my 1954 chrysler has a fluid drive auto trans and when it gets warm and wont shift out of low gear what could be the trouble with it please help me before i spend crazy money having it rebuilt thank you
my first new yorker did that when it was low on fluid. aslo, check the solenoids on the p***enger side of the ******.
How many quarts of fluid dose the trans hold I'm going to drain it and put fresh in but I have no idea how many it holds
The '54 shop manual seems to list the fluid drive as a 3 sp ****** with 2 3/4 pints of fluid. Does sound strange.
Well I'm going to drain all the fluid out of it and give it some fresh and see if that helps would you know where they sell solenoids? Or a new trans filter
First of all, if it's actually a '54, and not a '53, it should have a Powerflite 2 speed fully automatic transmission. If it is a '53, or does have something other than a Powerflite, it should be the Chrysler M6 semi-automatic, not a Fluid Drive, which is a different thing. The Fluid Drive, used in Dodge,DeSoto and some Chrysler models, is a manual three speed transmission with both a fluid coupling (not a torque converter, as it does NOT multiply torque) and a manual clutch between the engine and trans. That is why the shop manual shows a small quan***y of gear lube for the trans. These DO NOT self shift., but they provide the ability to drive with out shifting if you just put in High (3rd) and accept the result slow acceleration. The M6 semi-automatic, by contrast does partially self shift. It is in fact a 4 speed transmission, plus reverse, with two gears in each position that correspond with the 2nd & 3rd gear positions on a regular column shift 3 spd. The trans will self-shift from the lower to the higher of the two gears in each position, but you must manual move between the two positions...........Both M6 and Fluid Drive have clutch pedals. So, what do you have? A Powerflite full automatic, with no cltch pedal present, or one of the other two trans described. Once you determine that, you can access a shop manual or the advice of someone familiar with the particular trans in your car. Ray
Its gotta be a powerflite because it only has a gas and a break and only 2 gears besides reverse and when it gets warm it won't shift in to high gear and will only run about 35 I'm hopeing to get it fixed before the car show next weekend here in town
im going to drain out the trans and drop the pan and clean the filter and fill it back up i need to know how much fluid it takes if any one knows off hand
$100 for trans with e brake and converter. Low miles. Come to Indy to get it, there is a big swap meet here 5/21 & 22 that's worth the trip anyway.
Agreed.............but the OP didn't say whether he had a 331 V8 or a flathead six, but in either case, the trans info applies. Ray
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