'52 Hydromatic won't shift out of "R"

Unknown

Hello all...just had an issue this weekend while driving my 1952 Hudson Wasp, 2 door Brogham; the poor girl won't shift out of reverse. I did manage to force it into low in which I limped home. How would I go about fixing this?? Can this be adjusted somehow?



Thanks in advance,



Adam

Unknown

Is this a linkage issue, tranny,....anyone have a similar issue?



Regards,



Adam

mars55

Well, one thing you should do is inspect the shift linkage for worn and/or broken parts. If OK, have somebody move the shift level in to all positions while you are under the car to see if it goes all the way in to each position. If it looks OK, try disconnecting the shift rod and moving the level on the transmission to each position, to see if shifts correctly then. If none of the above shows anything, you have a broken transmission.

Unknown

I suppose I should be more specific. I can't move the shifter lever out of reverse...and moments before this happened, I could move it freely.



Thank you for your response!!



Adam

Unknown

I am no means an expert on Hydramatics. So I am quoting what the Hudson Hydramatic Service Manual says.



Diagnosis:

Reverse Unit (models H-51, J-51, H-52, J-52)



SELECTOR LEVER STICKS IN REVERSE POSITION



Inspect the detent plunger and detent control lever which maybe the cause of the sticking.



If the selector lever sticks in the "R" position when the car is parked and the selector lever cannot be moved to the "DR" (drive) or "N" (Neutral) position, check the manual control linkage adjustment, the trouble may be due to a bent or damaged parking brake pawl crank. In this case it will be necessary to replace the complete parking brake bracket and lever assembly.



Hope this helps.

mars55

To eliminate the manual control linkage adjustment problem referenced in SRCraftsman2 post, remove the shift linkage from the transmission and try to move the shift level by hand. If doesn't move, then the problem is in the transmission.