Overdrive not working

[Orphanauto]

My 53 Kaiser manhattan has the 3 speed with overdrive. When I bought the car 3-4 years ago, the gentleman I bought it from said " sometimes the overdrive works, and sometimes not" It worked everytime for the last few years until recently. I checked the fuse on the firewall relay, it's good. Any ideas on what to check? I am a hobbiest, and don't know much about the overdrive. Also, my generator had went out recently, I got a good used one, and a new voltage regulator, The car is charging, but not much, ( I still need to adjust it ) so, my question is, If the charging system is not charging fully, would that keep the overdrive from working, since it does use some electricty? Thanks in advance for any and all help, advice.

[Fid]

The issue could very well be the generator / regulator / charging system.  The OD solenoid takes about 17 amps to pull in so if the battery is not fully charged and the system putting out adequate amperage the OD will be the first component to fail.
Sometimes the contacts on the fuse holder can be corroded which creates resistance so you may want to remove the fuse and thoroughly clean the fuse socket.  Another trick is to unplug the relay and reseat the plug back into place several times - this will scuff and clean the contacts which could be corroded or dirty.  Clean the terminals on the relay well and see if that helps.

[84RabbitGTI]

As for the charging system, I took the generator and regulator to a good electrical shop which was recommended by other old car owners (ask at car shows). They should be tuned together and they will have the expertise and equipment to do it right. The regulators on our cars can be bought brand new, and all the parts for the generators are available.

[Doc]

To verify the functionality of the Overdrive solenoid, you can run a hot wire to the OD solenoid hot terminal and see if it clicks. Should be audible even inside the car with nothing running.  The terminal on the solenoid is usually marked with a 4. There is a another terminal marked 6. I beleive those are the correct terminal #s but you can verify it by looking at the wires going to the solenoid. 

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Also check the diagnostics area of either the Kaiser-Frazer Shop Manual for your car (1953 uses the 1951 version as base line) or the generic Borg-Warner Overdrive Manual; the set up is the same as on Ford and Chrysler Corp. products as far as component parts go; wiring from the overdrive through the car is strictly K-F.

[joefrazer]

Intermittent OD issues are almost always caused by dirty connections. The first place to start is at the firewall relay. Make sure all connections are clean and tight, including the fuse cradle. A piece of 320 sandpaper, run over the connections, will make them clean and bright and should solve your OD issues. It's worked on 50K...every spring I go thru the same problem.

[kfsteve391]

Could also be the points inside the relay are dirty. Sandpaper will clean them nicely.

[Jim B PEI]

Just to add this small point. With 6 volt, it is crucial to get good grounds, 12v less so. Every old connection will add up. Clean, clean, clean.

It sounds electrical to me, if intermittent. Overdrive is a pretty hardy beast otherwise.

[Orphanauto]

Thanks for all the help and advice. I checked the battery today, and found out it is bad. After I replace that, I will check out all the connections and clean them, then have the regulator adjusted. Jack, you mentioned this overdrive is the same as Ford and Chysler, Am I correct in thinking this is also the same Borg Warner that Studebaker used? just curious. I'll let everyone know how things work out. I only have one other item that needs work, vapor lock, I'll post a new post for that, thanks again everyone.

[Fid]

I know from first hand experience that it is the same overdrive/transmission used in Stude. The OD components are the same as used in Ford, Chrysler, GM, Nash, Stude and Hudson.

[Jim B PEI]

They all have the same overdrive ratio of 0.7:1 with at least one exception I think. In the case of the Packard V8s in Packards 55-56 and Studebaker Golden Hawks in 1956, the heavy duty T85 overdrive had a ratio of 0.733:1.

That 0.7:1 ratio seems to made in heaven for gasoline engines, especially flathead engines with their limited power. I know Studebaker engineers played to this particularly well

[Orphanauto]

Thanks everyone. I got the overdrive working this morning. 1st, I had he battery checked, it was dead and needed replaced, then, ( thanks joefrazer) I cleaned all the conections with my drimal small wire wheel. I cleaned the fuse ands, and fuse relay box, as well as the overdrive relay wires under the car. Now it works great. Thanks again. It's the little things like the advice on here that makes this a even greater club. Me and my 10 year old daughter will go for a nice cruise later 

[Jim B PEI]

As noted, it is usually something electrical that stops an overdrive from working. Perhaps using a little smear of electrician's dialectric paste at connection points can minimize water/corrosion creeping in, as a preventative measure.