Hydramatic Mystery Part

[shadetree77]

Took the trans. pan off of my '53 Manhattan's Hydramatic to clean it out. This part was in the pan. I looked through the Hydramatic manual and the supplement but don't see anything that looks like this. Anyone know what it is or where it goes?

[joefrazer]

I checked my parts book and didn't see anything resembling the picture...although not all parts were illustrated. I wonder if it's a tool of some sort left behind at previous service.

When I restored my Traveler the left rear door bottom was full of chicken bones and headliner tacks. I now know what time of day my car was assembled and who it was that left behind their lunch cast offs!

[mbflemingkf]

Jim could be on to something with his tool theory.  Anyone have a Miller Tool Catalog and can check the hydramatic tools out??

[shadetree77]

Hmmmm....interesting theory. I hope someone can identify it. I may try on some other car forums. Might even contact some people that deal in Hydramatic parts. I need to get that thingy identified before I move on. I'd hate to get everything back together just to find out my trans. needs that part to function!

[Hollenway]

Guys.....  I think it's the tension sleeve from the transmission fluid dipstick.    This would make sense for it being in the pan......     

[joefrazer]

BINGO! I just pulled the stick on mine and that's what it is. I knew it looked familiar but I just couldn't place it.

[shadetree77]

Awesome!!! Thanks guys! You have just saved me a lot of worry and frustration. I was at a standstill until I could identify that part. Makes perfect sense that it would go on the dipstick. I'm assuming the stick goes through that rectangular hole on the mystery part. Speaking of which, is this illustrated in the manuals or can someone perhaps provide a picture of theirs? Not too clear on exactly how/where it goes. Thanks again guys!!

[Hollenway]

Here's an exploded diagram of a Hydra-Matic......    Item 29 shows the location of the dipstick.   

[Fid]

Awesome Dave!  Now set me straight - I didn't think Kaiser had a dipstick on their version of the Hydramatic. I thought I heard talk of KF owners swapping the pan with one from an Oldsmobile in order to have a dipstick on it. Comments welcome.

[shadetree77]

Thanks for the diagram.

Fid, the stick on mine goes on the referenced area (29) and you access it through a removable cover on the front floorboard. Unfortunately, the diagram doesn't really show how the "mystery part" attaches. Does it stay on the stick or does it stay on the transmission? And how is it orientated/held on? A picture of someone's would be highly appreciated. Thanks again guys.

[Hollenway]

Yes... all of the hydra-matics had dipsticks.   Granted they weren't readily accessible - but they did exist. 
The dipstick sleeve ( housing might be a better word )  ( which is what you found in the pan ) had a basket handle top on it that was crimped in place and the dipstick itself was rather loosely inserted in the housing assembly.  But since they rarely had anyone checking the fluid they got by with the pressed together assembly.   The early GM cars used the same dipstick setup - but in the early 50's they went to the pan with the external dipstick tube assembly.  As to what year they finally made the change I honestly don't know.    I've heard you could swap an Olds, Cadillac or Pontiac pan with the hydra-matic used in the K/F cars - but I have no experience with it.

In all honesty - if a hydra-matic is not leaking and shifting well - there really is no need to do frequent fluid changes - especially for the
limited mileage collector cars see.   I've revived many hydra-matics after a long rest  and the most important thing to do is put fresh
fluid in the transmission before you try to start the car and pump all of that old fluid through the torus and the transmission.  You'll
find when you drop the pan there will be a lot of sediment in the pan - which is usually the linings from the bands.  If you open one
up and the pan is relatively clean you'll most likely have a transmission that will perform admirably because the bands will still be
in great shape.   Clean the pickup screen, put in fresh fluid and take it easy on the transmission for the first few miles and you'll
find they are a really reliable unit.  The shift points may be a little erratic for a bit but with some slight adjustments you'll find
it will give you a lot of trouble free miles. 

Oh - and one more thing - don't forget to drain the torus as well as the transmission itself.  There is a plug on the torus housing you need
to remove to make sure ALL of the old fluid is out.       

Best of luck with your project !!!! 

[shadetree77]

Thanks for the help and advice Dave. I finally got a chance to get back out there and do some investigating and some more cleaning on the transmission pan. I removed the dipstick on the Hydramatic to find that somewhere along the line someone improvised a replacement for that mystery part. Appeared to be a piece of an old t-shirt wrapped around the stick and tied with twine (picture below). It worked I guess. They're lucky that fabric didn't get dropped down in the pan though!

I've also included a picture of where the "mystery part" goes on the stick just so anyone that comes across this thread later can see it. As Dave pointed out, there is a small bump on the dipstick. The mystery part/sleeve goes on the dipstick and there is a tiny crimped area on the sleeve that is supposed to catch on the bump and keep the sleeve on the stick. The crimp on mine is bent which allowed the sleeve to slip off and fall in the pan.

What do you guys think about placing a small tack weld on the sleeve right where the bump goes? This would keep the sleeve on permanently. Seems like there would have been a small amount of play between the stick and the sleeve with the crimp. The weld would get rid of this play. Would that matter? 

[Fid]

I too say "Thanks" for all the info/knowledge expressed. I have no experience with Hydramatics so I am always interested in the discussion.

[mbflemingkf]

Dang, they say the guy who ID'd the mystery part hails from Pennsyltucky...who would have thought!!??

[shadetree77]

Just thought I'd finish out this thread by saying that I ended up putting the sleeve in place on the stick and using my MIG welder to build up the bump on the stick so that the sleeve cannot slip over it. I was originally thinking about actually tacking the sleeve to the stick but doing it the way I did allowed the sleeve to retain the small amount of play that it had originally. Don't know if that matters but I figured better safe than sorry.