Overdrive governor

bsatocker68

Hi, I'm trying to get my overdrive working on my 51 pacemaker. I have converted the car to 12 volt, and gotten rid of the voltage regulator. I have the main power wire running to the hot side of the starter solenoid, and the signal wire running to my ignition switch. I have got the solenoid and relay to both click by putting power to them. When I push in the cable to activate the overdrive though I do not hear either of them click. The transmission will free wheel but will not go into overdrive. I have heard that the contacts on the governor can need to be cleaned, but I do not know where the governor is located. I believe that this could be the problem. Can anyone steer me in the right direction.

Lance

The governor on your transmission is located on the right side of the transmission opposite of the overdrive solenoid. . It is secured into place by means of a threaded base. The main body also  a gear attached to it that slips into the gear case before the  governor screws into place.

Park_W

Note that you don't have to remove the governor.  Just remove the outer plate and you'll see the contact points on the underside of the plate.  Handle carefully.

You can test in advance whether the governor is the problem.  Just ground the wire that attaches to the governor and take a test drive.  When you push the cable in, the OD should engage when you release the accelerator, regardless of your speed.

If it still doesn't work, the problem might be in the reverse cutout switch.  Just follow the governor wire over to the rear of the OD unit, near the speedometer connection.  You'll see the two wires going into that switch.  Connect those two wires together and take a ride.  If the OD now works, you've likely got a bad switch or oil on the internal contacts.

bsatocker68

Thanks guys! I will take a look tomorrow when I get home from work.

Glowplug

My website has maintenance and theory of operation information for your O/D. Also information on how to utilize a relay and switch to replace troublesome and costly OEM parts.

http://hudsonrestoration1948-54.com/index.html


Http://hudsonrestoration1948-54.com/Transmission.htm