<VV> When to do the powerglide E-clip test procedure

[Zoltan Szilagyi]

Hi folks,



Yesterday, the Powerglide in my 66 Monza convertible started
intermittently failing to upshift from low to drive. The problem seems
to occur only after the car has been driven for a certain period of
time, but once it happens, it never upshifts at all, no matter how many
times I rev it up. Shut it off for a few minutes, then restart (which of
course involves shifting to neutral and often reverse) and it tends to
work fine again, for a while.



The fluid level and condition are fine and there is no slipping or
anything else wrong with the tranny. I checked the shop manual, the tech
guide and the Corvair Basics book, and it looks like the most likely
causes are a broken E-clip on the TV shaft, or a bad governor. In the
Powerglide chapter of the Corvair Basics book, there is a very simple
test procedure for determining whether the E-clip is broken, which I'd
like to do as the first step of diagnosis. The test invoves
disconnecting the accelerator linkage at the engine, and feeling by hand
whether the effort required to move the TV linkage changes with various
gears selected on the dash.



Here's my question. For this E-clip test to be accurate, do I have to do
it exactly when the transmission happens to not be shifting properly, or
will it be conclusive at any time?



Thanks!

Zoltan