this is probably a newbie question and i'll probably get flamed, but i've never had a car with overdrive ... much less a ****on to engage overdrive. so my question is, what is the proper way to engage overdrive via the 'pull-out-switch' on the dash ...... can the switch be out all the way before the car moves or do i only pull out the switch to engage over-drive after i've shifted into 3rd gear? it was suggested that this could be the reason why i over-heated a couple times on the way home from picking it last week. any thoughts or suggestions? the car is a 1948 Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe running the original flathead six (runs like a dream)
Here's an overdrive manual that should cover your car: http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/trans/Borg-Warner Overdrive/index.htm Generally, you can pull out the overdrive ****on and then drive normally. It should be disabled until you get above some set speed (which can vary depending on the car) and then you momentarily lift off the gas to engage overdrive.
My first car was a 49 Ford convertible, bought for $100.... it had the overdrive push pull lever... I never knew which way was on, or when to engage it, so I never used overdrive.... Or maybe I was always in overdrive
I think on my 51 Merc the process was to pull out the handle and then let off the gas to engage the od. You knew you were in overdrive when you let off the gas going down the road and the car freewheeled rather than slowing down on compression.
stuart - Thanks for the ****** manual ... that's gonna be very helpful! i didnt even realize it was an OD car until i started poking around all the switches and such yesterday. .... i drove all the way back from Wi to Mn with the OD knob pulled out without realizing it. i heard rumor that non-OD cars will overheat with todays traffic/speeds. seems i might have worked her a lil hard without using OD.
Boy oh boy! I may be all wet, but as I remember, with the '51 Ford I had in high school, everything was opposite from what I've read here. Pull the handle out to lock it OUT of overdrive; push the handle in to enable overdrive. Then, after you get up to speed in high gear, let off the gas, and it will go into overdrive. Might be CRS syndrome, but I don't think so.
If its like my 50, the switch should have O/D cast into the knob. Mine had the hole in the dash panel for it, but no switch or solenoid. You should be able to engage OD in any gear on the stude, just have no power going into each gear.
That handle is for locking out or disabling the overdrive. It has nothing to do with the normal operation. If you wish to use the overdrive, leave the handle IN. That enables the system. If it's stilled wired as original, the operation is controlled by a governor switch which prevents power flow to the shifting solenoid below a predertermined speed (usually 26 m.p.h.). Once that speed has been reached, all you need to do is let up on the accelerator. At that point, the governor switch sends a signal to the solenoid which then shifts the planetary set into gear. Voila-you're now in O.D. (Note: you can do this in any of the three gears in the main transmission.). Should you wish to shift back into conventional drive, flooring the accelerator activates the kickdown switch which does two things: 1)momentarily kills power to the coil and thus engine torque to the transmission which unloads the planetary set and 2) sends a signal to the solenoid to shift out of O.D. Back in the day, I knew people who never pulled that lockout cable unless they were going to drive in hilly country and needed engine braking.j
At least on my car, the lever is a lockout: When the lever is pulled OUT, the O.D. is locked OUT. (See how I matched out to out to help me remember...) When locked out it is just a regular 3 speed. When the lever is IN, the O.D. is INgaged (sp). It all matters because with the O.D. engaged the engine can freewheel, reverse is locked out, and you can't use engine compression for your parking brake.
Push in for o/d and pull out to lock out o/d. If the system is stock and working properly then the system will have power to the solenoid above 23mph but won't go in o/d unless the cable is pushed in. I'm not 100% sure you can push the cable in above 23mph, but I do know you CANNOT pull the cable out when o/d is engaged (above 23mph). If you cable is pushed in and the o/d system isn't working then you'll just have no engine braking. I don't think the o/d system will make it overheat, unless it isn't working and your rpms are WAY too high.
wowcars - we should meet up sometime soon and talk studebakers. it sounds like you've gone through everything im about to embark on. i do have the OD switch (third switch in from left) so i know its set up for it, but i'll have to do some investigating and digging around to see if its all there and hooked up properly. 4woody - your method makes sense ... what kind of car are you rolling in? could that operation differ from manufacturer to manufacturer? or would they all typically be on the same page with this sort of thing? oldtimer - my guess is that i was running at too high of RPM without OD engaged to make her boil-over.
The o/d should be the same or real close, they came from borg warner (the part on the trans) and then installed by the car companies.
You can get manuals for your car in hardcopy and on CD, for a reasonable price. Worth the effort. Good luck with your new ride.
i cant wait to find a fuel tank to put in the car so i can actually test out the O/D to see how well it operates. if the O/D is operational, what kind of speeds can the car handle without overheating? (i know its no speed demon, just curious so i dont push her harder than she can handle)
I think the overheating is a separate problem. Check you cooling system over! IIRC if the system isn't operating correctly, (going back into direct at low speed) when you park, your car can roll away plus reverse won't move the car. (because of the overrunning clutch) Losing reverse that way has freaked out more than one hot shot! LOL
+2 on what Wolfcreek says. My first car was a Stude six with a 3spd, no OD, so with this car I had to learn how to operate OD too. It's fine, once you learn the routines, and one of those important routines I learned (from the Stude folks) was, with OD, make sure you're out of it when you park and put the car in reverse no matter how the car is sitting. If you're stopped and can't seem to get the shifter into reverse, well, that's your sign that the car is still in OD. My car came with a switch under the dash that byp***es the OD solenoid, so I use the switch to go into or out of OD. Also, I'm noticing that, with the OD, there are times going downhill when the car is basically freewheeling and the trans and engine is not engaged together, so your expectation of using the engine to slow down before stopping is in for a rude surprise if you're not careful in traffic. Make sure you go through your brakes and they're all up to snuff because you'll be using them more than on a modern car as you OD downhills at times.
good to know LeoH ... ive heard stories about free-wheeling so I'm semi-prepared for that. my brakes are new ... cylinders, shoes, lines (steel/rubber) so im good there. it brakes really well actually for an old non-power anything car.
It's an interesting feeling. It took me several days and asking a couple of people before I understood what I felt driving downhill
Good post from the Studebaker forum. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub....echnique…&highlight=overdrive+operation video--how to drive it When you park the car put it in reverse (OD cable engaged/in). Reverse locks out the overdrive, and the parking brake is also a good idea. I have taller gears (3.55) in the rear which really works well for freeway speeds. These old overdrives were made back when hiway speeds were 55mph or lower. I very seldom pull out my OD cable, and definitely not when in motion. You'll love it when you get comfortable using it.
Overspray- thanks for the video link ... it really helps a visual artsy-fartsy guy out like me!! lots of good convo at the link too on the stude forum! i cant wait to get my fuel tank mounted so i can 'play' with the OD.
Great transmissions, but a bit flimsy. My 56 Ford 2dr wagon has one, and I got 20+ mpg consistently with that car. But they do have weak syncros, any abuse and you'll burn 'em up and not know it until the OD fails...
crazy steve - what would cons***ute as abuse for these transmissions? i wont be speed shifting or anything like that.
The unit Studebaker used was made by Borg Warner if I am ot mistake it is commonly referred to as a T 85 or T 87. It consists of a planetary gear set in the rear end of the trans case. When it is engaged, it should be able to operate on second and third gear giving you 5 speed gear box with 1st, 2nd, 2nd OD, 3rd and 3rd OD. They might also have an option to freewheel the trans when going down hill. You should never try to engage reverse with the over drive engaged. The OD is controlled by a governor and a solenoid, and there should be a kick down switch some where in the throttle linkage. This allows the OD to automatically kick down when the throttle is floored as in p***ing or hill climbing. In operation the OD will shift up when in second or third when you momentarily let off the gas, and disengage when you floor the pedal. If your system is stock, I would post your questions to the Studebaker Drivers club forum for definitive experience from Studebaker owners. Their web sit may also have a OD section in their technical section. You can also wire the kick down function to a momentary switch on the shift lever if all the wiring and controls are not present. Here is a good start on understanding the operation of a BW unit and though this is Ford based the Studebaker box was very similar. http://www.fordification.com/tech/overdrive.htm A very helpful statement: We've got to get this clarified and understood. Above the overdrive engagement point, usually 28 MPH up to top speed and back down to 28 MPH, once engaged, the overdrive DOES NOT FREEWHEEL. It is just like the same overall gear ratio in any transmission. When the throttle is released, engine compression is slowing the car. Below 28 MPH, then the overdrive drops out and does freewheel. If the overdrive lever is pulled or locked out, then the transmission is always in direct drive and never freewheels. This is the mode which should be used in descending long mountain grades.
when the OD is engaged while moving you should also hear a slight whine from the planetary gears , its normal on the truck it was shift it normally all the way to third then pull the switch and let yor foot off the accelerator and you would feel it engage and then reacelerate, as for running hot , it should run warmer in O/d as your making the motor work a little harder by using its torque , and it should only be 5-10 *
I figured out how to use my 57 studes OD while on its maiden voyage home. the previous owner lived in California and said he never used it. it was amazing how well it works on the freeway. It purred down the road at 75 without a problem. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out the it also worked in 2nd gear as well. pretty sweet little item. some people were thinking ahead when they made them and knew they would need to go faster.
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