O/d article , hno realy or switch needed ??

[wayfarerstranger]

HAS ANY EVER SEEN THIS AND WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I've had several cars with Warner Overdrives, one I installed into the torque tube of a '50 Chevy I converted to Diesel and ran for a couple hundred thousand miles.

GOVERNOR:

Strictly speaking, this is not needed - especially if it is retrofitted into a car that didn't originally have one. All it is is a governor with a set of contacts inside. Personally, I'd just remove it and plug the case.

RELAY:

Same as the above. Not strictly necessary if you plan to shift manually.

KICKDOWN SWITCH:

Not needed for manual operation.

SOLENOID:

The solenoid has two wires coming out of it. One wire connects to the coil. This wire should go through a toggle switch then to the ignition.

The other one goes to a set of contacts that are closed when the solenoid is pulled-in and is not needed for manual operation. This wire is used in conjunction wih the relay and kickdown switch to kill the ignition for a very short period so the engine falters long enough to remove the load from the solenoid plunger so it can retract. If you aren't going to use the O.D. with the governor and kickdown switch, leave this wire disconnected and, when kicking down, simply turn off the switch and momentarily let off the gas.

The solenoid is a two-winding coil. One winding is low resistance and is used initially to make the solenoid pull in strongly. The other winding is switched in when the solenoid is pulled-in in order to keep the current drain (heat buildup) down and because, once the solenoid is bottomed-out, it needs little current to keep it there.

If the solenoid does not have a voltage stamped on the housing, you have to test it with a battery. If it pulls in energetically on 6V, it is a 6V solenoid. Otherwise, it is a 12V. I dunno if a 12V will work properly on 6V but you should be able to get a 6V solenoid, possibly a swap from someone who wants a 12V??.

Mechanically, the internal parts are identical between most years they were used. The cases were manufactured to fit different manufacturer's trannys.

WIRING FOR MANUAL USE:

Simply run the ignition side of the key switch to a toggle switch that will power a wire running to the solenoid. When you want to engage the O.D., simply push in the mechanical lockout dash control, turn on the switch and let off the gas 'til the O.D. engages. (Called an "Ummmmm-Clunk" shift).

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1: When not using the Overdrive, have the dash control pulled out to lock out the "freewheeling". Otherwise, you will have to rely heavily on brakes to slow down. DO NOT pull the dash control unless the switch is turned off -and- you are under power. Otherwise, nasty noises will be heard.

2: Warner Overdrives were originally equipped with a reverse lockout that kept you from trying to use reverse gear with the Overdrive turned on. The Overdrive WILL NOT work in reverse and, if you try to force it, you will destroy the gears. If the reverse lockout is not used, just make sure that the O.D. switch is off and it is locked-out before backing up.

A handy thing to know is that the Warner Overdrive has an undocumented feature. It is a "hill holder". If you stop on an incline (facing uphill) with the O.D. turned on and engaged, you can gently roll back a few inches until the sprag clutch engages and it will keep you from rolling back. After you are settled back, just turn off the electrical switch and, as soon as you begin to engage the clutch, it will shift back to low range.

There are a few tricks to disassembling and assembling Warner units. One is that you cannot remove the ring gear assembly unless you remove the "freeze plug" from the case and squeeze the snap ring to release the bearing.

Another trick is that, to assemble the sprag assembly inside the ring gear, simply assemble the sprag rollers in the cage and wrap a rubber band tightly around the sprags so, when you turn the hub, the sprage go into their smaller diameter position. Assemble the O.D. unit and just remember to be careful the first time you take off with the dash lever in the Overdrive position, to do it gently in case the sprag clutch is reluctant to engage until the rubber band is chewed up. (the rubber band won't harm anything if left inside the gear case.)

Now, I think you've exhausted my knowledge of the venerable Warner Overdrive.

Take care - Elden

http://www.oldengine.org/members/durand

Last edited by Elden DuRand; 11-06-2009 at 09:51 AM. Reason: Left stuff out

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[wayfarerstranger]

i also read some where on the net that someone used a 6 volt 4 post head light relay with a fuse on it to replace the o/d relay ?? they look a lot alike ,,,,

[Young Ed]

The relay is pretty easy to find. Dads 50 plymouth is running a 12v relay used to trigger car alarms. Works fine on 6v. It doesn't look like the proper relay but it works

[james curl]

I ran my toggle switch from one side of the ignition switch to the toggle then to a Radio Shack 12 volt relay to carry the current and from the relay to the solenoid. I have run my Chevy pick up this way for several years with no problems. At first I tried to run straight from the toggle switch to the solenoid but quickly found out that the toggle switch could not stand the amperage draw of the solenoid for long periods of time on the highway.

[wayfarerstranger]

IS your car 6 volts ?? so you only ran one wire from sol. to the 12v relay to the toggle to the ign. you turn the toggle on and engage the o/d ?? any details in appreciated ?? thanx

[james curl]

No my car has been converted to 12 volt back in 2007 before I took the trip out to Bonneville. My 55 Chevy with the BW overdrive is also 12 volt. I have three Chevy overdrive transmissions, two with various problems(bearing noise) and they all have 12 volt solenoids. I bought two solenoids at different times for spares in case one did not work and they all work on 12 volts, so I assume they are 12 volt also. Yes you can operate the solenoid straight from a toggle switch if you can find one with a large enough amperage rating to carry the continuous load when the solenoid is engaged, just be sure to put an inline fuse into the circuit to protect the wires. As you know the wires are full of smoke and if you let it out they quit working.

[faucet47custom]

As you know the wires are full of smoke and if you let it out they quit working.

I have done a lot of car stereo and seen the Blueish smoke many times. Never heard it put that way before.

[woodie49]

From what I understand about the OD electrical system, the wiring you suggest should work. I would put in a 20 amp inline fuse just because if there is an issue, I assume it would then burn out your solenoid, which is a pretty expensive component. If you have the governor and the lockout, you should think about wiring in a relay to protect against being in OD when you are in reverse (I don't really know if it is possible to do that) and to save yourself the trouble of having to constantly disengage the OD switch when you stop or slow way down. You can always add this later when you decide if its worth the extra work. I have wired mine under the dash just because there was no relay on the '49 (no OD), so I want it out of sight.

It appears the wiring diagram I posted a couple weeks back for the Bosch relay is accurate. I'll know in a couple weeks. The Bosch relay along with the plastic socket it fits into both cost me about $35.00.

I also think that Radio Shack has a good substitute I was when I was there just a couple weeks ago.

[mackster]

interesting....I will look into this a bit more. I like this info. thanks for posting..

[blueskies]

What I find interesting, is how often folks try to come up with alternative ways to wire the Borg Warner OD...

It seems that everyone assumes that the wiring is beyond comprehension... The factory wiring is not complicated, and when done correctly, the overdrive functions automatically and without any special knowledge to drive the car. No switches to flip, no sequence to remember, nothing to forget. It does it's thing so you don't have to.

The Borg Warner manual that I gave Gerald to put in the downloads section of this site has a great troubleshooting guide for the electrics as well as the mechanical side of the OD transmission. If you don't already have it, go to the downloads section and get it for reference. The factory wiring diagram is also in the manual.

Pete