City Driving an Overdrive

[Johnnydidd]

What do you guys do with your overdrive when driving in the city? I have been leaving my overdrive engaged, this morning I took it out and seemed to responded a lot better. I have 53 Victoria.

[Mike B]

I don't have an early V8 with OD, but have had a Studebaker and Chevy with OD, never used it around town...

[donald1950]

i have a 53 victoria and it has an OD that i put a on/off switch under the dash on the Govenor lead that open the path for the relay to operate so it wont energize the relay and operate the OD soloniod in town. i leave the OD cable IN so it fee wheels when the switch is off and when i get on the freeway i just flip the switch to on and everything works fine.

the reason i choose to do it this way is if you look at teh wireing diagram for teh OD you will find that even when you pull the OD cable out to disengauge the OD function all the operating function of teh relay and solonoid is still functioning and teh relay will still operate at 27 mph and the solonoid will still be energized but just will be locked internally out from operating the OD

i also have an 8" differental and 3.5 gears.... with a 350 SBC in front of the Ford OD trans....

[scooder]

Mine ain't on the road yet. I fully interned to use it overdrive enabled in town.
The idea was, (I read it in some Borg Warner words) you can quite easy pull away in second year in a car with the overdrive option. Due to the lower rear gear supplied with most overdrives. So you pull away in second, when you get above cut in speed (28ish mph) lift up on the gas, it'll change too second overdrive. Slow to 25ish mph and it'll pop back into direct second. Sort of a two speed automatic trans but with the need to use the clutch when you stop. This should be around town the only time you use the clutch.
With everything set up and working correctly, when your in second gear below cut in speed with the overdrive enabled (cable in) the car will freewheel, you need to be aware of this, no engine braking. This is the only time freewheeling should happen. Only time.
When you say felt more responsive, is it the fact that you now have engine braking 'cus you pushed the cable in?
Martin.

Just edited, I said overdrive enabled (cable out) should have been overdrive enabled ( cable IN!)
Thanks for pointing that out Les.
Sorry for confusion.

[Mike51Merc]

In town you only need the clutch to start in first and then to come to a complete stop. Start in first, clutchless shift into second, wind out to 26mph, automatic upshift into second-over. Slow down, automatic downshift into second-under.

The freewheeling also helps downshifting into first with a non-synchro.

[scooder]

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Originally Posted by donald1950

i have a 53 victoria and it has an OD that i put a on/off switch under the dash on the Govenor lead that open the path for the relay to operate so it wont operate the OD soloniod in town. i leave the OD cable IN so it fee wheels when the switch is off and when i get on the freeway i just flip the switch to on and everything works fine

Can I ask why? It's a semi automatic overdrive, why not use it as intended?
Their does appear to be a need for folk to meddle with the Borg Warner overdrives, I've never worked out why.
Not being a smart arse, just interested in your opinion.
Thanks,
Martin.

[V12Bill]

Originally Posted by mike51merc

in town you only need the clutch to start in first and then to come to a complete stop. Start in first, clutchless shift into second, wind out to 26mph, automatic upshift into second-over. Slow down, automatic downshift into second-under.

The freewheeling also helps downshifting into first with a non-synchro.

x2!

[Jason in TX]

I drove mine to work today. 50 miles round trip. I did a lot of shifting in and out of overdrive. (Volvo electric overdrive spliced into torque tube, similar to Borg Warner)

Use it like another gear, the same way as if you were lugging in 3rd, you would shift down to second.

If you're lugging on the start off, shift out of overdrive. put it back in when you need it, or have a straight away.

[George49Ford]

I wired mine with a toggle switch to run hot wire straight down to solenoid. I "click" the o/d in and out as I please. Acts like a 6 speed tranny and around town I like to use 2nd-O/d.

[scooder]

Jason, with respect, the laycock (as fitted to Volvo's and lots other stuff) isn't similar to the Borg Warner. The laycock is fully manual and shouldn't really be used in first gear, in factory installations there was an inhibitor to prevent overdrive being selected in low gears. The Borg Warner is semi automatic, has freewheel available at slow speed, and as someone stated earlier, really helps going from second to first in a non syncromesh trans, just slips in nice.
I'm talking factory installations that are working properly and not mussed with.
Martin.

[scooder]

Forgot to say, either of these overdrives shouldn't be used in low, to much torque is sent through them, can cause failure. The factory installations prevented this via an inhibitor on the laycock and governor on the Borg Warner, it was done for a reason. Best to follow the designers ideas for long life.
Martin.

[sidevalve8ba]

Originally Posted by scooder

Forgot to say, either of these overdrives shouldn't be used in low, to much torque is sent through them, can cause failure. The factory installations prevented this via an inhibitor on the laycock and governor on the Borg Warner, it was done for a reason. Best to follow the designers ideas for long life.
Martin.

Scooder, those are words of wisdom. In my youth I destroyed a couple of transmissions by using overdrive in low gear. It creates too much torque. Life is a learning experience, provided we learn from our mistakes.

[Blu Dice]

Originally Posted by Johnnydidd

What do you guys do with your overdrive when driving in the city? I have been leaving my overdrive engaged, this morning I took it out and seemed to responded a lot better. I have 53 Victoria.

On my '50 I never touched it. Left it engaged always.

[Drbrown]

I'm with Scooder .... have a BW R10 and was told by BW builder Llyod Young and others not to use OD in low gear due to excessive torque on the gears in the OD. My use is restricted to second and third gears. BW does the the governor as Scooder mentioned.

To the contrary, I bought a '65 new with OD - the last year OD was offered as a factory installed option. I don't know what manufacturer it was but as I remember one could leave the OD on all the time.

[40cpe]

Starting off in low/overdrive or second/non-overdrive is hard on the clutch, too.

[scooder]

Originally Posted by 40cpe

Starting off in low/overdrive or second/non-overdrive is hard on the clutch, too.

Depends on rear gear and transmission gear set. 4.11:1 or lower and a 29 tooth gear set, pulling away in second non overdrive with a light car ain't to bad. If the car/pickup is heavy or loaded with folk and stuff, the use first.
You shouldn't use, and shouldn't be able to use overdrive in first gear.
Common sence should be used here, leave the factory controls in place, and use it as it was designed to be used, all will be well,
Martin.

[donald1950]

Scooder, because of the 3.5 differental having it drop into OD at 30 mph is not desireble for me. by having the switch it just stopd the relay & solonoid from operating at 27 and allows me to not use the OD cable to prevent it from operating and that works for me.. my switch only opens the govenor lead to the relay. the switch is an off/on/momentery on so it also acts like a kick switch down for me as i do not want to use an under gas pedal kick down the 350 SBC for a full throtle kick down on the ford transmission.. and i have an MSD ignition so i use another couple of relays that use the solonoid's lock up ground and are wired in that cut the power to the distributer rather than ground the coil. it all operates the same as a stock ford OD when running..
i worked in the telephone indudtry for 35 years and just like to use relays to operate things the way i want it to work....
for someone with a stock 53 ford, as is works just fine. i just did some tayloring to my car because of the 350 and 3.5 differental.....

[scooder]

Donald, thank you for your reply.
Martin.

[Johnnydidd]

Been driving out of overdrive for few days, put it in overdrive this am, I really liked it in overdrive better.