47 dodge not shifting in to the higher gear.

[Sal M.]

That makes sense. I will have the transmission shop focus on the clutch. Thanks all of you for your feedback. My fluid in the fluid drive is full.

[soth122003]

Normally the clutch plate is about 3/8" thick (or more), when I pulled mine it was less than a 1/4" thick and some of the rivet heads were worn as well. Also it was smooth as glass. Not good for a gripping surface.

 

Joe Lee

[soth122003]

What area are you in Sal? Might be a member close by that help with some of these issues.

 

Joe Lee

[Dan Hiebert]

Response deleted, already covered.

Edited August 20, 2023 by Dan Hiebert

[Sal M.]

I'n Central California Manteca 60 miles south of Sacramento.

[John Reddie]

Sal,

 Before you take the exhaust apart, be sure that your points, spark plugs and ignition timing are set correctly. I believe that a vacuum gauge can be used to checked for restricted exhaust flow but I forget the procedure that is done. i am sure someone on here can provide the correct answer. Keep us updated on your findings.

John R

[Sniper]

18 hours ago, Sal M. said:

I will have the transmission shop focus on the clutch.

 

[Sal M.]

Just got it back from the Transmission shop and Clutch and Tranny are good. He mentioned restriction of fuel. It has a new fuel pum and gas tank and the carb was rebuilt. Next is taking off the manifold to see if someting is restricting the flow.

[greg g]

Taking off the manifold?  Makes no sense.  In the manual there is a test for fuel pump flow quantity.  Takes 10 minutes.  Did you pull your distributor out when you installed the points?  Is the centrifugal advance working?  Is the vacuum advance working?  Are your points installed and gapped correctly?  Is the small flexible wire going to the points in good condition and not grounding to the dist body?  Is your coil wired correctly for 6v positive operation?  Have you done a compression  and or vacuum test? When going down the road do you smell clutch?  Is your parking brake releasi g completely?

 

Test for clutch slip.  Find a moderate hill of at least half a mile, fill the trunk with some heavy stuff, get a rider or to.  Stop the car. Put in third gear,  with clutch out and foot on brake.  Release brake and floor the gas.  Does the car gradually accelerate and gain rpm relative to speed or does it rev up out of proportion  to ground speed.  If revs are not relative to ground speed, your clutch needs adjustment,  these fluid drive clutches can have very little wear by looking at thickness but they can slip under load especially in high gear.

 

My dad had two fluid drive Dodges both with fluid dtive and three speeds, a 49 Wayfarer, and a 54 Meadowbrook.   I recall him having to adjust the clutch on the 54 a couple times after being told by the dealer shop everything's fine.  While on the subject the clutch pedal should have an inch or so of free play before linkages begin to move through its actual work zone, if it's not there, it's putting pressure on the throw out bearing causing the clutch to not clamp properly, and will slip under load.

Edited August 30, 2023 by greg g

[Ivan_B]

6 hours ago, Sal M. said:

He mentioned restriction of fuel.

I would go to a different mechanic ?

Does it work if you gravity-feed it from a water bottle? That, alone, eliminates any of the fuel-system issues (unless the carb is messed-up, of course).

 

So, the car would rew, but just would not get up to speed under load, right? How about this for a test: if you set it on a dyno (or just lift off the rear) are you able to push the speedometer where you need it?

[Sal M.]

I will take a look at all the things Greg spoke about. I have done what Ivan stated. With the car off the ground it would onl rev up to a certain spot and the speed odometer only went to 40 miles an hour and thats it.. I appreciate everyones input, thank you I will keep you guys posted.

[9 foot box]

   I would check that the points are installed correctly. The tension has to go under the copper lead. If you have a vacuum gauge, the vacuum will read normal and drop to zero then slowly build vacuum, if you have a choked exhaust. There are left and right points, it depends on your distributor. This is picture of what I had sent someone with a similar problem. It is easier to  pull the distributor and work on it in a vise, just note which way the rotor points for reinstall. Rick D.

[Ivan_B]

3 hours ago, Sal M. said:

With the car off the ground it would only rev up to a certain spot and the speed odometer only went to 40 miles an hour and that's it..

In this case, I seriously doubt it's the clutch or anything drive-train-related, because it takes very little force for the engine to rotate just one rear wheel... Does it rew the same with and without load? Are you able to hook-up a tachometer to it, to see what RPMs you are actually getting?

[Sal M.]

I’m going to hook up a tach.

[Dan Hiebert]

I would echo Greg, there's no need to go so far as to remove the manifold, that's a lot more work than you need to do to resolve the issue, and most likely unnecessary.  And to confirm another response, I've had two newer vehicles with the same symptoms as yours, with different causes, one was restricted fuel flow due to the pick up filter in the tank being clogged, the other was due to the points not being correct due to a loose clamp screw on the points base (points too close).  So it could still be either of those issues - fuel or fire.   Not to be mean, but who did the tune up on your car?  You mention that it was done, but not that you did it.  So checking those settings may still be in order.  I'm having visions of modern techs not being familiar with 70-ish year old cars that don't have computer terminals...

Edited August 31, 2023 by Dan Hiebert

[Ivan_B]

7 minutes ago, Dan Hiebert said:

I'm having visions of modern techs not being familiar with 70-ish year old cars that don't have computer terminals...

Could be the case but not necessarily. I've seen some questionable work on my car, after the PO had it serviced by some "classic" mechanic, too. In this case, the mechanic should've done all of the things already suggested in this thread... Taking off the manifold makes no sense, unless there is a dead rat inside and the tail is sticking out of the carb, or something like that...

I am afraid that if you want to own an older car, these days, you need to learn to do all the basic maintenance yourself.

[greg g]

http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/670.cfm#:~:text=Too little dwell and the,are symptoms of incorrect dwell.