Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Beautiful day here in the northeast with warm temperature and changing leaf colors so I took the 1940 Packard 160 out for a ride. On two occasions I had trouble going from first to second. Felt like something was binding. Also, when back in the driveway, I had trouble getting into reverse. Now, everything seems to be fine but, with all the increased traffic these days, I don't want to get caught in first gear and not be able shift smoothly. Any thoughts, ideas? Thanks!

One area on later Clipper based models that causes binding and hard shifting is lack of lubrication at the shift levers located at the bottom of the steering column.

The two levers need to be able to freely rotate on the shift shaft or tube. When R or 1 is selected, the tongue which is splined to the shift tube and rests inside a cavity in the upper lever moves down and engages the bottom R-1 lever to move the linkage to the transmission. The top 2-3 lever has to be completely free so it can remain stationary as the shift tube rotates the lower lever. Conversely, if 2-3 is desired the bottom lever must be free so it does not move. The interlock in the transmission case will come into play as any gear is selected but if two try to come in at once it will block both movements.

The Clipper design is cosmetically different but mechanically operates the same as the 40. There is a small oil hole on the Clippers (not sure if there on the 40) that wants a few drops of oil periodically. That oil will run down inside the tube to catch the tongue and some will run out a slot in the tube and wet the bottom lever. There is no provision for any lube to reach the top lever. That lever frequently dries and corrodes wanting to stick to the shift tube causing the hard shift issue on the later models.

I would suggest you look for a small roughly 1/8" oil hole on the engine side of the shift tube. If you find one place a few drops of oil inside. Also place a few drops of oil at the top of the upper lever and let it run down between the lever and tube. If there has been no attention then also place a few drops of oil in the middle between the levers so it can run down to catch the lower lever. That procedure has helped several with shift issues on the later models.

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Two thoughts:
1. NEVER try "sliding" from first to second in one motion. Do the FULL prodedure: up, over in neautral, up to second.
2. For reverse, try pumping the clutch once or twice before going into reverse.

Thank you,Howard and West!

Hello George:

You need to read this thread about the 1940-41-42 shifter issues:https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=6106&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0

You will also find that the search engine is your friend. A lot of items have been discussed before.

All the best to you and your 1940 160.

Thank you, Roger. I somehow missed the previous posts. Good information there.