If the replacement screws held, we have to conclude that the failed screws
were the wrong grade of steel. I assume you are sure the conversion from US
specs (inch pounds?) to European specs (dyne cm?) were done correctly?
I can't imagine any way water could get into the transmission accidentally,
unless the car was in a flood! During the time the transmission wasn't
used, was it in the car, so that no external water could get in? If it was
sitting exposed somewhere, perhaps some water could get in through the fill
pipe or some vent on it?
Off the subject, but a transmission will actually operate with water in the
pan - once after an encounter with an obstacle during an off road excursion
in the desert, a friend and I made it home by patching the hole in the pan
with a bolt, a piece of cardboard, and chewing gum, then filling the
transmission with water - the only fluid we had available, (other than
beer!). The only oil in the transmission was the 5 quarts or so in the
converter, so it ran home on a mixture of Dexron and water. It shifted a
bit crisply, but it got us home. After that, it required a complete
cleaning out, but it was otherwise undamaged.
Dick Benjamin
----- Original Message -----
From: Philippe COURANT <accf_clb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Fwdlk <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Chrysler 300 Yahoo List Server
<Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2002 2:12 PM
Subject: Re: IML: strange problem on a '57 Torqueflite (3)
> As you remember we 've a problem on a '57 Torqueflite: water was
> mixed with fluid trans.
> Since two weeks we've remove the trans from the car and took it
> apart: the forward clutches were all destroyed, the friction
> material was gone or ready to go ... Rear clutches were in good
> conditions.
> I've taken some pictures (40 !) of the removal of all the parts
> and i'll put them later on my site.
> Some readers (as me) thought that the culprit was the oil cooler
> in the bottom of the radiator. Wrong ! we've brought the radiator
> to a shop and they tested the radiator with high pressure and hot
> water: no leaks .., the oil cooler and the radiator are perfect.
> So the mystery remains! Why ther's water in the fluid ?
> Condensation ? The car sat 1 1/2 year without driving (but the
> engine was running every two weeks), it's perhaps the reason ...
> We've overhauled the trans (with a kit from Fatsco, thanks, only
> 4 days to have the kit from the order to the adress in France)
> and tomorrow we'll re-install the trans in the car. No problem to
> overhaul the trans (we've done 10 Torqueflite since 5 years..),
> only a curious (and dangerous) thing: 2 of the three unit screws
> (which hold the overrunning clutch) broke before we reach the
> correct torque !! And they broke at the same location: 2 threads
> under their head.. Fortunately we're lucky to remove them and
> replace with 2 other screws from another spare trans. we have.
>
> --
> Philippe COURANT (Pau, France)
> Imperial 57 Crown convertible
> Buick 58 Roadmaster sedan
>
> - American Car Club de France (ACCF) : http://www.accf.com
>
> - Chrysler Imperial France : http://www.ifrance.com/c-i-f
>
> - Cadillac " Standard of Excellence " :
> http://www.ifrance.com/accf-cad
>
> - SportsCars : http://www.ifrance.com/accf-sprtcar
>
>
>
>
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