OD question

BillUSN1

The OD has been working great since I woke the 49 from its slumber.

But after my last drive the car will not pull when shifted in 1st with the OD cable pushed in.

If I pull it out it will drive thru 3rd and then I push it in for OD.

I can then down shift to a stop and then go to first, there will be nothing until I push the cable in again.

Reading the manual it seems to indicate an internal failure.

Is this a common problem?

Thanks

Park_W

I think your analysis is likely correct.  Fortunately for others, this is not a common problem.  Hudson Guy and OD expert Al Saffrahn in AZ can probably tell you what's happened.  hetal_kimsaffrahn@outlook.com (remove the het for actual address). 

Geoff

I have difficulty understanding your description.  You say the car will drive normally with the OD knob pulled out, then in the next sentence you say you have to push the knob in to get it to work.  I assume you mean have to pull it out again???   I would check that the  control lever is being fully actuated by the bowden cable, and when pushed in the lever is right back against the stop. 

Geoff 

BillUSN1

Geoff C., N.Z. said:

I have difficulty understanding your description.  You say the car will drive normally with the OD knob pulled out, then in the next sentence you say you have to push the knob in to get it to work.  I assume you mean have to pull it out again???   I would check that the  control lever is being fully actuated by the bowden cable, and when pushed in the lever is right back against the stop. 

Geoff 

Sorry for the confusion.

I have to take off with it in direct, pulled out. Then once driving I can push it in and shift to OD as normal.

When I come to a stop and shift to first it's just like neutral. The OD acts like it's still in free wheel.

I then have to pull the cable back out and it will go into first.

I can't leave it in OD to take off from a stop.

Reading thru the manual there are checks to perform for the system but nothing that was described like my condition.

Just figured I would see if someone else had ran into the same thing.

I'll just have to perform all the test and see what may check bad.

Or just perform my 200r4 or 700r4 automatic conversion sooner then planned!

lostmind

Sounds like the solenoid is not disengaging. You can pull it out and bench test it. it should change positions when you remove the power supply.

Remove wires , remove bolts , turn a quarter turn , pull back.

Glowplug

My comment is ...from experience... Wiring/or/contact security is the most common cause of OD mis-conduct

BillUSN1

Got the Western Regionals this weekend so I will have to nurse it along till I get back and can take it apart.

Wiring is still original so it is a possibility.

Thanks for the input.

Geoff

I would still recommend checking the actuating lever operation first, that it is getting full movement back and forth.  There are full instructions in workshop manual for trouble shooting, but the  '49 model is  little more complicated than the later single contact relay.

Geoff

Jon B

Yeah, I'm still a bit confused when you say, "I can't leave it in OD to take off from a stop".

Does that mean that if you leave it in OD when you come to a light, that when you then release the clutch pedal to take off, the engine just roars but there is no forward movement?  Like a slipping clutch?

Geoff may have a point.  Get under the car and observe where the mechanical cable is attached to the operating lever on the side of the OD.  Note that the cable emerges from the sheathing (which is also clamped to a bracket on the side of the OD, to keep it from slipping).

Have someone push and pull the operating lever, while you are under the car (please make sure the brake is on!).  Does the cable pull the lever to the limits of the lever's travel, in both the fully-engaged and fully-disengaged positions? 

When the knob is pulled all the way out (at the dash) is there still some of the cable sticking out of the sheathing?  Or has the cable retracted so far into the sheathing, that the lever itself is hitting the sheathing?  If so, then the lever is not moving to its limit!

Likewise, when the knob is pushed all the way in, there should still be maybe 1/8" of the knob's shaft still visible where shaft goes into the dashboard bracket.  In other words, the knob should NOT bottom out on the hole in the dashboard bracket, when it's all the way in.  If it DOES bottom out, the cable may not have moved as far as it needed to, in order to move the lever on the side of the OD.

There has to be some "slop" at either end of the cable's travel.  Sometimes, the clamp that holds the cable sheathing to the OD case, slips a bit, and the sheathing moves.  In that case the cable may be prevented from moving to its limits and (thus) so may the operating lever on the side of the OD.

Per

Bill, I have had the experience that Jon mentions: The sheathing of the cable moving in the clamp that holds it to the OD case. Per

BillUSN1

Jon,

I took the car to the Western regionals.

It operates the same all the time.

With the cable pulled out I can shift thru all 3 gears, then I push it in and let off the throttle and it shifts into OD just like it always did.

As I approach a stop I down shift to second and as long as I keep a little throttle on it will stay in 2nd/OD.

As I lift off the throttle and slow the trans will drop out of OD and will no longer apply power to the wheels.

As addressed in the manual, as I slow to below 18mph I am able to pull the cable out and can then apply power to the wheels again.

I repeat this each time I start out from a stop.

If the cable is pushed in there is no power applied to the wheels and I can not take off from a stop.

The mechanical side seems to be working fine If I'm interpreting the indications correctly.

So I guess I need to go thru all the electrical checks in the manual and find what's missing.

Thanks for the assist.

Jon B

Have you tried contacting the Club's overdrive expert, Al Saffrahn?

BillUSN1

Not yet.

I'll complete the checks first so I can have some more answers before checking with him.

Thanks