|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just popping in
 
|
Just wanted to keep you updated on Throttle linkage and DD
My spring in the throttle rod seems to be stuck for good, nothing got it moving. I found a replacement in good working condition at Packards Southwest, not big money. They wouldn’t ship internationally though, so the part is waiting for me in NH until my next trip back “home”. Luckily, it is coming up pretty soon. DD is a different story. First, I adjusted the length of the rod to the measurement provided by 53 Cavalier. I took a test drive, but DD did not engage, neither at gentle throttle at low speed nor at medium throttle up to 40 mph. Yesterday, I made another adjustment and added about 1/16 in to the length of the rod. Then, I took another test drive. This was a 20 minute drive with intersections, narrow rotaries and sections of open road. Right out of the gate, again, no DD at gentle throttle and low speed for the first mile, but once I accelerated to about 35 mph, DD engaged pretty smooth but noticeable. Surprisingly, this initial DD engagement was the only one during the entire test drive. This at various speeds and throttle. I did not notice any switch back from DD into torque converter drive when slowing down, no noticeable disengagement. On the other hand, acceleration out of a rotary or intersection felt fine, no sluggishness. At one point I purposely made a complete stop, waited, and accelerated at medium throttle to about 45 mph. DD did not engage as RPM was noticeably higher compared to the DD at the start of the test drive. Any thoughts?
Posted on: 6/18 3:06
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
 
|
Thanks for the data. I suggest you disconnect the rod and match its range of motion to the throttle rod, so that when the throttle is all the way down, the transmission rod is likewise in the furthest position.
You may want to hook up an engine tach to watch the RPM at various speeds, as sometimes the engagement is not obvious.
Posted on: 6/18 6:30
|
|||
|
1955 400 | Registry | Project Blog
1955 Clipper Deluxe | Registry | Project Blog 1955 Clipper Super Panama | Registry Email (Parts/service inquiries only, please. Post all questions on the forum.) service@ultramatic.info |
||||
|
||||
|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
Hmmmmmm, it's good news that you found a new linkage and that your DD is working, at least sort of working. If you noticed that the DD engaged, and then after you slowed down it wasn't sluggish, it must have disengaged. That you never noticed that it engaged again is a bit perplexing. Either it's so smooth you're not noticing, or you're not going fast enough for it to engage for how it is currently set. Or there is something else quirky going on with your Ultrmatic. If the DD engaged around 35 mph, you should be able to slow down to around 15 mph, or stop, so the DD disengages, and then giving the car the same amount of throttle, duplicate the same results as many times as you like. Probably the best solution is to ship the Caribbean to me, along with the new linkage, and I'll get it all set! No charge, but it may take a few years! 
Posted on: 6/18 17:02
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just popping in
|
Again, thanks for the advice.
@Pgh Ultramatic I adjusted the rod according to your suggestion and did a test drive. DD seems to engage sooner and very smooth - really tough to notice. I also did the deceleration test (mentioned in a previous post) several times at around 35 - 40 mph and the car did slow down as expected when I slipped the foot off the gas pedal. I will definitely hook up a tacho at some point, need to find a 6v 8 cylinder model first though. Any idea where to find one? @53 Cavalier Hey, thanks for the offer. Of course, that's a tough decision I'll have to think about for a while..It could be a few years though...:)
Posted on: 6/25 10:56
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
You can find a digital tach online for very cheap. The cylinder count does not matter as you just connect it to the #1 wire and set it to "1 cylinder 4 stroke" in the configuration.
Posted on: 6/25 11:33
|
|||
|
1955 400 | Registry | Project Blog
1955 Clipper Deluxe | Registry | Project Blog 1955 Clipper Super Panama | Registry Email (Parts/service inquiries only, please. Post all questions on the forum.) service@ultramatic.info |
||||
|
||||
|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forum Ambassador
 
|
Quote:
Most of the digital tachs easily found are 12v and if you are still running 6v no idea how well the digital types would work. Westach still has some 6v analog types that are even somewhat period correct looking so that might also be an option -- but they are more expensive than a typical modern digital setup. As I understand it, when ordering from Westach you do need to confirm the number of cylinders and maybe something else as one poster did buy a unit which was not set up correctly when it was received. He did report that they immediately took care of the issue and he was happy with the service and operation. His posts are somewhere on the forum but as far as I know he is still satisfied with the unit.
Posted on: 6/25 11:55
|
|||
|
Howard
|
||||
|
||||
|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
Time to run the hydraulic tests and find out what the transmission is actually doing. To do the minimum of testing, you can start with the governor and direct drive pressures. While it would be good to test the pump pressure, we can assume that there is some as the car does drive. The governor pressure output is proportional to the vehicle speed (up to the maximum available pressure). When the speed gets high enough (governor pressure output) and the acceleration low enough in comparison (throttle pressure), the direct drive valve opens to engage direct drive. The direct drive pressure will appear like a step function. Disengaging direct drive on deceleration or hard acceleration will also look like a step function drop in pressure. When estimating direct drive engagement, pretend the car has a manual transmission and decide when you would shift into the 1:1 ratio (typically 3rd or 4th gear, depending on the car).
Posted on: 6/25 12:12
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
I think that the suggestion to use a tachometer was not to mount it permanently but to use it only as a tool for the current diagnosis. If that’s the case, just get a cheap one and mount it at the windshield using duct tape, connecting it to a small 12v battery under the hood. A tach doesn’t care where the power comes from!
Posted on: 6/25 12:26
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: 1953 Caribbean - spring loaded coupler on the carb pull rod frozen
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just popping in
|
Thanks all for the information and recommendation given.
I bought a cheap digital tachometer and hooked it up, taping it to the windshield. It worked well. Still, pretty tough to monitor and see the drop in RPM on the small screen when trying to maintain a steady speed in Switzerland's notoriously busy, up-and-down and narrow roads. In addition, we have become a country with a seemly infinite number of traffic circles (roundabouts), so constant slowing down and accelerating is the norm. Anyway, no complains here, but turned out, that it was easier for me to notice when driving: - At a speed of 25-30 mph, when getting the foot off the gas pedal, the car continued to cruise along just slowly loosing speed - Above 30 mph, when driving on a country road and letting the foot off, the car immediately started to slow down (the same feeling as when doing this in higher gear in a car with a manual transmission). - I also did repeat the acceleration test (out of small traffic circle of course) on a slightly uphill road with medium throttle and could feel the DD engaging consistently at around 35 mph. Based on that my guess is the Ultramatic is doing what it is supposed to do. ATF fluid level and color perfect, no bad or burnt smell. Obviously the engagement of DD is smooth and tough to notice, if at all. Thanks again for all your help. Won't hesitate to be back with other questions...:)
Posted on: Yesterday 10:08
|
|||
|
||||
