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

Greetings! I am about to purchase a 1950 Packard Eight 2301 Touring Sedan, with a three speed manual transmission but am concerned about a sticky feeling when shifting/downshifting: especially shifting into reverse. On first blush the linkage appears normal and somewhat lubricated. The car has not been driven much over the last four years. What action should I take to determine if this is a unique problem to this car or general in nature? Can I feel somewhat confident that other than linkage damage/misalignment that I can clean all involved parts and lubricate fully that this sticky feeling will likely be cleared? Are there springs and/or other hardware that may be damaged or missing I need to check? Thank you for the consideration of your experience. I greatly appreciate it and hopefully will soon be a car owning member among you. My intention is to work on this car together with my 10 year old grandson creating quality time together where many life's lessons present themselves and the opportunity to teach is natural. Thank you.

Checked for slop where there are joints in any of the linkages. It is common for the holes to get wallowed out and then need bushes installed. Also, any tubes that move up and down the column may need to be removed, cleaned, and lubed.

***TOPIC MOVED TO POST-WAR FORUM***

In addition to checking for wear at the ends of the long rods which is fairly common and can cause a sloppy feel, you might try placing a few drops of oil in the hole on the shift tube so it can run down inside. In addition, pace a few drops on the tube just above the levers which are below the hole more toward the bottom of the steering column. You might need to make clearance between the clip and washer above the lever so oil can get in to be able to run down and get behind the upper lever. Let it sit a bit or help it work in and then try the shifting again.

The levers need to be absolutely free and must independently rotate on the tube but the upper lever has no provsion for any lube yet gets any moisture that might condense on the tube and run down to start a rust and corrosion issue between the lever and tube. The rust causes the upper lever to stick and want to turn even though the lower lever might be the one selected for the gear you are trying for. Both levers moving at the same time causes lockout and sticking issues.

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  shift tube lube copy 2.jpg (95.01 KB)

G'day Frogmagic,
to PackardInfo.

I invite you to include your'50 Eight Touring Sedan in PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry.

Thank you very much!

Thank you! I will look on the post war section.

Thank you HH56 for your reply, information and the annotated photograph

Thanks HH56! I appreciate the reply, the information and the annotated photo. I will keep you posted on how I do. all the Best!

Your advice was right on the money. No more sticky shifting. Thank you very much! I now better understand the shifting system and inspected every connection, washer and cotter pin. While the lubricating was key, the main constraint was that dried grease and road grime built up between the two. This was eradicated by scraping and degreasing. I will keep an eye on this area going forward...and reverse too! Haha! Thanks again!