49 Fluid Drive advice needed

[_shel_ny]

The secret to luck. Better start reversing more connections. Better drop the pan to turn the flywheel. Could not get that dang convertor plug to line up in the hole by bumping the starter.

 

As Niel said. Pull the plugs.  Then you can easily turn the engine to line up the fill/drain plug in the fluid coupling by using the fan. Keep the belt tight with 1 hand to prevent slippage. Turn the engine by the fan with your other hand.   At this point you have run out of hands to turn the engine the other way to get them loose, so DO NOT allow fingers to be pinched between the belt, and the pulley while turning.

Edited June 27, 2016 by shel_ny

[Phil Martin]

As I have said before I have the power to the circuit breaker un hooked. In low range I start out in 1st gear push clutch in and it shifts to 2nd gear . I push clutch in when I stop and it always starts in 1st. After it shifts to 2nd I shift the lever to high range. It goes to 4th gear because speed is to fast for 3rd. If I stop and push clutch in and speed engine just a little it will start out in 3rd and shift to 4th by letting up on gas. This all works with no elec power going to trans. I have gyromatic which I believe is same as m6. So they all should work like mine does.

[rb1949]

In an older post, you replaced wires to improve operation. Now you run it with no electrics? Mine is obnoxious either way. Undetermined if it's internal or a component. Getting a 3-4 shift, but not a 1-2 shift. Next attempt is to try and pull governor/solenoid/interrupter switch for inspection/testing. Total re-wire via diagram, but check it again anyhow. Sure can keep one occupied.

[Phil Martin]

Yes when I replaced wires because it would't shift. Now it would't even start. I suspect the interuptor switch may be bad.

[rb1949]

Pulled solenoid today and it passed the test. Didn't have wrench big enough for the governor. With electric tests good, things are pointing to internal dilemas. Who has done a swap to newer automatic, and what was involved? Kits are available. Asked those with the T5 swap, but sounds like too much fabrication for my skills.Your guidance has been good so far.

[greg g]

You said above you were getting the 3-4 shift. Since this is the normal driving range, and

I assume you have no need to pull your house off its foundation, why don't you drive it? Can you select reverse? If you need low you can get that with the shift lever. So all you don't have is the upper gear of low range which if I remember correctly is only good for about 22 mph. Perhaps by getting out and about you may make the acquaintance of someone who can help you fully sort the situation.

[Dodgeb4ya]

You need Help!

[rb1949]

You need Help!

That's why I'm here, with a Chrysler. And the house will stay put. True. low races the motor about 15mph. 3-4 is perfect for in town. It's just not working as good as it should. Gets to the beach! My out and about has not come across any old Mopar people, yet. A picture of turning the flywheel with a bar in the vent screen hole? That screen is riveted on? And that 'pan' is not a small piece of tin with 4 screws. It's a huge chunk of aluminum heading over the rear mount. Will get converter plug lined up someday.

[Don Coatney]

EDIT. Whoops, My comments have already been posted to this thread many times by many experienced people.

[Wild Steve]

Very interesting chain. I just read all of it. Wondering how things ever turned out for rb1949's poor transmission. I have the semi-automatic Fluid Torque Drive in my 1952 Saratoga. Last October I threw caution to the wind and drove the car from Michigan to Utah and back over a two week period of time. It was a fantastic 5,000 mile road-trip. From the beginning of the trip, the only way I could get the transmission to drop into low gear was to depress the clutch at a complete stop. That worked well enough and worked well enough for many years that I felt comfortable embarking on the trip. If I was close to a complete stop but still rolling and needed some faster acceleration, I'd just depress the clutch, throw it in low range, accelerate, and then go to high range. That system worked just fine. Toward the end of the trip and when I got home, the car was not wanting to shift into low when I would depress the clutch at a stand-still. I re-re-wired the wires that control the transmission operation with heavier gauge wires thinking that with a six volt system, the wires I had used previously just weren't a heavy enough gauge to deliver enough current to operate the solenoid. That effort made no difference at all. I then poked around with a multi-meter and decided that my governor was not doing it's job. I by-passed the governor and ran some wires into the passenger compartment that I connected to a simple switch. This by-pass switch allowed ME to be the governor. At speeds less than about 15 miles per hour, I would close the switch and the trans would down-shift just beautifully...without having to depress the clutch at a stand-still. That confirmed to me that my governor was bad. As luck would have it, I rummaged through my garage and actually found a New Old Stock governor on a shelf still in the box (my grandfather bought the car new and through the years he hoarded a small cache of extra parts. Thanks grandpa). Yesterday I installed the new governor and now the car shifts by itself like a dream. It's a wonderful driving experience. 

So my question is this: Let's assume that rb1949 has a bad governor. Does anyone service these individual components? I can't find any for sale ANYWHERE. You CAN get around the governor with the switch-in-the-cockpit method that I used to verify my bad governor, but that's kind a nuisance. If my solenoid were acting up, then I'd be in a real pickle. Again, does anyone know anyone who services these parts or sells them? I'm guessing that a lot of these wonderfully overbuilt semi-automatic gearboxes get "resto-modded" only because of these two relatively simple electric components. Well, I found a part number on the box, 1370204, searched for "Chrysler part number 1370204" and may have just answered my own question...https://www.moparmall.com/1946-48-MoPar-UnderDrive-Transmission-Governor-p/869-090.htm. It looks like my governor but the applications listed on their website don't match my car. Hmm. 

I guess I'm going to assume the electrical components that make these gearboxes function are getting hard to find. 

[51Traveler]

On 6/29/2016 at 6:24 AM, Phil Martin said:

Yes when I replaced wires because it would't shift. Now it would't even start. I suspect the interuptor switch may be bad.

Can you tell me where the wires from the transmission go. I have 3. A green a red and a yellow. 

[Sniper]

that was written over 5 years ago.  Phil hasn't posted n over a year.  Not sure you are going to get an answer other than to get a factory service manual and the wiring diagrams should show you where they go.  As for myself, I know nothing about those fancy transmissions.