Pettibone Super 6 Torque Converter question

[Nato123678]

My 1969 Pettibone Super 6 is running great with fully functioning brakes (yay!) - but, I have a question about the torque converter in the Funkomatic transmission. No matter how gently I feather the pedal to move it, it always seems like the torque converter is slamming into full engagement, such that it causes it to lurch every time I move it, which is not real good for precision forklift work and even worse when using a man-basket (scary!). Any ideas on what may be going wrong? Is it a bad torque converter? Is there an issue with the fluid (I replaced the fluid and the filter with the correct type modern equivalent)? Is there an adjustment I'm missing? I did have to really lube up the forward and reverse linkage to get it loose (it is now) and I'm in low range, but no matter what I do it wants to lurch forward and backward every time it moves.

 

[Acecadet]

Have you checked the idle speed of your engine? The old Funk reverse-o-matic called for 450-550 rpm idle speed.

 

[Nato123678]

Ah, I bet that's it. It seems to be stuck on high idle until just after the pedal is engaged, so either something is sticking in the linkage or out of adjustment.

 

[Vetech63]

Do you have a machine serial number? IDE like to see if it is still in Pettibones log records.

 

[Nato123678]

It is, mostly. SN#711. Parts manual wasn't available so the dealer substituted a slightly higher number with the Super 8 axles (that mine has). Sold in 1969 from a dealer in Knoxville TN - I bought it last year from northwestern Minnesota and my brother delivered it down to east Texas last spring. I did a complete brake system rebuild (took a lot of tries to get all the right components and was able to get the brake booster rebuilt).