overdrive issues

F

fast fredy

Senior Member
Good morning guys .. a couple issues I wanted to ask about . I have a bone stock 55 country sedan wagon 272 3 spd overdrive
1st question ..how much oil are you to put in the ****** and overdrive unit,I filled to the fill hole on each and had very heavy leakage between ****** and bell housing while sitting in garage.
2nd issue.. The transmission and overdrive work ,for the most part, but when dropped into overdrive it has a gear or bearing wirling sound ,only when actually in overdrive.no noise at all when not activated
I have also noticed that once in a while when I shift into reverse and release the clutch I would get a rrrrrr sound and no ****** engagement and i have to try another gear, then reverse again The other day this happened only it took a bit more fiddling to get it to move in reverse.
I assume these issues are in the overdrive unit because otherwise the ****** seems fine
This winter I'll pull the ****** and have a look . Just wondering what your thought are on these issues .. I've never had an overdrive apart Thanks Fred
 
Try adjusting the overdrive cable. make sure the lever on the trans is at full travel, against the "stop" when the handle/cable is pulled out. The correct way to fill the trans, is to first fill the overdrive section until it starts to come out the fill hole., then fill the main case just until it just starts to come out the fill hole.
 
I forgot to say , make sure the car is level front to back and side to side to ensure proper level in the trans, otherwise an overfill condition can cause a fluid leak from the front bearing retainer
 
If it just sits there and spins the freewheeling is still on/engaged/whatever.... Your overdive needs to be OFF WHEN BACKING UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
If it’s stock, there’s a rod in the transmission linkage that physically disengages the o/d when shifted into reverse. The manual explains all of that. Your noise is probably like was pointed out on another forum. Mac at Van Pelt sales is an expert and had most parts. They are not hard to rebuild, and the “rubber band” trick I first used in 1967. It works.

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/
 
There were three types of overdrive transmissions in use in the mid 50s Fords. The 259 series with the rectangular side cover, the T86 with the top load cover, and the heavy duty T85 with the shovel shaped side cover. I'd be curious to know which one you have.

While it is common to fill up to the lower edge of the fill port, this sometimes overfills the unit a bit. Lube will flow into the OD section from the front section but they put a fill port on it so that it can be serviced when completely empty. It takes too long for the lube to get into that chamber when the Temps are low. It's not uncommon to get seepage on the front of the transmission. If it's more than just seepage and it's pouring out then it's either overfill or something is wrong in that area. On a Y block it could also be a leaky crank seal. The smell of the oil will usualy tell.

When shifted into overdrive, the planetary may be what is making the sound. If it's very loud there may be a problem with the planet gears. I would also verify that the reverse lock out mechanism is functioning properly. These units were common clear up into the 60s so there are still parts lurking around for them.
 
Miker, thanks a bunch for the BW overdrive PDF. I made a copy and will look it over when I get a chance. I also have the overdrive how-to that Randy Rundle put together a while back. It was helpful, but some things were still not clear to me.

To the OP: when the Borg Warner overdrive was operational in my '54 Ford wagon, it made no gear noise that I could tell. Also, when using overdrive in my car I had no problem using reverse, per miker's explanation above.
 
That manual is the real deal, but written by engineers for other engineers or really experienced mechanics. Even after owning several of them (starting in 1967 or so) I still have to read carefully. But they’re pretty simple to take apart once you’ve really read it.

I’m a real believer in installing them as designed, with the relay, kick down switch, etc. The only mod I ever do is to add a dash switch to drop them out without using WOT and the kickdown. But all the rest stays and functions as designed. Back in the 70’s there were some guys around who could put the R-11 unit behind a 4 speed, both the T10 and the Ford toploader. That was a set up, 4 sychro gears and the o/d, and they would stand up behind FE’s for everything but side stepping the clutch at 4000 rpm or so.

My 55 bird had a link to the carb that was spring loaded. You could go to WOT on the carb, then push thru the spring link and trip the kickdown. I think Ford discontinued that, at least it’s not shown for the 56 bird. Klutz came up with a reproduction and posted it a bit ago.
 
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