i brought my '54 in for some engine work. my mechanic removed the engine, did the necessary repairs and put the engine back in. now i have no reverse. it worked fine before the engine removal. forward gears work fine. he even put it up on the lift, disconnected the linkage and shifted it by hand...nothing. any thoughts ?

 

Sounds like it is a linkage problem.

 

he took the linkage off and did it manually at the trans

 

Oh, I misunderstood, I thought it went into reverse with the linkage disconnected.

 

Did your mechanic remove the engine and leave the tranny. in or did he pull the engine and transmission as a single unit?

Edit: I am unfamiliar with '54s. Does your 54 have a tranny cooler installed?

 

He did engine work only? No transmission work?

 

Does it still have the powerglide in it?

 

he never touched the trans. just the engine. engine runs great. no oil cooler. does the trans need vacuum for reverse too ? could that be a problem ? he took the engine out by itself and left the trans in. once we realized the problem he took the side cover off to inspect bands. reverse band is not broken and properly adjusted

 

Wow, you can barely reach the low band adjustment nut with a long wrench on my C2, must be a lot more access room on yours . . . . .

 

It’s the original two speed powerglide

 

You must have vacuum if the forward gears work fine.


Rock on Santana! Rock on!
Six decades strong!

93 Vette
74 Capri (modified)

 

yes the forward gears work fine. i have a feeling this thing will be coming out also

 

I found this: on this link...I might be off but its worth looking into it..

https://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/s...hp?tid/208727/



Let's look at the easy items first.

Okay - the fluid level is fine and there are visible leaks. GOOD NEWS!

Check the driver side engine/trans mount. They are notorious for failure (reproduction mounts are - not originals). They COMPRESS - so look at it closely.

Next stop... the pivot on the rear side of the trans case - which holds the linkage bellcrank.
Another part prone to wear - who lubes these linkages on a regular basis???
Look closely at the bellcrank hole. It is fairly common for them to wear into an OVAL shape - so the linkage geometry goes to crap and the first thing you notice - NO REVERSE or PARK does not engage well.

If you got this far - that means everything was fine..... okay - put an oil pressure gauge on the Reverse test port. The pressure reading should be 240-275psi for a V8 and 165-191 for a 235.

Hmmmmm, if the pressure is in spec and she won't go into Reverse - the Reverse band will require adjustment or replacement. Either way - its coming out of the car.

If the pressure is below specs... you could have a plugged oil suction screen
- Broken servo piston ring
- Pressure regulator valve is stuck
- worn front pump

 

thank you, we will check all of these items first thin tomorrow

 

assuming i'm going to send it out for a rebuild, what would a reasonable price be ?

 

I have a friend with a '55 Chevy that has the same problem (no reverse). I did some internet searching for him and found that "no reverse" is a common problem with cast iron Powerglides.

From what I read, the most common cause is improper adjustment of the shift linkage. Another tidbit I found was this one:

There is litterally a reverse 'lever' inside of the CAST IRON powerglide. It is made out of stamped steel. I am not aware of what exactly engages it, but from the factory these stamped steel 'levers' which engage reverse were too thin. The lever itself is about 2" long if I can rememeber correctly. Mine broke, as is common, and I had the exact same symptoms that you are having... I REPEAT, THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS...

There is a heavier gauge lever that you can purchase and this will fix the problem...

Looking online... i think the part you need is here...

http://www.autotran.us/pgparts1.html


My friend has not yet checked his shift linkage, but if you have already done that, perhaps the problem is a broken reverse shift lever inside the transmission.

 

joe, thank you so much. trans is out and at the repair shop. i will forward this info immediately

 

Well Joe, just heard from my mechanic.........that's what it was !

 

How hard is it to replace the broken lever? Does the trans have to be taken completely apart, or is it only necessary to open things up just a little bit?

I was not able to answer that question for my friend who has the '55 Chevy cast iron Powerglide with no reverse. He's in another state and has only moderate mechanical skills, so I don't think he could handle a full rebuild. However, if all he has to do is pull a side plate to replace the broken lever, I think he could do that.

If you get a chance to take any photos of what's involved, I would very interested to see them.

 

Joe, got my trans back from the shop today. the mechanic said the lever in question was bent initially and finally broke. reason was years of putting it in gear at too high an idle. and, yes, it did have to come completely apart. he said as long as i go easy on it it should last for years $450...not too bad. but of course i still have to pay the shop where my car is for the removal and install