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Ultramatic Rebuild
#1
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53 Cavalier
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One of the things on my to do list is to rebuild my 53 Cavalier's Ultramatic. Currently the transmission only has a couple of issues. 1. Leaky, which is nothing out of the ordinary. 2. Sometimes when it's warm it feels like it momentarily loses flow when accelerating. If I let off a bit it's fine and doesn't do anything out of the ordinary after that when cruising along. It only occurs during acceleration after slowing down or stopping. I don't believe it is the direct drive slipping and the transmission fluid is clear, clean and no burnt smell. Currently running Penzoil Type F.

My car has 72,000 miles and my 53 Patrician parts car has 90,000 miles on it. I'm thinking of pulling the transmission from my parts car and rebuilding it over the winter and then doing a swap in the spring. All I know about my parts car is that is was apparently running and driving about 11 years ago.

My parts car is currently stored in a shed with a dirt floor. How high up do I need to get the car to get the transmission out?

I'm just looking for any thoughts or ideas you may have as I contemplate this project. TIA

BTW, I have zero interest in putting a different transmission in my car. ZERO!


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Posted on: 8/30 16:14
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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#2
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56Clippers
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Can you provide some more information on the condition?

Do you mean by "momentarily loses flow when accelerating" that the rate of acceleration drops and then resumes when there is no change in throttle?

Since it is leaking, have you filled it before the drive when the problem occurs?

Following a drive when the problem occurs, how low has the fluid level dropped?

Do you have the temperatures both when it works and when it has the problems?

Once the problem occurs, does it occur every time thereafter?

When the problem is occurring accelerating from a stop, what happens if you back up, stop and then accelerate forward?

Does the problem occur in both High and Low?

Was Direct Drive engaged before slowing or stopping before the problem occurs?

Posted on: 8/30 17:25
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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#3
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humanpotatohybrid
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I am assuming you will be using a transmission jack or dolly. If the transmission is supported by the pan it's 17" clearance plus the height of your dolly. The thing weighs like 260 lbs so don't kill yourself trying to get it out. Definitely not one to drop on your chest etc.

Carefully read the removal instructions as you have to support the engine when removing it and it can be tricky to do with the engine in the car. If you can, pulling the engine and trans out as an assembly after removing the front clip is not much harder but much safer IMHO.

For your condition, you should be able to tell when the DD engages, and therefore whether it's the DD clutch slipping or something else. It pretty much has to be that if you notice it after the engagement. If it's before, it's probably your HRC but it's also possible there is some problem with your reactor not locking up all the way, though that's uncommon especially on the first gen Ultras.

Please describe in detail exactly what happens when you say "losing flow"?

P.S. I agree there's really no point in transmission swapping the first gen Ultra cars, even more so than for the Twin Ultras. There's really hardly anything that tends to go wrong with them as pretty much the only thing the transmission does is engage and disengage the DD clutch.


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Posted on: 8/30 18:09
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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#4
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53 Cavalier
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Quote:

56Clippers wrote:
Can you provide some more information on the condition?

1) Do you mean by "momentarily loses flow when accelerating" that the rate of acceleration drops and then resumes when there is no change in throttle?

2) Since it is leaking, have you filled it before the drive when the problem occurs?

3) Following a drive when the problem occurs, how low has the fluid level dropped?

4) Do you have the temperatures both when it works and when it has the problems?

5) Once the problem occurs, does it occur every time thereafter?

6) When the problem is occurring accelerating from a stop, what happens if you back up, stop and then accelerate forward?

7) Does the problem occur in both High and Low?

8) Was Direct Drive engaged before slowing or stopping before the problem occurs?


1) It acts like it's starving for fluid, like it is low. Or that the governor and throttle valve are not working together they way they should. I'm not very knowledgeable about my Ultramatic...................yet!

2) Fluid level is good and checked using the service manual's procedure.

3) No, other than the leaks, fluid level is okay. Thought maybe foaming might be the issue, but I don't think it is.

4) Don't have actual temps, but it has never happened on shorter trips, like under an hour. It seems to occur after driving longer and on a warmer day.

5) No, we did a 400 mile trip in June and it probably only happened 3 times.

6) Haven't tried this.

7) Not sure, haven't tried to see if it happens in low. I don't really use low.

8) That's a good question. It hasn't happened enough that I'm able to determine what has happened and when.



I've had the pan off and the screen is clean, so I think it should have okay flow through the filter.

I don't get the sense that something is drastically wrong, like it's about to crater and leave me stranded.

My thought behind rebuilding one of the transmissions is I don't suspect either have been rebuilt and getting new seals in them, and disks that are good with modern ATF, should keep me from ever having transmission issues.


Posted on: 8/31 1:07
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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#5
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53 Cavalier
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Quote:

humanpotatohybrid wrote:
I am assuming you will be using a transmission jack or dolly. If the transmission is supported by the pan it's 17" clearance plus the height of your dolly. The thing weighs like 260 lbs so don't kill yourself trying to get it out. Definitely not one to drop on your chest etc.

Carefully read the removal instructions as you have to support the engine when removing it and it can be tricky to do with the engine in the car. If you can, pulling the engine and trans out as an assembly after removing the front clip is not much harder but much safer IMHO.

For your condition, you should be able to tell when the DD engages, and therefore whether it's the DD clutch slipping or something else. It pretty much has to be that if you notice it after the engagement. If it's before, it's probably your HRC but it's also possible there is some problem with your reactor not locking up all the way, though that's uncommon especially on the first gen Ultras.

Please describe in detail exactly what happens when you say "losing flow"?

P.S. I agree there's really no point in transmission swapping the first gen Ultra cars, even more so than for the Twin Ultras. There's really hardly anything that tends to go wrong with them as pretty much the only thing the transmission does is engage and disengage the DD clutch.


I know these transmissions are heavy, so I'll be careful.

I don't want to pull the clip and the engine as the care is stored in someone else's shed and needs to be a bit mobile so it can be moved if need be.

It could be that there are sticky rings, or piston. Maybe worn clutch plates. Maybe an leak in the system allowing air to get in. I have noticed at times a whirring sound similar to a power steering system that has air in it.

I think the most prudent is to rebuild my parts car's transmission, so that I know what I've got, and then do a swap next spring. I can rebuild it over the winter so I have lots of time for research and asking questions.

Max Merritt lists an Ultramatic rebuild kit for $395, not a costly project relatively speaking.

Does anyone know if MM's rebuild kits are okay, and if they are complete? They say, "KIT INCLUDES GASKETS, SEALS, BUSHINGS, AND HIGH RANGE FIBER CLUTCHES" But there's no picture and doesn't say anything about the piston rings.

Posted on: 8/31 1:43
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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#6
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Guscha
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Quote:

53 Cavalier wrote:


...Max Merritt lists an Ultramatic rebuild kit for $395, not a costly project relatively speaking.

Does anyone know if MM's rebuild kits are okay, and if they are complete? They say, "KIT INCLUDES GASKETS, SEALS, BUSHINGS, AND HIGH RANGE FIBER CLUTCHES" But there's no picture and doesn't say anything about the piston rings.


I discovered -> a more expensive alternative that includes a photo.


image source: eBay item number:314112295244

Attach file:



jpg  53 Cavalier Ultramatic rebuild kit.jpg (272.02 KB)
757_66d2c7a72be2f.jpg 1823X851 px

Posted on: 8/31 2:35
The story of ZIS-110, ZIS-115, ZIL-111 & Chaika GAZ-13 on www.guscha.de
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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#7
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Ross
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The transmission is transmitting whatever torque the engine is producing. If there is a transmission problem it will be signaled by the engine suddenly gaining speed as the trans is not able to hold the engine's torque. If that is not what is happening, then you do not have a transmission problem.

For general information as this seems to come up so often, Ultramatics are not very fluid level sensitive. A quart of down will not be noticed.

Posted on: 8/31 4:51
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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#8
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humanpotatohybrid
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Quote:

53 Cavalier wrote:
1) It acts like it's starving for fluid, like it is low. Or that the governor and throttle valve are not working together they way they should. I'm not very knowledgeable about my Ultramatic...................yet!


I hope to not sound too rude but if you're not very knowledgeable on these then please don't try to explain what your issue is by predicting what is causing it. For the simple reason that your idea of the symptom of the "governor and throttle valve are not working together they way they should" may be very different from mine. If you are working on your own, sure, but when we are trying to diagnose your problem, a clear description of what you are experiencing would be appreciated.

Of course Ross is correct, if your clutches are slipping then you will have engine flare. Your HRC if before the direct shift point, and it's your DDC if after. If you are experiencing stumbling then that's an engine problem.

FYI, there's not much opportunity for air to get into the system as it is all pressurized. Maybe your screen is a bit clogged? But if so, I would predict you would only have a problem when the transmission is cold, since warm fluid flows more easily. You might also see the front pump take too long to prime, but I don't think this is what's happening.

Quote:

53 Cavalier wrote:
It could be that there are sticky rings, or piston. Maybe worn clutch plates. Maybe an leak in the system allowing air to get in. I have noticed at times a whirring sound similar to a power steering system that has air in it.


Is there any pattern to when this condition occurs? Does it follow the engine RPM or car speed? (i.e. if you rev the engine in converter drive, it might either follow the engine, or follow the car movement speed.) Aside from just the sound, are there any physical effects such as the engine stumbling or flaring?

Posted on: 8/31 8:14
1955 400 | Registry | Project Blog
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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#9
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BigKev
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Does it feel like the engine is stumbling/miss/bog when this happens?

If so it could be a carb/fuel issue.

I would get a stumble sometimes at/above 50mph. Turned out my ceramic fuel filter was not as clean as it appeared. A new filter and the problem disappeared.

I supposed at that speed I was consuming fuel roughly at or slightly more than it could be supplied through the filter and the carb bowl would start to run low. Then it would stumble, the rpm slowed then it caught up again and all was fine for a little bit.

After the new filter, that stopped.

Others have also reported issues similar to what you've reported when coils start to misbehave under load when hot.

Posted on: 8/31 8:50
-BigKev


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Re: Ultramatic Rebuild
#10
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53 Cavalier
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Quote:

Guscha wrote:
Quote:

53 Cavalier wrote:


...Max Merritt lists an Ultramatic rebuild kit for $395, not a costly project relatively speaking.

Does anyone know if MM's rebuild kits are okay, and if they are complete? They say, "KIT INCLUDES GASKETS, SEALS, BUSHINGS, AND HIGH RANGE FIBER CLUTCHES" But there's no picture and doesn't say anything about the piston rings.


I discovered -> a more expensive alternative that includes a photo.


image source: eBay item number:314112295244


Thanks Guscha, I wonder if the MM kit is not as complete as this one? Their website is a bit lacking, so either I'll contact them and find out, or just get this one that's more complete. Hopefully it has everything thing needed.

Posted on: 8/31 9:57
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