1962 Jetaway Transmission issues

[BKBridges]

In my attempt to get my 62 caddy moving I serviced the transmission (new filter 80+ USD ouch!)...Still doesn't work well. It only moves forward when its in reverse and when I put it into low it stalls the motor like its in two gears at once (R and L)... There was no debris in the pan, but the fluid was very low and there was some water in it. It seems to have no reverse. The cast iron trans doesn't really have a valve body per se, just a bunch of discreet piston assemblies. Is anyone out there familiar with this transmission and what could be sticking / failing? Its seems to pull strong when its in R (pulling forward not backwards...)
BKB

[squirrel]

cltuches get rusty and stuck together when there's moisture around...but so do valves, pistons, etc. My guess is you need to find a gasket set and overhaul it, hopefully you don't need any hard parts.

It's been 30 years since I was in one of those

[BKBridges]

Squirrel,
Thanks! Its uncharted territory for me! Im going into it again next weekend to look for something rusty or stuck. I can get a soft parts kit from Fatsco for a couple hundred bucks. Getting the trans out doesn't look too bad, but it does look heavy!
BKB

[tardis454]

Moisture for sure, probably some gummed up parts too. Maybe try a bottle of snake oil before you tear it apart...



My buddy had a 62 Galaxie 352/2spd Ford-O-Matic that sat in his backyard forever. We decided to take it for a ride one day and it wouldn't come out of 1st gear. We contacted a friend who used to own a tranny shop and he told us to try Lubegard, he called it snake oil, jojoba oil.. He used it at his shop for years to unstick gummed up governors, clutches/steels, and valve bodies. He said if theres anything left of the trans Lubegard would bring it back, just follow the instructions. The instructions say to run the car for 30 minutes to get the tranny good and hot, then dump Lubegard in, and run it through all the gears. About an hour later it was shifting fine, we were shocked, the stuff really worked! I also used it in my Impala's TH350 that sat outside for a few years before I put it in. It wouldn't go into 3rd gear, and reverse was sluggish. I added Lubegard and I'll be damned, it started shifting! I never touched the trans after that, not even a filter change, it just worked, and worked well at that..

Just a suggestion, I've had great success with Lubegard, it really works, might be worth a shot.

[BKBridges]

Im going to try some of that! I looked at a schematic last night and a video of the disassembly of a jetaway... After that Im thinking it would be great to not have to take it apart...

[squirrel]

They sold a different brand of jojoba snake oil at the trans shop I worked at decades ago....although I don't remember it ever bringing a trans back to life. It was more of an "insurance policy", if you know what I mean

[BKBridges]

Squirrel,
After doing a bit of research Im thinking Ive got a frozen up Sprague clutch (or two) and some sticking clutch plates. Not sure Bum juice is going to fix that... From what I was reading it will take a bit more re-assembly care to get the Jetaway right than the Torqueflites Im used to and Im trying to "minimize" my time on the caddy as much as I can. Im pretty sure its coming out though.
BKB

[squirrel]

That's what I was thinking, too. I had a bulldozer years ago, the steering didn't work one way, they use a multi clutch pack on each side. The side where battery acid dripped onto it was stuck really good...ended up sandblasting all the plated, then it worked wonderful after that.

Doesn't take much moisture in clutch plate or sprag to make steel parts stick together, unfortunately

[Scott Liggett]

There is a good trans shop in Culver City that can possibly rebuild it if it comes to that.

The trans shift points are determined by the rod connected to the carb. If it's not adjusted correctly, it won't shift.

[squirrel]

that will affect the shift points, but it won't lock it in two gears at once, like a rusty clutch will