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

Hi all. Darndest thing. '54 Clipper three-on-the-tree OD. Sat with shifter in reverse. Won't come out of Reverse. Wiggled it giggled it. De-clutching makes no difference. Any ideas? It sits in the garage. Backed it up with starter, still stuck.

Have you tried to move the shift levers under the hood along the steering column?

Check all the shift linkage shown in this photo for wear or something loose or broken but pay particular attention to the two levers in the red circle. Those are what the operator lever first moves and both must be absolutely free to rotate independently on the shift tube.




An all too frequent issue with older models is the top lever which controls second and third gear is exposed to any water and dirt which might condense on the shift tube. That crud then runs down and gets in the space between the lever and tube to corrode or rust the lever to the tube.

Older models have no provision for lubrication on the upper lever and very little for the lower lever. Since aside from the shape of the levers, the 51-4 setup is almost identical in construction and operation it might need a good lube too. Symptom of a sticking upper lever is even if the lower reverse - first gear lever is the one selected to move, if the upper lever is sticking to the tube and tries to rotate at the same time as the lower lever the linkage geometry moves the 2-3 linkage a slight amount before R -1 can move. When both linkages move the transmission detent and lockout assy will often prevent any of the gears from being selected.

Here is an illustration and lube instructions for an earlier model but I cannot say for sure the oil hole in the shift tube and the upper retaining clip setup is exactly the same on the later cars.