Exploded or cross-section illustration of GOVERNOR for Borg Warner Overdrive?

[TxCajun]

Exploded or cross-section illustration of GOVERNOR for Borg Warner Overdrive?

I need ot try to repair the GOVERNOR on a transmission that I recently bought, a late 60's Saginaw 3 speed manual with R10 Borg Warner overdrive. The GOVERNOR is a later design unit where the top is secured with rivets (rather than screws) and has the smaller thread for securing it in the overdrive case.
The rivets were loose when I got it and there is some corrosion and muck inside the GOVERNOR body. An illustration would be helpful in attempting to disassemble and repair.

[The Rocknrod]

Here is a service manual - https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/re...ebaker-infoorg

[TxCajun]

Rocknrod,

Thanks, that's a pretty detailed manual, but it doesn't address the GOVERNOR.

I'm guessing that 50 years ago the GOVERNOR was a remove-and-replace item. However, I was hoping that someone here might have some additional information that would help me try to repair mine.

Regards,

[The Rocknrod]

PDF auto download - Page 47, 48 and 49?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=...AAAAAdAAAAABAS

Is this the governor?

[TxCajun]

Rocknrod,

That's pretty interesting, but the GOVERNOR shown in that second document is a "hydraulic" governor or pressure regulator used in a Borg Warner hydraulically actuated overdrive. (I actually have one of those in a '64 Triumph TR4 that I am renovating.)

However, the overdrive used with the Saginaw 3 speed in the 50s through 70s Chevys is electrically actuated by a solenoid. In this case, the GOVERNOR provides a connection to ground for the solenoid only when a certain transmission tail-shaft speed is reached, equivalent to about 28 miles per hour. The GOVERNOR has some rotating weights that are driven out and upwards by centrifugal force, pushing a shaft that actuates a spring loaded switch to make the circuit.

Thanks for the info.

Regards,

[TxCajun]

And in the illustration that you attached, the GOVERNOR is not shown. It would be on the other side of the transmission from the speedometer drive, but is drive by the same gear as the speedometer cable.

[TxCajun]

Here are some pictures of the GOVERNOR that I want to refurbish.

Since the drive rivets that held the top on are broken, I'll try to drill and tap the body for screws.

I should be able to just clean up the switch parts and file the contacts in the cap.

What I'm not sure about is how the springs and weights in the body are supposed to work. I already cleaned out the gunk and corrosion with some electronics cleaner spray, but the weights seem to move too easily, as if the springs are broken or missing, whereas they are not supposed to actuate the switch in the top until reaching 600 to 800 rpm depending on rear axle ratio.
.

[AussieinNC]

This is all I have to offer right now...

I may have more detail after I dig deeper into my archives...

Hope this helps...

[cwcarpenter98]

Based on the plastic cap and thread pitch of your governor, you have the 7 bolt side cover overdrive trans. The 4 bolt side cover overdrive has a governor with a metal cap. The picture in post #8 shows the metal cover. If your plastic cap is broken or cracked, you might have to end up replacing the entire governor

[TxCajun]

I cleaned up the internals of the governor, lubricated the moving parts (pivot points on the centrifugal weights and on the "trip switch"), filed the electrical contacts, and installed a replacement shaft seal. The old seal was marked C/R 07412 M1; I found 330385 listed as an interchange and purchased that.
The cap on this governor was originally held in place with some swaged pins but those had broken and allowed the cap to be loose and allowed assorted gunk to get in to the mechanism. I drilled out those pins and tapped the body for 4-40 screws to secure the cap.
The pictures also show the rubber cover that I purchased.
The last picture shows a range of actuation rpm's. I can spin the governor with my drill and it appears to be opening and closing the contacts, but I have no way of measuring the actual rpm. Once I install the transmission in the truck, I'll have to play with the screw adjustment for the switch actuation to approximate the 28mph that is recommended.

[TxCajun]

I also disassembled the solenoid, cleaned it up internally, filed the points, and lubricated the moving parts.

After some investigation and poking around, I was finally also able to remove the shaft seal for replacement. This is rather difficult because there is no access behind the seal to drive it out because the coil assembly is in the way. I fashioned a small chisel from the hardened shaft of a small screwdriver and gently tapped away at the metal housing of the seal until I could deform it sufficiently to pull it out. This seal is apparently the same shaft seal as is used to seal the shaft in the transmission tail-housing so I ordered a second one of those and installed it.

The solenoid bench tests ok now, but it will be awhile before I can test the transmission in the truck.
.

[cwcarpenter98]

You did a lot better on that seal than I did! I'll have to try it again some time.

If the solenoid is working on the bench, then it will also work in the truck as long as you have your wiring set up correctly.

My opinion is to use the wiring as GM and Borg Warner did, but others have found different ways to make it work. The only modifications I made was for the HEI distributor and adding a kill switch in the power wire between the fuse and the relay so I could completely shut the system down when driving around in lockout. Driving around college is a lot easier as a regular 3 speed than with the overdrive.

[lutronjim]

A good friend helped me wire the OD when I installed in my 70. With a regular dizzy and coil you wire to the point side of the coil to make the engine lose power. Since I had a HEI he simply wired to the tach terminal - didn't have tach. I was sure it would fry the module but it worked like a champ for several years.

I am not recommending anyone do this - but it worked in my case.

Maybe and HEI expert could explain/verify.

[lutronjim]

TxCajun

Do you have the part number for the solenoid?

Thanks

[TxCajun]

Originally Posted by lutronjim

TxCajun

Do you have the part number for the solenoid?

Thanks

The part number for the solenoid (the embossed number on the cap) is 12VAR100-62.

The seal that I used for the solenoid is the same one used in the body of the tailhousing for sealing the solenoid shaft. I purchased it from Vintage Auto Garage PN 07410S but I've also seen on this forum that an equivalent substitute is SKF 3050.

[lutronjim]

Thanks