hydramatic trans drops from neutral to drive

[retroguy]

My 1954 Kaiser Manhattan hydramatic drops from neutral to drive when idling--dangerous--and getting worse.  Trans has been rebuilt and otherwise shifts and runs fine.  Any info re: shift linkage or column adjustment that would fix this problem?

[konrad]

I know this is basic and you've probably already checked it, but is the tranny fluid level up to snuff?  Low fluid is a frequent cause of transmission slippage.

[G.B. (All Vinyl Dragon)]

It is not Going all the way to neutral

[joefrazer]

When the transmission is manually shifted from gear to gear, there should be a solid, positive feel of engagement as the shift arm is moved thru the gears.
If it feels sloppy then check to be sure the external linkage isn't loose at any connection. If the linkage does not seem to be the problem, then the issue would be in the valve body. The valve body is located under a cover on the driver's side of the transmission. The shift linkage is attached to it and the linkage uses what's called a detent lever to physically engage each gear when manually selected. If that detent lever is misadjusted or worn then it will allow the transmission to slip into another gear.

Start first with checking to be sure the linkage from the column to the transmission is properly adjusted. The linkage at the column on the 54s is all base (pot) metal and is known to wear on higher mileage cars.

[vt2000driver]

There is also a special tool and procedure for checking and setting the linkage for the hydramatics.  The directions for the procedure should be available on the 'Circle KF' website. (this is posted actually by ldladykf@yahoo.com - not vt2000driver)