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

thanks for the comment about the torque converter slip then direct drive rather than a gear shift ,that makes sence as to how the ultramatic feels to drive
.you mentioned I could hurt the ultramatic starting out in low then switching to high .I hadnt been doing this BUT it brings up an important question ;I live where there's sssteeep hills ,so I use low to engine break down the hill rather than burn up the brakes (they seem to get hot and fade quick) . when its not so steep,I shift into high range on the fly ,the car lurches forward a bit .This is the same action as what you had described as being harmfull but in a slightly different setting ,
am i hurting the ultramatic doing this ?
one of the ways the ultramatic was advertised in an old broshure was that the direct drive feature assisted with engine braking

Shifting an Ultramatic from Low to High was only potentially damaging to the transmission when done under heavy throttle, and repeatedly so.

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Yes it does however that is only because above a certain speed ( 20-30 mph ) the transmission is locked up and doesn't slip. Same as a standard trans in high gear with the foot clutch engaged.

You mentioned pulling the trans down into low range when going down a hill. This will surely break something sooner or later. Never do That. There is a way that is ok but for now just don't do that. Shifting the trans from low to high range after the direct drive clutch is engaged is also very hard on the trans as well as the rest of the drive train. Don't do that either. The car is really designed to be placed in high range and left there. That is good enough for most driving conditions.

I know this sounds like I'm trying to tell you what to do with your car. I'm only giving you advice.

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Owen, I somewhat agree with you but I think given the age of the transmission it is not recommended. Also the speed at which the car is traveling when you pull it down into the low range would be a factor. Say you top a hill at 45-50 mph and then pull it into low. That would be pretty violent. I could see the rear wheels skidding some if not other things falling out on the ground. A bit of an exaggeration there.

Bob, old age, fatigue of parts and the like is a valid concern, and I'd agree these shifts should be used rarely in uncommon conditions, but I don't think Packard's intention or design criteria was that when you went up a hill in Low, that you pulled over at the curb at the crest of the hill and stopped before the shift into High. Ditto in reverse for going down a hill.

I probably had more than 100,000 trouble free Ultramatic miles between my 50 Custom and 54 Patrician, I did these shifts when the conditions called for them, which was infrequent, and never experienced any problems. Even in the 56 Carib, when I come to a long downgrade that I want to use Low on, I don't pull over to the curb and stop to make the gear change.

But I'll agree that circumstances where those changes are made should kept to where the circumstances really require it.

But I never make a Low to Hi shift under hard acceleration, nor the downshift when going over 35 or so. The shifts do seem abrupt. In addition, when in High and accelerting from a dead stop, I do try to anticipate the low-up point and back off the accelerator slightly.

G'day all, I would agree with Owen that Packard would have not intended for drivers to pull over to select from High to Low when in Direct Drive. I have driven Ultra and Twin-Ultra boxes since 1968 and have frequently towed car trailers etc up and down heavy grades. I have never had any dramas from going up or down in Direct Drive.
The Twin Ultra box does actually perform the shift from Low to High although this is without the Direct Drive clutch engaged.
Notwithstanding that there is a lock-up clutch in the converter of the Ultra, I would imagine that in a conventional Auto box that a shift from high to low would be stressful once the converter stall speed has been exceeded.
I would not hesitate to select Low range on a heavy, windy, downhill grade whilst in Direct Drive, especially with any single master cylinder drum brake system. i would also not hesitate to select Low range Direct Drive when going up a heavy, winding grade. The Direct Drive clutch application pressure needs engine revs to stay at max pressure so labouring an engine uphill is not going to do the box or the engine any good. Best regards Peter Toet

Hello !!I found the number but its not on your list! the car is a 52 200 delux and the number is K 420194 ,no h's but it definatly has htdrolic lifters
the listing you provided only goes up through K41500 as an end point and then l series for 53
The engine definatly says k so Im gussing that a K 420194 is indeed a 327 !(thats a nice treat .more cubic inches for free !) ,I know it has hydrolic lifters ,but the numbers for 52 dont go up that high .Hmmm maby the engine was placed in the car from a wreck ,or a replacement?,but from whence?
the head has a casting it says 288 std -327a I guess that means the head is for either engine .
when I replaced the rings the cylinders looked like they were in great shape but ihave a vague memory that they were oversized when I bought the ring set ,such that there must have been a bore at some point too .

I ll have the mechanic check the oil line to the lifter s to make sure it isnt kinked or blocked ,
any Packard archeologists to explain the fossil evidence ?Interesting .

The Kimes edited book gives motor numbers from K400001 thru K424420 for motors used on the 2531 and 2502 chassis (250s and 300s). The list on site is apparently in error and also means your car has the optional 327 engine for it to be in a Clipper deluxe. According to the RPO list, those came with hydraulic lifters and oil bath air cleaner when purchased as the optional engine. No mention of oil filter as those were still optional on lower end cars till the end--but believe most hydraulic equipped engines had them.

Any numbers cast on the head are mostly meaningless to determine size. Heads were swapped all different ways to change compression ratios. There are Packard bulletins detailing which head on which engine equals which ratio.

Howard -

The oil filter had previously been included as part of the optional 327 engine equipment, but Trade Letter 52-1002, Dealer 2 advised that the price for this engine option was reduced and the filter omitted - effective February 14, 1952. (Noted as a footnote in my RPO chart; the devil is always in those details.)

It appears, from the same Trade Letter, that oil filter equipment continued, separately, as an option on all 200 models. Curiously, the oil filter was included on the 250/300, which came with the 327 engine as standard euipment.

No reason was given for this running change, but since we don't have a full set of Trade Letters at our disposal, we may not have the complete picture. Perhaps others will have some insight.

As for the "H" stamping, perhaps that was only used for service engines with hydraulic lifters, when replacing engines that were not equipped as such.

My statement was less than clear. Intended to say I believed most hydraulic equipped engines had them (filter) but should have added even if it was ordered as a separate option on the lower end cars

Believe I remember an SC mentioning the H along with other suffixes if option was present on a 288 engine and another advising mechanics to be sure to stamp it after the motor number when so equipped on a replacement.