The Ford Barn

rjlester · 05-04-2026, 01:01 AM

Car is a 1954 Meteor with the factory Borg Warner Overdrive that most of the time works fine.

For a few years I've had the OD (on rare occasions) not engage once the car has been driven for a while. Usually it takes a few hours of driving or more. Then once it sits overnight, it works fine the next day, and the problem sometimes won't come back for months! Well, yesterday I put about 300 miles on the car. I was about 20 minutes from home and it stopped working. I think maybe the solenoid is sticking, my volt gauge shows a big battery drain, and was around 6.1 volts. If you engage the kickdown switch, the voltage will jump to just over 7 volts. I have tried my spare solenoids in the past and as far as I remember, they all did the same thing. This morning we drove the car to town, and on the way home, it failed about 5 minutes from home.

Whats weird is, it never failed for probably a year until last fall. It was fine after that until yesterday.

Another strange thing that has showed up in the last year or so, is if I make a right turn, and slow down to about 5mph in first, the OD is sometimes still engaged when I shift back to second gear.

Last fall I took the governor apart and it looks like new inside, makes a perfect connection according to my ohmmeter.

Any ideas? The wiring connections are all clean, and the kickdown switch is new. It has never blown the fuse.

05-04-2026, 01:01 AM	#1
rjlester Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 291	Borg Warner OD not working once hot. Car is a 1954 Meteor with the factory Borg Warner Overdrive that most of the time works fine. For a few years I've had the OD (on rare occasions) not engage once the car has been driven for a while. Usually it takes a few hours of driving or more. Then once it sits overnight, it works fine the next day, and the problem sometimes won't come back for months! Well, yesterday I put about 300 miles on the car. I was about 20 minutes from home and it stopped working. I think maybe the solenoid is sticking, my volt gauge shows a big battery drain, and was around 6.1 volts. If you engage the kickdown switch, the voltage will jump to just over 7 volts. I have tried my spare solenoids in the past and as far as I remember, they all did the same thing. This morning we drove the car to town, and on the way home, it failed about 5 minutes from home. Whats weird is, it never failed for probably a year until last fall. It was fine after that until yesterday. Another strange thing that has showed up in the last year or so, is if I make a right turn, and slow down to about 5mph in first, the OD is sometimes still engaged when I shift back to second gear. Last fall I took the governor apart and it looks like new inside, makes a perfect connection according to my ohmmeter. Any ideas? The wiring connections are all clean, and the kickdown switch is new. It has never blown the fuse.