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Well after much trouble I was finally able to get the transmission throttle linkage back on the tranny and adjusted. That is a job that requires at least 3 hands!

Then I reattached the carb linkage and double checked the carb was bolted all the way down. That also reminded me I still to bend up new vacuum lines between the manifold, fuel pump and wiper motor. But that is top-side work. This week is about bottom side work.

So since I was already tinkering with the transmission, I decided to pull the pan and clean the filter. The fluid was the same fluid that I bought the car with so I know it needed to get changed.

So I broke lose the drain bolt (1-1/16 inch wrench required), the fluid was still pretty red, and didnt smell horrible. Next after a liberal dosing of PB Blaster I managed to get the filler tube loose. Pan bolts were next, and the pan came loose pretty easily. Boy would all of this have been easier with a lift.

So off came the pan and yuck. 1/2 inch of sludge in the bottom of the pan. Everything visible on the bottom of the transmission was also covered with sludge. So a couple cans of brake-cleaner later I made it look much more presentable. Then I could actually see how the filter is removed. Removed the push-on clip and dropped the filter. That is where I knew that this transmission has had no service in a long, long time. The filter body was completely filled with hardened muck, even past the screen. It took nearly an hour with cleaning to break it all loose and make sure nothing else was in there. I am just praying the last owner didn't kill the transmission by driving it like this for too long. Perhaps that is reason the car was parked in 1986. I also scrapped out all the muck and sludge in the bottom of the pan, and degreased it. Then I ran the pan through the media blaster to clean it up some more.

I sprayed the mounting flange on the pan with some copper gasket sealer, and then laid down the replacement gasket from UltramaticDynamics. Because this gasket was in a package for a long time, I had to use the pan bolts to keep the gasket in place while until it relaxed and the sealer stuck it pan. Then I sprayed the other side of the gasket with more sealer and bolted in back to the transmission.

The pan gasket came with a plastic style washer for the drain bolt. So I used that when I reinstalled the drain bolt.

As I was loosing the light in the garage I will wait until tomorrow to reinstall the filler tube and add the fluid. I also want to repaint the filler tube while it as out of the car. I will paint the transmission and pan later after cleaner up the rest of the frame and chassis.

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Kev, before you put the trans pan back up, put a small strip magnet in the base off in a corner. Thus when and if the trans sheds any small ferrous fragments, they'll be caught by the magnet rather than circulate thru "the works".Your local parts guy might have such a magnet, many transmission shops do this.

PS - the brown/tan "mush" you see is likely soft friction material, clutch and band lining material.

Kev -

I'm concerned about all that sludge - wonder what's lurking in places you can't see.

You might want to remove the governor assembly for inspection and cleaning, while you're into it this far - though it's more under-car work. Not sure if the governor can be accessed from the outside of the transmission case with the Gear Start - like previous versions of the Ultramatic.

Also, did you drain the torque converter? Remember, unlike modern converters, this one has two drain plugs (one as used as a vent when draining).

BTW, the Ultramatic oil pan uses the same drain plug and washer-type gasket as the engine oil pan.

Kev, I will pass on what my rebuilder instructed me to do. Run about 500 miles with the new AT fluid. Fresh AT fluid will clean the tranny out better than any parts washer. Drain out the fluid after 500 miles including the converter. You might even consider dropping the pan again and cleaning it out. Leave it drain for several hours. I also have a magnet in the pan - good idea. Put in fresh fluid. Save the used fluid to mix with acetone per other users. It will make a great rust-buster.

Thanks for the advice guys. The pan is already back on. So I may fill it for the time being just so keep everything "wet". Perhaps I can sneak a magnet through filler hole before reattaching the filler tube. I also still need to remove the lower bell-housing so I can get at the converter to drain it. I also need to add a plastic washer to the engine oil pan as it has been leaking oil from the drain plug.

Once I got the motor running then I was going to try to judge where I am at with the Gear Start. Hopefully the fresh fluid and the clean pan and screen will help to flush out anything that is left in there. Then I can drop the pan and clean everything out again to make sure.

Also there was no metal bits or shavings in pan when I dropped it, so I assuming that at least is a good thing. Also there were no metal shaving stuck in the filter screen or in the fluid that was drained out.

Could this also indicate a leaking tranny cooler? It looks like the inside of the tranny of my Country Squire when the cooler/radiator combo was leaking, allowing the fluids to mix.

If I remember correctly Kev, you have an NOS one on the car now. Did you replace it because it was leaking?

One question I did have is about the throttle linkage. There appears to be a second connection tab on the pivot point at the bottom of the firewall. Any ideas what it is for?

Thanks,

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Extra return spring?

Looks like it might be 9.11361 leftover from 22nd-23rd series for a return spring. Check plate 55.

Don,

The fluid was the right color, didn't look milky. So I don't think there was any water mixed in. I just think it was never properly serviced for a long time.

But I have replaced the cooler with a NOS unit as mine had rusted coolant hose connections, and I also replace all the lines. So that should not be a problem going forward.


Randy,

I will take a look at that plate. It looked like a spring connection, but I didn't see anywhere under the car it would have connected. I guess that throttle pivot point didn't change from the bathtub series.