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

Hi All:

has anyone found a better solution to checking the tranny fluid on an Ultramatic. I suppose this will be a non issue after I get it resealed. Until then, it's a pain crawling under there.

Can a dipstick from a Gearstart or Twin be retrofitted?

Thanks

It would involve cutting your existing pan. The pan from a Gear Start or a Twin-ultra is the wrong depth and wont correct fit a regular Ultramatic. There are aftermarket companies that make "generic" transmission dipsticks, and I am sure with enough ingenuity you may be able to adapt something to work.

It blows my mind that Packard would omit the access plate all Hydramatics had. It makes any management outside of the dealer a problem and certainly the main reason Ultramatic was considered unreliable. I suppose the filler position relative to the gas pedal precludes such which is no excuse.

I do remember seeing an old time Packard guy topping his 53 Caribbean via the engine compartment, but I can't remember how he was doing it. I think he had some kind of extension on the filler with a long flexible dip stick.

I just fixed a leaky Ultramatic. The owner had given up on the thing and it was leaking very badly for years and years. He brought it back for something else and it sat all weekend with perhaps only a drop from the selector shaft. So they can be straightened out without mortgaging the farm.

My 2306 (Custom 8) had a removeable cover in the front floorboard over the dipstick. It didn't appear to be something home-made.

As I recall, my 54 conv had an inspection plate on top of the trans hump right over the trans vent. Fluid could be added there but you still had to crawl underneath to access the dipstick.

I won't swear to it but I believe this access panel is above the transmission filler plug. I don't know for sure because I use a length of plastic tubing and a funnel to fill via the dipstick opening on the left side of the transmission. It's a two man job where I'm under the car checking the dipstick and someone else is adding fluid as needed from the engine compartment via the funnel/tubing arrangement.

Of course this is a '50 not a '54.

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Here is what it looks like on my '54. I would imagine 51-54 should all be the same. This is on the middle of the hump directly in front of the seat.

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My '51 is the same as BigKev's. The access hole only allows you to fill it through a plug. You can't get at the dipstick from it.

I made a spacer for a friend so that he could install a later pan on his 54.
Traced a pan gasket on 3/16 aluminum and cut and drilled it to add depth for clearance. The dipstick tube bends had to be adjusted slightly to fit. Make allowance on the dipstick for the 3/16.
John

Thanks alot guys. I guess I'll need to get this resealed quick.

On another subject: Now that I have determined the leaks are from the shift and throttle shaft seals. Someone earilier told me these can be resealed in the car. Has anyone done this?

Thanks