Shifting Problem

[chrs1961815]

So I tried putting the tower back on my transmission after reinstallation. I for sure got the forks lined up on the gears as they were in neutral. But I can only go up and down with the lever - no side to side movement at all. I rebuilt the trans with original gears in good shape and the tower as well. The rails and forks were installed correctly. I followed Tom Endy's instructions for rebuilding and I am pretty confident I did not mess up. What is the deal?

[Sunnybrook Farm]

Do you have a spare transmission that you can swap towers with?

[chrs1961815]

I do, guess I could give that a try.

[Werner]

CHRS,

does the ball at the lower end of the shift lever have enough clearance? Level 'R and 1' can only be shifted to level '2 and 3' if the ball slides smoothly into the shifting claw path right and left.

[chrs1961815]

The lever was renickled and the ball was welded back up and ground down to specs. I will have to check to make sure it fits right but I do believe it does.

[rotorwrench]

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You can do a check that might give you some insight on what is going on there. Set your shift lever in neutral and measure the distance between the forks. Find a tool to aid in finding the distance between the shift grooves in the Low/Rev slider gear and the 2nd/High slider gear groove when the gears are set in neutral. A divider set, trammel, or compass for drawing circles might work so you can see how close the two measurements are. If they are close, the tower would be more suspect. If the gear measurements are way off then the gear placement would be suspect.

If a person tightens things up too much, it can lead to unanticipated problems like this. The lever tip should still have a little bit of play between it and the shift rail slots.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by chrs1961815

So I tried putting the tower back on my transmission after reinstallation. I for sure got the forks lined up on the gears as they were in neutral. But I can only go up and down with the lever - no side to side movement at all. I rebuilt the trans with original gears in good shape and the tower as well. The rails and forks were installed correctly. I followed Tom Endy's instructions for rebuilding and I am pretty confident I did not mess up. What is the deal?

I would think your problem is more in the A-7233 plunger area. I would remove the shifter housing, -invert it and clamp into a vise, and see if the shift forks are aligning where the shift ever can actually be moved laterally.

[Werner]

The lever tip should still have a little bit of play between it and the shift rail slots.

Guten Abend,
this was similar for my gearbox after the revision. This was remedied by placing 2 additional paper seals under the tower cover.

[chrs1961815]

So the ball is a good fit in between the forks. I think I will pull the tower and follow Brent's advice with the plunger as I really do not think it is the gears or forks.

[chrs1961815]

I was able to tighten up the plunger screw by a lot, but that did not make any difference. The lever does move back and forth in the forks, so I am at a loss.

[Tom Endy]

The ball has to fit in the slots with a little bit of clearance. If there is a high spot it can jam things up. You could also have a fork that is slightly bent, It is difficult to tell, and will definitely give you fits. I made up a jig to check for fork alignment.

I encountered a reproduction shift lever and reproduction forks that were not compatible in a tower a guy rebuilt. The parts came from the same supplier. The ball was jamming in the slots.

I rebuilt a tower for another guy and he did not install if correctly and when he tried to shift it he man-handled it and bent the forks. I had to replace both forks.

Tom Endy

[chrs1961815]

I still have the problem. I am able to turn the engine over and all the wheels spin, so I would think that the U joint is turning. Is it possible that the shaft and gears are just not in the right spot to get to low and high?

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Can you slide the gears manually with the tower out?

[chrs1961815]

Yes. Right now I can shift side to side in neutral and then forward and backward.

[Werner]

chrs,
that was the same after/with my revision.

Have you tried an additional or 3rd lid seal? The forks may only touch the gears on their flank sides. They must not press on the gear grooves from overhead.

[chrs1961815]

Werner - I have not tried that. But I do remember during installation that I tried to shift it without it fully seated and I had the same problem. I am guessing the double gaskets are to account for wear on the forks? Mine barely have any on them.

[Werner]

No. The higher distance should reduce the possibility that the inside of the fork might press vertically onto the gear grooves.

[chrs1961815]

I figured it out. The plungers and spring were worn originals that allowed them to go too far into the detents. New ones solved the problem!

[Werner]

CHRS,

Originally Posted by chrs1961815

... that allowed them to go too far into the detents. ...

Do you mean the fork-shafts?

[chrs1961815]

Yes Werner.