Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Hi:

I just bought a 1956 Patrician that is an older restoration and was stored for the last number of years. My sons (10 & 11) helped me find it and were instrumental in working me over till I bought it. I'm glad they did. It's a fun car but I'm having some issues that I need an experienced owner to help explain. Thank you in advance.

1) The seller merely stored the car and provided me with an extensive file covering the vehicle history. The transmission was rebuilt approx. ten years ago and it leaks like a Sieve. I replaced the pan gasket with a fresh cork / rubber gasket and sealed it well. It leaks more than ever (approx. a pint / week). Until I can get it on a lift, it is very hard to see exactly where it's leaking from. Can someone suggest some things to check before I pull it out and hope to find a knowledgeable rebuilder? (note the trans was extremely clean inside - no grunge, sludge, filings, etc.)

2) The transmission itself when driving: I can't discern actual shifts. Very strange. I end up driving it mostly in "H" and I can't even tell if it's shifting when I try "L", "D", or "H". Is this transmission screwed up or, is this how a Packard transmission works?

3) The suspensions leveling system has me baffled. I thought it was supposed to work even when parked and could be tested by standing on the rear bumper. Doesn't work.
It has a manual switch under the dash (LH side) that lets me manually raise / lower the ride height. If it would stay in one position that would be fine. Right now, whenever I hit the brakes to stop, it jacks the rear of the car way in the air. THAT is a very strange feeling for sure. Does anyone have some advice as to is this working normally or am I in store for a few headaches?

Other than these issues this has got to be one of the nicest looking 50's era cars we could afford. We love it.

Thank you.

Congratulations. The 56 is a beautiful car when all sorted out.

Typical places the transmission leaks are the front pump shaft and seals around the throttle valve shaft on the passenger side and the selector shaft on the drivers side. The two side seals are obvious but if the front seal is leaking that will have oil coming out around the inspection plate edges or the small hole in the bottom of the lower bellhousing cover.

To a lesser extent, if the pan mounting lip has been distorted by the pan bolts being tightened too much it can leak around the cork gaket between bolts. You can check for distortion by using a straightedge across the pan at the bolt holes when the pan is off. Use a small hammer to flatten any metal that is pushed up so the gasket has a smooth surface to seal against.

The 56 Twin Ultramatic is significantly improved over the 55 with different shift points and other refinements but was still a relatively new item. H or D are the two main operating modes. In H there is no shift. It starts and stays in high range with a transition (not a shift) to direct drive which locks out the torque converter occurring at approx 20-45 depending on throttle opening. In a properly functioning unit that transition would barely be felt with a change in engine speed and noise level being the most noticeable action. Units with a glazed or dry direct drive clutch plate sometimes groan when the transition occurs. The noise won't hurt anything and can be lessened by letting off the gas as the transition is made.

In D it starts in low and there will be an actual shift from low to high and then the transition to direct drive. Speeds again will be in about the same range depending on throttle but sometimes it still left a bit to be desired with where the actual L to H shift happened. There will be a distinct shift feel from L to H and then the barely noticeable transition to direct.

In L it starts and stays in low. It does have a transition to direct but at a lower speed than in a normal driving range.

Reverse is just that but depending on idle speed it can be a bit abrupt or harsh with a noticeable clunk when selected.

It is possible the transition to direct is not being made or maybe a valve is sticking after the long sit. Also if there is wear to a bushing or shaft and loss of pressure to the clutch or a band piston shifts will be erratic. There are some other wear conditions that can cause issues with the shifts. With a proper rebuild hopefully that is not the case but there are some less than quality rebuilds and rebuilders out there. Not a lot of mechanics understand where to look for wear or will even work on the Ultramatic. It is a different beast to the other transmissions of the day or what modern mechanics are familiar with.

Someone on the east coast would better know if anyone is closer to your area but if not Ross Miller in Maryland is extremely knowledgeable on Ultramatics and has devised some mods to the valving that improves and smooths out the original factory shift points. I don't believe he works on them without having the car in his shop though. Ultramatic Dynamics in Virginia has (or at least had) exchange units where you remove and install it yourself. Because the throttle linkage adjustment is so critical it is really best to do Ross's approach unless you are very familiar with the unit and adjustments.

The TL will work at all times as long as the small toggle switch on the left under edge of the dash is on (lever toward center of car). That switch receives voltage from the special 3 terminal brake light switch. As long as brakes are not applied and toggle switch is on voltage passes to the control switch. The control switch does the leveling automatically. If you have the optional factory manual switch installed, when active that switch interrupts the feed to the toggle switch and disconnects the control switch. When manual is selected the operator controls the positioning but unless the toggle switch is turned off, as soon as the manual switch is returned to the center off position power is returned and the control switch takes over again and levels the car automatically.

Here is a schematic of the complete TL wiring with the factory manual switch installed showing all relay contacts and switches. There are versions of home made manual switch conversions so bear that in mind until you find what you have. Some of the home made versions bypass the limit switches which is a big problem.

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G'day SteveB,
to PackardInfo and congratulations on now being a '56 Patrician owner.

Good Great advice as always from Howard.

And I invite you to include your '56 Patrician in the Packard Owner's Registry.

SteveB, welcome to Packardinfo. Let me also recommend that you join the Packard club. The club has its own website
http://www.packardclub.org and also provides valuable aid through the wide-ranging membership.
The shop and parts manuals are available here and will provide valuable info.
Randy

Some additional information important to this car...

Many of the folks rebuilding these transmissions do not understand this equipment and try using methods used on conventional automatics to rebuild... then end up damaging the transmission.

A couple of very important points on the 1956 Twin Ultramatic transmission that are almost always ignored, or not known, but can lead to troubles:

1.) The 1956 Ultramatic is all aluminum case and bell housing. If one uses 1955 or earlier torque specs (many people have done this and could not figure out later what was wrong), the bell housing bolts will strip the threads in the case and adios muchacos. The front gasket will leak forever after that. And there will be other problems. Also those bolts need to be installed in the precise exact factory positions or... you get a leak again and other problems.

2.) The mating between the pan, gasket and case needs to be clean, dead flat (pan flange and case) and properly torqued. Over-torque it and you've got stripped threads or distorted pan flange or both... and then you've got a leak again.

3.) The torque converter halves need to be marked in such a way (PRIOR to disassembly) that they are re-assembled in the exact same position as when they left the factory. Most people doing re-builds on these converters/transmissions don't seem to know this fact and end up with a vibrating trans or worse. And then can't understand why and blame it on the Ultramatic. If your torque converter flanges don't have a mating mark, they are probably assembled improperly.

As a 1955 Packard owner since 2003 unless you are fully knowledgeable about the mechanics of the car I would save up some money and make an appointment with Ross Miller at Speedwell garage in Parkton md. Parkton is about 30 miles NW of Baltimore he has always done excellent service by me and many other Packard owners his phone number is 410-357-4561.

I also highly recommend Ross. He did a 56 transmission for me two years ago.

You may have worn bushings on your suspension, which will cause the body to "teeter-totter" on the suspension.

Hey why don't you post a few pics of your car? Here's mine. You can also check out the work Ross Miller did under the hood of my car athttps://youtu.be/UNT2KOjtZhM.

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Michael,

Photo didn't post. In the meantime, here's a link to your '55 Four Hundred in the Registry.