No Reverse on OD tranny

[fast fredy]

Morning all Have a problem .. yesterday everything worked as it should.. This morning I try to back my wagon ( 55 wagon 272 overdrive) out of the garage and have no reverse , other gears work . linkage appears to go into place but no rear movement when releasing clutch ... I took the linkage off at the trany to be sure it is engaging properly and it seams to.. In regards to reverse lockout does it keep the linkage on the sideplate from moving or will it move but not move internally thanks FRED

[miker98038]

BBT. I know you got some comments on another site about the internal rod for reverse being hung up. I’m posting this hoping someone here has a similar experience and comments on the solution.

[54VICTORIA]

If the solenoid isn’t working properly you’ll have the symptoms you’re describing.

[fast fredy]

thanks Miker

[fast fredy]

thanks 54 solenoid has been working the day before ,, but I guess things work till they don't

[fast fredy]

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Heres an update, took the cable completely off the lever and moved the lever to the forward stop while moving the reverse arm manually found that i sometimes had to rotate the driveshaft slightly , but think thats normal Im kinda confused (easily done) when i have the lever in reverse i cannot turn the driveshaft which tells me the reverse tranny gear must be engaged but when I leave it like that and start the car , no movement when i release the clutch ... I dosent matter which position the overdrive lever is in the result is the same

[paul2748]

I don't know crap about o/d's, but somewhere in the back of my mind remembers some one saying reverse will not work if in o/d. Is that true and if so, that is the problem?


Just throwing something out there.

[fast fredy]

today i remove the solenoid thinking it might be stuck in the extended position which I think would stop reverse but no joy but when i re installed it .. I didnt have to extend it to get it attached ,to the plunger i thought that you had to ... but took for a drive couple miles overdrive worked good but no reverse,

[40cpe]

I've been thinking 'bout this. It might be unorthodox, but here goes. There is a cam on the reverse gear selector inside the shift cover that moves a rod backward that locks the OD section so it can reverse. If all else fails I would diagnose it this way: Put the main transmission in reverse, drain the gear oil and remove the side cover. Verify the reverse gear is indeed in reverse position. Then press the rod that goes into the OD section back into the case manually and hold it there. Have a second person start the engine and engage the clutch. If it still doesn't move, I don't see any more that can be done without removing the transmission and tearing it down. You will move the reverse gear back to neutral to get the side cover back on.

[40cpe]

Originally Posted by fast fredy

today i remove the solenoid thinking it might be stuck in the extended position which I think would stop reverse but no joy but when i re installed it .. I didnt have to extend it to get it attached ,to the plunger i thought that you had to ... but took for a drive couple miles overdrive worked good but no reverse,

When I was a kid I had a switch to manually ground the relay to keep OD engaged. If I put it in reverse with OD engaged, it would bind up an try to kill the engine as the clutch was engaged. I'm sure that if a person kept forcing it something would have to give, and it wouldn't be pretty.

[rotorwrench]

The shift rail has to be in lock out or it will freewheel in reverse.The reverse gear shift fork mechanism should lock it out in reverse. The other way to lock it out is to pull the cable into lock out. A person needs to check and make sure the shift rail is all the way back.

[fast fredy]

Thanks 40 cp for the ideas , sounds like a plan thanks Fred

[fast fredy]

sounds good but I unhooked the cable and manually moved the lever to the front position and nothing thanks for your input Fred

[rotorwrench]

The normal reverse lock out mechanism is inside the transmission as part of the side cover. You may have to pull the side cover to see if everything is in place as it should be. If it goes into low gear (1st) then the external part is working to shift the fork but the internal mechanism has to be functional to push the tip of the shift rail back. A person can also have a look at the reverse idler gear to make sure it's functional.

The link below has an illustration of a side cover parts break down for the Mercury overdrive but it is the same set up for all of the 259 series Ford overdrive transmissions. Notice the lever number 7292. It has a pin that holds it on the bottom and this is what is pushed back by the low reverse fork shift mechanism to, in turn, push the lock out rod aft. The shift rail is spring loaded rod assembly that is operated by both that lever and the cable pull lever to lock out the sun gear and disable the overdrive.

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/F...br /> hsng.jpg

VanPelt Sales has illustrated parts break downs for your overdrive set up if you choose to look at them. Mac VanPelt's web sight is very helpful and he has the best parts for these old cog boxes.

[40cpe]

Fred, is there an update on the reason for the no-reverse situation?

[fast fredy]

sorry no update yet Wife has me busy with a bunch of long put off outside jobs Rest assured I will let you guys know when I get back to it .. believe me I really appreciate everyones time to help out Fred

[40cpe]

Yep, those jobs are most important. Thanks for the update.

[mcgarrett]

Fredy,
I'm watching this thread closely too. I have a friend with a '50 F1 pickup with a '50 Mercury overdrive that has recently developed the exact same symptoms. Was working fine and then...no reverse. Driving us both crazy trying to troubleshoot the problem. I'm anxious to hear what you find.

[fast fredy]

well boys no joy have had the side plate off and physically moved the rail plunger back and kept it back while try with running nothing .. It looks like i am looking for a transmission or at least removing and rebuild .. thanks again for trying Fred

[40cpe]

I'm sorry you couldn't find a simple repair. If you decide to tear into it, I hope you'll let us know hat you find.