Transmission whine

[fordfun]

I'm slowly working the bugs out of a '29 Sport Coupe I acquired in June. The latest is resolution of a problem shifting from 1st to 2nd, and on to 3rd. Inspection of the shift tower revealed a badly worn ball (flat sides) on the shift lever. I replaced the lever and the shifting is greatly improved. However, there is now a noticeable whine or dragging sound coming from the trans. when idling in neutral (which wasn't there before). The whine disappears once the clutch in, and is not present when the car is moving in gear.

I did not bother to repair any other damage such as the worn area on the fork shoes apparent in the following photo (taken before the lever was replaced). Could that be the source of the problem, or would you look elsewhere? I should also mention that the whine can be diminished by holding the lever slightly forward while still in the neutral position. Any guidance here will be greatly appreciated. - Bill

[ford3]

whine is probably the front trans bearing, especially if the noise goes away with clutch depressed, doing that stops the main shaft and front bearing from turning

[wi0v]

A bad pilot bearing would make noise if the Trans is in gear with the motor running and the clutch in. With the motor running and the trans in neutral and the clutch out it would probably be the Main Drive Gear Bearing in the Trans or one of the bearing on the cluster gear which is also turning when in neutral.

[columbiA]

The square cut-out on the 3rd gear side of the2-3 shift fork appears to be worn on an angle which could cause your problem.

[fordfun]

Thank you for responding to my question. I suspect my problem is caused by something in the shift tower as it occurred immediately after I disassembled it and installed the new shift lever. Also, as I mentioned, I can alter the grinding noise by moving the shift lever slightly forward while still in the neutral position. I've posted photos taken from a different angle that may reveal something more of the problem.

Unfortunately I'm not yet familiar enough with the tower configuration to know where the "3rd gear side of the 2-3 shift forK" is located. Is that the one to the left of the one I highlighted with the arrow? Should the working surfaces of those "shoes" be right angles? If so, could they be welded up and refiled to correct the problem? If not, do you know of a source of replacements?

I haven't been able to locate a photo of a shift tower that would reveal the correct geometry of those "shoes" If anyone can suggest a source I would greatly appreciate it.

[Tom Wesenberg]

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The fork with the wear showing on the forward side of the square pocket is the 2-3 shift fork and when you shift to third the ball pushes on the side with the wear. That much wear may have been caused by some driver resting his hand on the shifter after the shift to third is completed.

Even though the pocket has wear, it's the spring loaded pluger pushing into the notch in the shaft that holds the shift fork in the correct position, so if the plungers, springs and notches are good then the fork should be held firmly in position. The engagement part of the fork must not be bent, or the gear will not be held in the correct position. I can't see where changing the shift lever should have changed anything else to cause a problem.

Do the forks stay tightly in place? In other words, are the springs, notches, and plungers good?

[Bob C]

If your tower is assembled the way it is in the pictures then you need to get the gear
shifter in between the slots in the forks.

Bob