Technical 1950 dynaflow slipping

Hey there everyone,

Got myself a sweet little 1950 Buick Super Riviera a while ago and I've been taking it pretty easy on her. This is my first driving pre 63 so I got all the manuals and that junk. Need to do my torque ball seals as normal however as I prepare for that I'm thinking I might need a little extra maintenance.

When I go around a corner the dynaflow seems to slip as im giving it gas to get through the corner. If I'm crazy gentle and barely give it anything it's fine. But anything more than that it slips. Everything else seems to be cool. I did have a bit of chattering when I backed it out of the garage the other day when it was near freezing but went away when it was warm. Fluid is up despite the torque ball leaking. Haven't really played with L at all but generally reverse has been fine.

Any insight would be rad! I have gone through the main repair manual but I just got the dynaflow supplement so I'll read through that.

Thanks!

 

When you say you "haven't played with L", do you mean that you haven't used low range yet? Pre-'53 Dynaflows, if left in D range when starting out, are really sluggish.

 

I use Low to take off and any time I am going slow like around turns in my 50 Buick with a Dynaflow. The only strange thing mine does is that sometimes it will somewhat freewheel if I don’t downshift to low before going through a turn. Not sure if that is normal (wouldn’t have guessed it should be), but I do know that my transmission was serviced shortly before I got the car.

 

They are. All your "gearing" barring L is via the torque converter, so any application of throttle will result in a flare of revs until the converter stalls.

Does it behave the same in a straight line? (You mention this behavior whilst cornering, a Buick does not corner; it merely proceeds along the highway).

Joking aside, is it only while changing direction? That would suggest the fluid pick-up may be drawing air- anything possible like a cracked tube.

Phil

 

CVS transmission: Constantly Variable Slip

 

Hi Phil,

I only get this issue in a corner and when I think about it is it on particularly "tight" corners to the left (which is away from the fill tube). You're right about the fact that they are not meant to anything but straight, but I drive boats so we are ok. I'm going to inspect things very closely for cracks. Thanks for giving me some things to think about.

 

I'll have to give low a go. I haven't been using it as I've only been on flat roads. The guy I bought it from said he only used it on hills.

 

It really sounds like a low fluid problem. Especially as it happens during cornering.

 

That was my thought as well on mine. But, it was full.

 

Have you changed the fluid yet? It might be a good idea so you can be sure you have the right amount of the right fluid in it. Who knows what has happened with the dipstick over all of these years?

 

Early Dynaflow transmissions are 99% slip anyway. No "drive" gear, just a loose converter,

 

You cant compare an early Dynaflow trans with any other automatics, they are very slushy syrup rubbery gooey....
These trans were all about comfort, no hard shifting, just like an magnet ****ing the car up in speed.
When i bought mine i were absolute sure there were something critically wrong with it, before i had only been driving Th350s
Check fluid level, check the ATF color and smell it.
With the trans in "L" the trans should grip pretty hard, but in "D" it feels very slippery when driving from standstill, but if you drive around 50mph and floor it, it grips a lot better.
In the owners manual you can read, to get "fast" accelerations from traffic lights you can start on "L" and shift to "D"
They seems to be pretty reliable, not very often anybody have any major issues with them, they leak, all of them, some people said they were leaking on the sales floor when new, thats how you know it´s got oil in it.

 

In the old car magazines they were called slush-boxes or Dyna-Flops. I agree on a fluid change, best if you have an old manual around for guidance. I'm sure someone here has one to cover the car. I may even have one and will look later.

 

Somewhere, recently, I read a comparison article between a 1955 Buick with Dynaflow and a 1955 Oldsmobile with Hydramatic. Guess which out performed the other? In all categories. Wish I could find that article.

Ben

 

One of the first things i did were changing the fluid, be sure to drain the converter also, if you turn it around when you underneath you´ll find a bolt on the converter.
About the fluid there´s always been a debate which one to use, some people says Type A and some Dexron III.
I have used Dexron III in mine for 10 years now and it drives just as good as when i got it, some say that the Dex III can be bad for old sealings but i dont really now if there´s any truth in that.

 

Whatever oil you put in a Dynaflow, it's going to be doing a lot of hard work. Dexron 3 is designed for torque converter use, being as there's one one clutch to worry about I would say Dexron 3 or any of the modern compatible synthetics should be good. It'll leak a bit more when it's hot but that's the way it goes.

 

DF ******s are like flathead V8s......they "mark their area". My dad had a new 48 Buick for a while. He said it was a dog & leaked ****** fluid. Alway parked it in the gravel.