1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

[John S.]

[Brad H.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

Hi John... this is pretty typical of those 2 speed glides. Start your car in neutral and not park. As soon as it pops don't give it a lot of gas or it will burp on you. Just enough throttle to keep it running. Brad.

[Chris S.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

Couple of tricks I do
leave the PG about a 1/2 qt low - I know it sounds horrible but it doesnt hurt it
also when shutting off the car - shut it off in reverse

[John S.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

Go to the C1 Corvette Forum and go to the current tread "1955 Transmission Issue". (Venting the transmission). If you start doing things like shutting the car off in reverse you will one day see your car has rolled into the garage door!

[Chris S.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

Then put it in park after it shuts off ..........

[Troy P.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

Ain't supposed to happen. Tranny has an internal leak that allows fluid to drain through while sitting idle. A good rebuild will fix that.

You can't just have a rebuild kit put in it. There is a worn metal part inside that needs replaced. Can't recall its correct name. Tolerances are important.

The proposed work-arounds are interesting though.

[John S.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

Thanks for info guys!

[Mike M.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

the original cast iron power glide in57 vin 1093, had over 250K miles on it when i bought it in 1970. i pulled the PG and installed a 427 with muncie back then. i saved the original PG. when i finally got around to restoring the old PG fuelie, i took the PG to a very reputable auto tranny shop here in town. owner runs a chevy 11 that turns in the 7's and he ran an aluminum power glide in the deuce. anyway, larry rebuilt the cast iron pig twice and after each rebuild, it's puke if left sitting fpor more than a couple days. i wanted to PV the 57 so i took the PG to Fatsco in new jersey. when i walked in their shop, they called an old fella out to examine my PG. he took a look and stated its out of an early corvette. i explained the problem, he said return in 2 weeks with 2K and it'd be ready. that was 8+ years ago. it shifts perfectly, got its duntov , and has never puked again. i highly recommend Fatsco. mike

[John S.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

the original cast iron power glide in57 vin 1093, had over 250K miles on it when i bought it in 1970. i pulled the PG and installed a 427 with muncie back then. i saved the original PG. when i finally got around to restoring the old PG fuelie, i took the PG to a very reputable auto tranny shop here in town. owner runs a chevy 11 that turns in the 7's and he ran an aluminum power glide in the deuce. anyway, larry rebuilt the cast iron pig twice and after each rebuild, it's puke if left sitting fpor more than a couple days. i wanted to PV the 57 so i took the PG to Fatsco in new jersey. when i walked in their shop, they called an old fella out to examine my PG. he took a look and stated its out of an early corvette. i explained the problem, he said return in 2 weeks with 2K and it'd be ready. that was 8+ years ago. it shifts perfectly, got its duntov , and has never puked again. i highly recommend Fatsco. mike

Did they put a vent in the tailhousing? Fatsco recommends that a vent be added in 53 to 57 powerglides.

[Mike M.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

can't recall. next time i have it on the lift, i'll check. heading to frisco regional in a.m. so won't have chance to check the PG in the 250HP 57 till i get back. mike

[Randy G.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

I had my '54 Powerglide rebuilt by 4 C's in Santa Fe Springs, CA. $1,700. He's an old school tranny builder. He said a big problem is an area inside that the steel rings wear out in the transmission that even a new set of rings doesn't "fix". He has a way to either replace or rebush those areas that let fluid go by. He also drilled and tapped a vent hole on top of the housing and had me run a vent hose on top of the transmission up to the area near the back of the cylinder head. That was a year ago and it hasn't burped a drop since. I sold the '54 in July to a couple in Monterrey and they drive it every weekend. They have reported no leaks and no issues whatsoever.

I can't say that the vent solved the problem, but it was certainly a major component to the cure. The fact that the transmission wasn't vented at the factory has me scratching my head.

A side note. I let a friend of mine keep his '51 Merc next to my Corvettes at my personal hobby shop. One day I showed up to get my truck out and I noticed a big pool of transmission fluid under the middle of my '54. Later that day I was with him and his wife having dinner and I mentioned the transmission leak. His wife elbowed him and told him to tell the truth. He fessed up to grabbing a quart of transmission fluid and pouring it under my car as a joke. I was so relieved I wasn't even able to get mad at him.

[John S.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

replacing this pump assembly and the rings on the output shaft is not a sure fix to stop burping. Within 3 days of not using the car the level of the transmission fluid reaches the top of the servo cover which has a internal venting system. there is a good chance of burping when this occurs. If you do not want to drop the transmission, disconnect the drive shaft and speedometer cable from the tail shaft. Drop and drill vent in the tailshaft.

[Troy P.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

Having studied the cross-section of the entire unit the purpose of the vent is not obvious to the engineer in me.

The high point for fluid in the tranny is the top of the torque converter. Since fluid flows down hill to seek equilibrium it seems to me the fluid would be passing the rings on the clutch shaft and clutch drum, which are the first obstruction encountered, into the body. I thought that it is wear on that shaft and drum that is the problem.

A vent in the tail piece would actually promote such a flow as does the filler tube, which also acts as a vent. (Doesn't that answer the question of why Chevy did not vent the transmission? It is vented.)

Speaking of vents. It is interesting that one post called for the vent to be a tube higher than the torque converter. Whereas the other thinking is a vent as low as the tail piece is sufficient. Looks to me that fluid draining past the rings could actually come out a vent that low.

I still say the additional vent is not needed if the metal parts are within tolerance. But it might be a less expensive fix.

I don't think we armatures are going to solve this but it is an interesting conversation.

[Perry M.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

I read this thread hoping to find a resolution to my PG burping problem. I have a factory fuel injected 250 HP Nomad with powerglide. It had a frame off restoration in 1980 and it performed flawlessly for years. One day, about 20 years ago, I went to go for a ride only to find about a quart of transmission fluid on the garage floor. I checked the level and of course it was low. I added fluid and went for a ride but the car wouldn't shift into 2nd gear. I parked it in the corner of the garage and haven't touched it since. I would love to get it fixed but don't know where to start. It's the only one of my cars that I can't get into and go when I get the urge.

[John S.]

Re: 1954 Power glide burps transmission fluid

Having studied the cross-section of the entire unit the purpose of the vent is not obvious to the engineer in me.

The high point for fluid in the tranny is the top of the torque converter. Since fluid flows down hill to seek equilibrium it seems to me the fluid would be passing the rings on the clutch shaft and clutch drum, which are the first obstruction encountered, into the body. I thought that it is wear on that shaft and drum that is the problem.

A vent in the tail piece would actually promote such a flow as does the filler tube, which also acts as a vent. (Doesn't that answer the question of why Chevy did not vent the transmission? It is vented.)

Speaking of vents. It is interesting that one post called for the vent to be a tube higher than the torque converter. Whereas the other thinking is a vent as low as the tail piece is sufficient. Looks to me that fluid draining past the rings could actually come out a vent that low.

I still say the additional vent is not needed if the metal parts are within tolerance. But it might be a less expensive fix.

I don't think we armatures are going to solve this but it is an interesting conversation.

I see no problem with the vent on the tailshaft. It appears to me that at the centerline on the trans you would have about 4 1/2" of filler tube above that point. add the radius of the front part of the tail shaft and the fluid would be a couple inches from the top of the fill tube to be even with a tailshaft vent. DO you think the level of fluid will be within a couple inches of the top of the trans fill tube once the torque converter drains down?