Repairing Twin Stick overdrive

It was likely the dirty contacts in the governor (doesn`t take much!) or  dirty connection that cleared asyou were pulling wires and such while testing.There is a set of contacts for the kick-down circuit in the back of the solenoid, but if it`s working don`t worry about those for now.

IIRC thre is a clamp on the trans near the OD lever for the cable. Has to be a clamp or hole for the other end to mount on the shifter. Look at the TSM diagram under Shifting. You might need to look in the OD section also. You can get a transmission shifter cable, but will have to measure for length.

As noted, you don`t  have to have the cable for normal driving. Just make sure the park brake works and use it, or only park with the front of the car pointed uphill, as it can roll forward.

Now we're getting somewhere!!

Obviously there are some electrical issues. Since it stumbles when you let off the gas with OD engaged, I bet the relay isn't working. Start with checking the fuse on the relay. The next thing to check is the circuit breaker. I don't know exactly where it's located. Follow the brown wire that connects to the end of the fuse back toward the ignition switch. Not sure if the circuit breaker is on the firewall or under the dash. Will look sort of like a flasher unit but with two screw terminals. Make sure you have power on both terminals with the switch on. One comes from the switch, the other to the OD relay. If power isn't on both the circuit breaker is bad, of course. You should have power on the terminal that connects to the switch. These don't have a fuse panel, individual breakers or fuses in only a few circuits. If no power on either, the wire between the switch and breaker is bad or disconnected. If this all works pull the solenoid out and check it at the battery. Take the two mount bolts out and twist the solenoid counter clockwise, then pull out. Ground the case and touch a hot +12V wire to the terminal marked "4" (had an orange wire on it). The solenoid shaft should push out. Note that the solenoid can work on the bench and not have enough power to operate the OD pawl, but this is a start. Next take the two small nuts off the end of the solenoid. The back of the case will then pull off. You will find a set of contact points inside. Use an emery board or small piece of sandpaper and clean those contacts like you would ignition points. Those are used in the kick-down circuit. May as well clean them while you have the solenoid out. Take the rubber boot off the governor and take the top off of it. Another set of contact points that need to be cleaned! Replace the top after cleaning and making sure the spring on the points is working. Replace the solenoid and check operation again. All the switches and relays have contact points that can corrode over time. You might be able to pry the cases off the OD light relay and the OD relay and clean the points. I don't think you can do that to the vacuum switch. The vac switch is normally open, closes with engine running. Should be easy enough to find a generic replacement. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sww-77343-04/overview/

PM me an e-mail address and I'll send you the TS wiring diagram and the page from the 63 American TSM with the electrical checks. That is if you don't have a TSM. If you do the info is on page 12 and 13 in the Overdrive section.

You CAN "straight wire" the solenoid to check OD operation. Just run a wire from the battery to a toggle switch under the dash, then to the solenoid. Run up to 2nd gear, flip the switch, then let off the gas. It should shift into OD. Now here is the DANGER of doing it this way!! To kick-down out of OD you MUST use the clutch! Press in clutch then flip off switch, wait half a second or so, then let out clutch. You should be back in 2nd gear. If you don't use the clutch to unload the trans (from engine power) you can blow the OD unit as I've mentioned before. The kick-down circuit unloads the trans by grounding out the coil for a half second or so, more or less turning the engine off then back on quickly.

If I drive the car with the lever in the position it's in in the photo, the car shifts through all the gears normally, but if I move it 90 degrees as suggested, driving in 1st and 3rd is fine, but in 2nd, if you let off the throttle, the car acts like it's stumbling. The relay and solenoid also don't make a click noise like the manual says they should.

Looking at the bottom of the OD stick from under the car, the cable is completely missing, not even a part of it is left on there.

hard to see from your small photo, but yeah.

the R10 OD unit lever is short and precise. it rotates if i recall 90 degrees. it only moves a little lever that pushes an internal rod and hence not a lot of effort to move. i recall that it's "all in" right at the end of it's travel. i think it's slightly spring loaded so if you crawl under and manually enable OD you might go voer a bump and have it fall out of OD.

but you could do that -- rotate the lever manually the other direction and drive the car. assuming it's otherwise working, it will freewheel until the governor kicks in (28 mph). but it might be easier to just replace/repair the cable and test that way.

the OD is funny -- i found it immediately easy to understand and drive effectively, but very difficult to explain in words how to use it! if you keep in mind it's a somewhat independent box tacked onto the rear of the transmission, it helps. the relay logic is funny but well done.

i love my T5 and will never go back to that craptacular T96 -- but i really enjoyed, loved really, the 3-speed with overdrive. it's a different way of driving. it's NOT MODERN. lots of people stick power steering, tilt wheels, power brakes, AC, foolishness like sound insulation and stereos in their old cars, but i like the raw machine, unmediated by plastic comfort. (i do like my 2004 Scion xB for the "modern" marvel it is. A/C is ummm nice :-)

a T96 with R10 overdrive is more or less an anti-theft device. once i had a fancy restaurant valet brag they'd driven every kind of car there is, and they got totally fouled up and stalled the little American with it's one-finger one-inch clutch and too many shift levers.