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Found the above info in a 1955 Motors Manual. Somehow it didn't print as I wanted it to. Does the Hydro in the OP's car have a 1950 serial number? Original could have been replaced with a later year transmission. Not unusual back in the day.
He never mention DR3 or Super gear, so I would think it is still a single range hydramatic. Could be any year 46-51. (I won't go back to the 40-42 years). Any more info you have, try to scan into this post.
Thanks
D2,
To respond to questions about my hydramatic not being original to the car, it definitely is according to the serial number and definitely not a dual range and no Super position. My current repair guy took the valve off and it has the spring in the valve. He cleaned up the valve to make sure that it wasn't sticking and road tested it without 1st gear success. Now is putting it back without the spring. He sees the logic in not having the spring in the valve. I will keep you posted when the valve, without spring, is in and road tested. May be awhile; he is careful, slow, and meticulous! Scott
D2,
To respond to questions about my hydramatic not being original to the car, it definitely is according to the serial number and definitely not a dual range and no Super position. My current repair guy took the valve off and it has the spring in the valve. He cleaned up the valve to make sure that it wasn't sticking and road tested it without 1st gear success. Now is putting it back without the spring. He sees the logic in not having the spring in the valve. I will keep you posted when the valve, without spring, is in and road tested. May be awhile; he is careful, slow, and meticulous! Scott
O.K. d2 and the rest of you guys that are interested in the test results. Leaving the 1-2 shift valve spring out of the valve body results in 1st gear start however, upon downshifting into 1st gear the transmission bangs hard. My transmission guy tells me that a broken servo spring is what would cause this. I am not a transmission expert but I don't totally agree with this and here is my reason. I dug out the information link that was posted here for the pre 1950 hydramatics and here is what I found. Disassembly instructions for the oil control valve body shows a much smaller diameter and lighter spring between the 1-2 regulator plug and the 1-2 shift valve than the 2-3 & 3-4 valves. I would suspect that not having this spring in the passage is what causes the hard downshift. I had to go pickup and flatbed my Olds back home today because I found out the tranny guy is having serious heart issues so I'm on my own again. My dilemma is that I've searched extensively to locate the lighter spring for a '49 transmission with no success. I have however found a NOS parts supplier that has a 46-49 flow valve so I think I'm going to splurge for it. Again, will update you with my findings. Scott
O.K. d2 and the rest of you guys that are interested in the test results. Leaving the 1-2 shift valve spring out of the valve body results in 1st gear start however, upon downshifting into 1st gear the transmission bangs hard. My transmission guy tells me that a broken servo spring is what would cause this. I am not a transmission expert but I don't totally agree with this and here is my reason. I dug out the information link that was posted here for the pre 1950 hydramatics and here is what I found. Disassembly instructions for the oil control valve body shows a much smaller diameter and lighter spring between the 1-2 regulator plug and the 1-2 shift valve than the 2-3 & 3-4 valves. I would suspect that not having this spring in the passage is what causes the hard downshift. I had to go pickup and flatbed my Olds back home today because I found out the tranny guy is having serious heart issues so I'm on my own again. My dilemma is that I've searched extensively to locate the lighter spring for a '49 transmission with no success. I have however found a NOS parts supplier that has a 46-49 flow valve so I think I'm going to splurge for it. Again, will update you with my findings. Scott
Scott: The spring you took out is the DETENT spring. The shift valve spring is on the other side, between the regulator plug and the 1-2 shift valve. I will try and see if I have a 1948 valve body that I can examine the shift valve spring.
I would also check the idle speed and the TV linkage. If I read correctly, the transmission shifts hard back to 1st when coming to a stop. Is this correct? If so, I will look into this more. Getting an earlier valve body is a good idea and may give you more to go on. If it still shifts hard back to 1st, then it is other things.
D2,
My original valve is out of the car so I will examine it closer to get an understanding of the difference between the detent spring and the shift valve spring. Also, now that I've received the NOS valve body, I notice that the cast body on one side of the valve is not included with it. I had hoped to get the whole thing. Having said that, I wonder if it might be a good idea to soak the NOS valve body in either mineral sprits or some light weight mineral oil; it doesn't look to be rusty or corroded but it has been on the shelf some 60 years. I hate to think about the necessity of completely as disassembling the whole valve for fear of some parts jumping out and getting lost! I would like to send some photos but I'm not certain as to how to do that. Scott
Last edited by Indyhac; December 13th, 2017 at 06:35 PM.
Reason: Typographical error
D2 ******, or anyone else, I need to know how to post some pictures here. I compared the '49 valve body to my '50 valve body and there are differences of which I've taken photos. I cannot marry up the '50 cast part to the '49. They are close but the screw holes don't quite line up and the '50 has 3 screw holes and the '49 only has 2. I wanted to compare the 1-2 governor springs in both valve bodies but can't figure out how to get the springs out after I took off the governor plug cover. I notice in the photo of the governor plug cover removed, showing the 1-2 governor sticking out the top of its passage, that there is what looks to be a steel ball and maybe a cap like those in the other passages. How were they removed? Because I only got part of the '49 flow valve and not the cast part that bolts to it, I've wasted close to $300 for nothing! Unless I get both 1-2 governor springs out and find a difference, I'm back where I started with no solution to getting a 1st gear start. I'm not optimistic about a difference in the springs because, pressing down on each of them I can't tell any difference. Any other ideas about what to try on the '50 flow valve or how to post photos here will be appreciated. Scott
In my previous post where I mentioned the photo that D2 ****** posted of the valve body with the governor plug cover removed, I meant to say the governor spring was sticking out of its passage, not the governor sticking out. Got in a hurry! Scott
I edited this message to attach photos: 1st pic shows '49 on L, '50 on R, Note that '50 has a hole midway down & R of Center while '49 near same location, no hole.
2nd pic: Opposite side of valves, '50 on L, threaded hole near midway down, a little to R. whereas '49 on R, has large thru hole in same location.
3rd pic: "50 on L, with '50 separator plate. 3 threaded holes line up with plate. #1 about 1/3rd way down & inward from L.
#2 about midway down & R of center.
#3 on extreme R, just above 2 lower passages. All 3 line up with separator plate holes.
#4 pic: '49 on R with '50 separator plate. #1, top hole on L close to lining up,
No #2 threaded hole that's the larger thru hole,
#3 hole R edge is at least halfway too low to line up
So, I can't attach the cast part, that fits the '50 valve body, onto the '49 valve body. The holes on the "49 won't line up & it only has 2 threaded holes while the "50 has 3 threaded mounting holes.
Apologies for not having larger photos; Don't know how D2 did that! Scott
Last edited by Indyhac; November 25th, 2017 at 06:35 PM.
Reason: Add attachments
In my previous post where I mentioned the photo that D2 ****** posted of the valve body with the governor plug cover removed, I meant to say the governor spring was sticking out of its passage, not the governor sticking out. Got in a hurry! Scott
I edited this message to attach photos: 1st pic shows '49 on L, '50 on R, Note that '50 has a hole midway down & R of Center while '49 near same location, no hole.
2nd pic: Opposite side of valves, '50 on L, threaded hole near midway down, a little to R. whereas '49 on R, has large thru hole in same location.
3rd pic: "50 on L, with '50 separator plate. 3 threaded holes line up with plate. #1 about 1/3rd way down & inward from L.
#2 about midway down & R of center.
#3 on extreme R, just above 2 lower passages. All 3 line up with separator plate holes.
#4 pic: '49 on R with '50 separator plate. #1, top hole on L close to lining up,
No #2 threaded hole that's the larger thru hole,
#3 hole R edge is at least halfway too low to line up
So, I can't attach the cast part, that fits the '50 valve body, onto the '49 valve body. The holes on the "49 won't line up & it only has 2 threaded holes while the "50 has 3 threaded mounting holes.
Apologies for not having larger photos; Don't know how D2 did that! Scott
To remove the 1-2 shift valve and it's spring, reference my 3rd picture. That cover needs to come off. Once that comes off, the shift valve and spring can then be removed for comparison. In the cover resides the pressure regulator for 1-2 shift valve. Compare that too.
Here is now my current situation with the flow valve. I sent the '49 "inner oil flow valve" back to the supplier; they said they would give me a refund, since it does me no good without the rest of the assembly. i.e. the cast section or outer valve body. Although I've got my Olds back, the old time transmission guy failed to put the spring back in the box with the original flow valve so I can't use it to try to find a lighter spring to try. I'll go and get that spring in a couple of days.
Meantime, I located what is supposed to be a NOS 1950 flow valve complete on EBay (both inner & outer sections). According to the seller, the manufacturer P/N is 8611832. However, the only place that I find that number is on the original box. The number that's cast into the outer section of the assembly is the same as what's cast in my original valve body which is 8611582. Also, the flow valve I've purchased from the EBay seller does not have the regulator valve sticking out of the bottom of the cover like my original valve does. Add to that, the 3 governor valves won't fall out of their bores when tapping the valve body in my palm like the shop manual says to do. I'm currently soaking the newly purchased valve body in mineral spirits in the hope I can get the governor valves unstuck. 1950 flow valve purchased from EBay. Note: No regulator valve protruding out the bottom.
Here is now my current situation with the flow valve. I sent the '49 "inner oil flow valve" back to the supplier; they said they would give me a refund, since it does me no good without the rest of the assembly. i.e. the cast section or outer valve body. Although I've got my Olds back, the old time transmission guy failed to put the spring back in the box with the original flow valve so I can't use it to try to find a lighter spring to try. I'll go and get that spring in a couple of days.
Meantime, I located what is supposed to be a NOS 1950 flow valve complete on EBay (both inner & outer sections). According to the seller, the manufacturer P/N is 8611832. However, the only place that I find that number is on the original box. The number that's cast into the outer section of the assembly is the same as what's cast in my original valve body which is 8611582. Also, the flow valve I've purchased from the EBay seller does not have the regulator valve sticking out of the bottom of the cover like my original valve does. Add to that, the 3 governor valves won't fall out of their bores when tapping the valve body in my palm like the shop manual says to do. I'm currently soaking the newly purchased valve body in mineral spirits in the hope I can get the governor valves unstuck. 1950 flow valve purchased from EBay. Note: No regulator valve protruding out the bottom.
The regulator valve not extending past the cover is interesting. I don't believe that this would make a difference in downshifts to 1st, but who knows.
As far as the weaker spring, I would measure the bore of the governor 1-2 plug and find a spring that can be depressed into the bore without moving the 1-2 shift valve. The spring could be longer than the original spring, but thinner in wire size. Again, the key is to make sure the 1-2 shift valve stays toward the governor plug side when weaker spring is installed. I will try and find a common spring to use.
As the old Greek philosopher, Pythagoras said when he discovered the Pythagorean theory, "Eureka, I have found it," I've also found the answer. I got my spring from my original flow valve back, searched for a weaker spring, and found one at a Rural King Farm Store, of all places. The wire of the original governor 1-2 plug spring checks about .047" whereas the wire on the one from Rural King checks .040." The Rural King spring was longer than the original one so I just kept cutting it shorter until it just barely started to move the governor 1-2 plug downward. Fortunately, my 1st try was successful; I surprised my own self! My Olds now takes off in 2nd when in Drive but when put in Lo, takes off in 1st and will shift into 2nd and then when manually shifted into Dr will shift into 3rd and 4th. I admire those two brothers that had the transmission shop for being able to do this in 30 minutes; it took me somewhat longer to get the flow valve back together, installed, torqued to 7 Ft. lbs., and to get that sheet metal cover on. Getting that cover on was challenging as was getting the two throttle rods back on the shaft. But it was worth the aggravation, 'cause it works! As a side note concerning the "50 flow valve that I purchased off of EBay that had all 6 of the valves stuck in their bores. I tried soaking the inner valve body in 1st mineral spirits, 2nd in Marvel Mystery Oil, & 3rd in transmission fluid for 2 days each all to no avail. Finally I resorted to cold & heat. I put the inner valve body in the freezer for 2 days then began to direct heat on the aluminum body using a Harbor Freight Heat gun slowly & carefully. That gun gets really hot, even on low. On the 3rd pass concentrating on the plug bores' areas, I was able to rotate the plugs slightly and subsequently pop each one out. My theory for attempting this was that the aluminum bores would expand and open up faster than the steel plugs and it worked. I had to use a pair of really small needle-nosed vice grips to hold the small ends of the plugs gently to just barely try to rotate them. Didn't take much and they then pulled right out. I'm so happy that the lighter spring did the trick on my original valve because I was not looking forward to taking it out and having to try the valve I got from EBay. Not to mention that the EBay valve was a little different from my original and had No spring above the governor 1-2 plug.
Last edited by Indyhac; December 13th, 2017 at 08:07 PM.
As the old Greek philosopher, Pythagoras said when he discovered the Pythagorean theory, "Eureka, I have found it," I've also found the answer. I got my spring from my original flow valve back, searched for a weaker spring, and found one at a Rural King Farm Store, of all places. The wire of the original governor 1-2 plug spring checks about .047" whereas the wire on the one from Rural King checks .040." The Rural King spring was longer than the original one so I just kept cutting it shorter until it just barely started to move the governor 1-2 plug downward. Fortunately, my 1st try was successful; I surprised my own self! My Olds now takes off in 2nd when in Drive but when put in Lo, takes off in 1st and will shift into 2nd and then when manually shifted into Dr will shift into 3rd and 4th. I admire those two brothers that had the transmission shop for being able to do this in 30 minutes; it took me somewhat longer to get the flow valve back together, installed, torqued to 7 Ft. lbs., and to get that sheet metal cover on. Getting that cover on was challenging as was getting the two throttle rods back on the shaft. But it was worth the aggravation, 'cause it works! As a side note concerning the "50 flow valve that I purchased off of EBay that had all 6 of the valves stuck in their bores. I tried soaking the inner valve body in 1st mineral spirits, 2nd in Marvel Mystery Oil, & 3rd in transmission fluid for 2 days each all to no avail. Finally I resorted to cold & heat. I put the inner valve body in the freezer for 2 days then began to direct heat on the aluminum body using a Harbor Freight gun slowly & carefully. That gun gets really hot, even on low. On the 3rd pass concentrating on the plug bores' areas, I was able to rotate the plugs slightly and subsequently pop each one out. My theory for attempting this was that the aluminum bores would expand and open up faster than the steel plugs and it worked. I had to use a pair of really small needle-nosed vice grips to hold the small ends of the plugs gently to just barely try to rotate them. Didn't take much and they then pulled right out. I'm so happy that the lighter spring did the trick on my original valve because I was not looking forward to taking it out and having to try the valve I got from EBay. Not to mention that the EBay valve was a little different from my original and had No spring above the governor 1-2 plug.
Thanks for the feedback. Seems really weird that it still starts in 2nd when in DR. I want mine to start in 1st, whether in DR or LO. But your experimenting will help. BTW: With the spring out did your transmission start in 1st or 2nd when in DR?
D2, I myself did not test drive my Olds with the spring out; the transmission guy did that and told me it started out in 1st but I never thought to ask him if that was in DR or in LO. He just told me that it banged hard upon downshifting into 1st when slowing down to a stop. That is as far as he got with it before he had to go to the hospital with heart problems. At that point, I picked up the car and brought it home and continued with the repair on my own by installing a weaker spring. Maybe if the spring were slightly shorter, it might take off in 1st when in DR but I don't want to take the oil flow valve out again. It was difficult to install it with the transmission still in the car. I can tell you that the valve body that I purchased from the seller on EBay that is supposed to be a NOS 1950 Oldsmobile valve, MFG. Part#8611832 Had NO spring above the G1-2 Valve. Pictured below in the next post is the spring that I shortened, on left. I began by cutting the top 2 coils off. Putting it in the G 1-2 bore it still pushed the governor plug down so I kept shortening it a little at a time until it just started to move the governor plug down. At that point, I reassembled the flow valve and installed in onto the transmission. See above post for test drive results. Scott
Results have changed. After waiting for the car to fully warm up to operating temp and topping off trans fluid, the car no longer continued as initially stated. Although it starts off in 1st gear in both Lo and Dr. it shifts into 2nd after only moving about 3 feet. I think that I'm going to have to remove the flow valve and shorten up the replacement spring and see if that will allow it to stay in 1st gear longer. Scott
Last edited by Indyhac; December 22nd, 2017 at 06:35 PM.
Reason: Additional Info
Original Spring & Replacement Spring for Transmission Flow Valve<br/>
Replacement Spring on Left prior to being shortened (Rural King) Original on Right
Latest Update: I took the flow valve out and cut 1 full coil off of the replacement spring I had installed on 12/11. After my initial results changed on my 2nd road test on 12/13 I assumed the replacement spring was still too strong. On my road test this evening, the car again performed as desired staying in 1st gear in Lo up to around 25 MPH before shifting into 2nd gear under moderate throttle. After 5 or 6 repeats like this, I took off in Dr, transmission starting out in 1st but shifting sooner. Stopping, shifting manually into Lo range, shift time came quicker, within about 10 feet from takeoff. I may try cutting the spring shorter one more time and if that doesn't work, I will probably take the spring out altogether and see if the transmission bangs hard when it downshifts into 1st like the last transmission guy said it did on him. Maybe he didn't test drive it long enough like I have, getting the fluid fully flowing thoroughly throughout the transmission? Will post more updates as they occur. Scott
Here is what I hope is the last post I will have to make on this topic. Putting a weaker spring in the bore of the G 1-2 is [B]NOT[B] the solution to the condition of no 1st gear start in Lo, or in Dr for that matter. Removing the spring altogether appears to be the solution! Although the last transmission repair guy told me that having removed the spring resulted in 1st gear start, it also caused the transmission to bang hard when downshifting into 1st gear. That information caused me to continually attempt to replace the original G 1-2 spring with a weaker spring, which did not achieve satisfactory results. As I stated in my above 12/24 post, I think the repair guy must not have test driven the car long enough to get the fluid fully flowing throughout the transmission or didn't have the fluid filled to the proper specification level. I did a test drive today for around 30-40 minutes without the spring installed in the flow valve. The transmission did not bang or shift hard upon downshift into 1st gear. For me the 1st gear start in both Lo and in Dr are satisfactory. The shop manual states that when Lo range is selected, the shift into 2nd should occur at about 14MPH and at 22MPH at full throttle. This is close to what I got. Although the manual has no spec for the 1-2 shift when in Dr, because the '50 Olds is supposed to take off in 2nd when in Dr, mine now starts in 1st and quickly shifts into 2nd at 4-5MPH. I don't have the shift specs for '46-'49 hydramatics but I am satisfied with the results that I've gotten.
Because of all of the contributors' help I've received on this forum, especially from d2 ******, my exasperation with the "No 1st gear start in Lo" is finally over! I'm just sorry that it took me so long to reach a satisfactory solution. Many thanks to everyone for staying involved.
Last edited by Indyhac; December 25th, 2017 at 01:20 PM.
Wow I followed this thread all the way thru just because it was very interesting. I know nothing about the early hydromatics and don't own one. But still this was entertaining. ( Maybe I don't get out enough) No seriously, Good job figuring it out! What a great bunch of guys on this site!
I second both the interesting nature and thoroughness of this post. It is always great to see a bottom line/solution to a problem/question presented!
X2. It's always a plus when a solution is found and it turns out to be inexpensive also. Thanks all who helped to the conclusion of this mystery.... Tedd
Here is what I hope is the last post I will have to make on this topic. Putting a weaker spring in the bore of the G 1-2 is [B]NOT[B] the solution to the condition of no 1st gear start in Lo, or in Dr for that matter. Removing the spring altogether appears to be the solution! Although the last transmission repair guy told me that having removed the spring resulted in 1st gear start, it also caused the transmission to bang hard when downshifting into 1st gear. That information caused me to continually attempt to replace the original G 1-2 spring with a weaker spring, which did not achieve satisfactory results. As I stated in my above 12/24 post, I think the repair guy must not have test driven the car long enough to get the fluid fully flowing throughout the transmission or didn't have the fluid filled to the proper specification level. I did a test drive today for around 30-40 minutes without the spring installed in the flow valve. The transmission did not bang or shift hard upon downshift into 1st gear. For me the 1st gear start in both Lo and in Dr are satisfactory. The shop manual states that when Lo range is selected, the shift into 2nd should occur at about 14MPH and at 22MPH at full throttle. This is close to what I got. Although the manual has no spec for the 1-2 shift when in Dr, because the '50 Olds is supposed to take off in 2nd when in Dr, mine now starts in 1st and quickly shifts into 2nd at 4-5MPH. I don't have the shift specs for '46-'49 hydramatics but I am satisfied with the results that I've gotten.
Because of all of the contributors' help I've received on this forum, especially from d2 ******, my exasperation with the "No 1st gear start in Lo" is finally over! I'm just sorry that it took me so long to reach a satisfactory solution. Many thanks to everyone for staying involved.
Scott: YOU THE MAN! Thanks for doing the work on this! I am glad that you say it works in both DR and LO. And it downshifts fine. I will now take the spring out of my 98 valve body and be able to cruise on down the road with 1st gear starts! As for an answer to this lingering question, I too am happy that it now has been answered! Good job!
d2 ******, my only final question concerns shift points, especially for the 1-2 upshift. If I adjust the TV rod either longer or shorter, will that change the speeds at which the transmission makes the upshift from lower to higher upshifts? I would like to get the transmission to facilitate the 1-2 upshift somewhere around 10 -15 MPH instead of at 4-5 MPH. Any info which you can provide about this will be greatly appreciated! Scott
Take this for what it cost you but an old racer friend who owns a transmission shop once said the only gear that can't be adjusted with out the internal machining of parts in a Hydro- matic is first gear. As I understand the mechanics of this kind of transmission (which isn't much) the flow of fluid through the valve body is controlled by the diameter of the passage machined into the valve body. To alter the flow a larger or smaller diameter passage needs to be modified. As I remember (it's been 30 years now) to make it shift later in the RPM range the valve needs to be tighter / smaller in diameter.
If someone has a better explanation or if I'm all wet in my absent minded history memory exercise please speak up and correct me. I hauled this one out of the dark ages.... Tedd
Last edited by Tedd Thompson; February 24th, 2018 at 06:47 PM.
Take this for what it cost you but an old racer friend who owns a transmission shop once said the only gear that can't be adjusted with out the internal machining of parts in a Hydro- matic is first gear. As I understand the mechanics of this kind of transmission (which isn't much) the flow of fluid through the valve body is controlled by the diameter of the passage machined into the valve body. To alter the flow a larger or smaller diameter passage needs to be modified. As I remember (it's been 30 years now) to make it shift later in the RPM range the valve needs to be tighter / smaller in diameter.
If someone has a better explanation or if I'm all wet in my absent minded history memory exercise please speak up and correct me. I hauled this one out of the dark ages.... Tedd
The G1 passage and spring of the governor would also help change the 1st gear shift, but the G1 portion is not modifiable.
Scott: If you tighten the TV rod, it should change the speed a little. Tighten it 1/2 turn and see what it does, but if you tighten it too much, it will hunt for the other shift points.
Thanks D2 ****** for your determination on this subject. I feel like you are on the right track with the length of the detent Spring,and that would explain ,if they had made this change in the past, that it only took them about 30 minutes under the car, and we all road in it ,and it did take off in low gear with shift lever in drive. Thanks for everyone's comments" .. This change was caused by the extra power and torque that came about in '49 when the Rocket 88 V-8 was introduced. Thanks, Larry
Hello, I have just fixed two problems but apparently created a new one. After endless headaches with my rebuilt original Carter WCFB, we put in a new Edelbrock AVS2 carb, which makes Lucille literally purr. However, on yesterday's test drive, she starts off in high gear, but then sometimes suddenly downshifts. Disconnecting the linkage from the throttle/carb to the transmission made no difference. From reading the thread above I gather that this means the vacuum to the transmission is not hooked up correctly. Though it seems we kept everything the same. What are we missing?
Thanks!
Andrew
I have a diagram of valve body for '50 olds. To fix a '50 to start in lo you have to remove 1 spring in valve body. The 1-2 shift spring.
It is the middle spring out of the side valve body.
jamestank: Spring #23 is not the spring you need to remove. If you do that, it will not shift 1-2. The spring you need to remove is the 1-2 governor plug spring.
Also, the exploded view of the valve body you have attached is not for the 50 Oldsmobile, but of a 1949 Oldsmobile. The correct one would show 1-2 governor plug spring.
Last edited by d2_willys; November 13th, 2020 at 08:09 AM.
Reason: Corrections
You are correct sir. I removed the wrong spring and no 1-2 shift. Put it back in, went to the other end and removed the "fat" spring
and wala… 1st gear start.. Thanks for all the info !! Jim
This may be the incorrect place to ask the question, but does anyone know what years Oldsmobiles (hydramatics) started out in 2nd gear? I doubt if the Jetaways did that, so is has to be the dual range, and the one that preceded it (not sure what they are called). I know a 1951 does, because I rode in a 98 sedan and the owner showed me how it worked. Was this all Olds with Hydramatics from 1950 to 1956, in otherwords the "single range" and the dual range hydramatics. I know that if you bought a base 88 with a hydramatic in 1956 it was a dual range with no park. Also, the owner of the 1951 98 said Olds did it to try to smooth out the shifting on the hydramatic. As we we all know they are a bit "herky jerky." So I am not sure what the real reason was for them to start in 2nd gear.
Thank you for reading this
Jim Greene
I am not sure what years did that but i know my 54 does not. It only goes a short distance before it shifts out of first. In 1956 Olds still had the Hydra-Matic which had no park and was used in the regular 88. That was the first year for the Jetaway which was smoother and had Park. It was used in the Super 88 and 98. Then a lot of the 53's had Buick Dynaflows because that was the year the Hydra-Matic plant burned. Olds and Cadillac used Dynaflows and Pontiac used Powerglides. My Hydra-Matic is pretty jerky and especially when it shifts from first to second. But then it has been rebuilt since I have owned the car. I imagine the reason for starting out in second gear is to make it a little smoother.
In the early 49- 50's the torque and horse power that the New Oldsmobile engine made had the engineers looking for a way to keep wheel spin down on startup and this was the answer they came up with. Seems strange today with 400+ hp on mommas grocery getter but you have to remember that it was only a very few years back that most cars had less than 100 hp and wheel spin was not very common or desirable.... Tedd
As I remember you are correct about the early hydro's skipping first on start up because of customer complaints of to much wheel spin. Some where in the past on this site this problem has been addressed and as I recall there is a fix for it, hopefully someone here can remember the thread and pass the link on.... Tedd
September 19th, 2017, 10:19 AM
Hydromatic trans
