlier were floor shift.

Good point, Pat. I was just trying to to show the drain and fill ports. Chris.

Idle curiosity, what is one of these trans worth?

The last 1937 transmission I sold went for something like $150 and that was after advertising it for years. That was over a decade ago, though, so maybe higher now. Of course, I paid nothing for it as it came installed in my 1941 Henney-Packard so was replaced with the proper transmission as soon as possible.

The one in the picture is out of my '39 Six; came with the car, so no idea on 'whole cost', but had it rebuilt for around $300USD, so, somewhere in there.... Chris

I have a pump for my outboard lower unit refill that fits a quart bottle. I got mine years ago at West Marine