My car is starting to develop a problem when shifting from 1st to 2nd. 1st to reverse if fine and when it does go in second, 2nd to 3rd shifts fine. It's just the transition from 1st to 2nd. It feels like there is something stopping it. What's the most common cause of this? I don't want to invest alot in it as I'm going to put a T5 in it hopefully this year.
Could it be a linkage problem? I would check that first. I had a three on the tree that was binding from first to second because the shift rod was rubbing up against the clutch release rod.
The slots on the linkage arms used to wear out and make shifting them a chore. Only cure was replacing the arms and the pin on the end of the column. Sometimes they would get so worn they would hang the shifter up in first gear. If juggling the shifter wouldn't unstick it, you could raise the hood and pull up on the 1st/rev shifter arm and it would shift again. Until it stuck again.
Sounds like the bushings are just worn out,a replacement set is very reasonable and easy to install. HRP
Ok. Dumb question time. Where are the bushings at? Are they internal or are they the ones on the arms on the column?
They're located where the linkage connects to the shift levers on the transmission. Just disconnect the levers, pry the old ones out and install the new ones. If yours are worn out new bushings will make a noticeable difference. I'm ***uming the linkage adjustment is good since you said it shifted OK before.
Yes it shifted good. After the engine and Trans swap it never seemed to be as smooth as it was before. When the shifter was put in neutral it just didn't feel right to me. Hard to describe but when it neutral and you pulled/pushed the shifter back and forth there is some resistance that wasn't there before. One other symptom I forgot to add is I had trouble the other day getting it in the neutral position. It stayed in first but the shifter was in the middle. First time that happened. I'm kinda wondering if the shifter isolator is bad also.
I'd forgotten you swapped the engine and trans. Check shift linkage adjustment; it could be outta whack if you had to remove the linkage during the swap. Put the shift lever in the neutral slot and look at the linkage where it connects to the levers at the end of the column. The ends of the shift rods should be even with each other and the lever at the wheel should be pretty close to horizontal. If not, adjust the clevises by screwing them up or down until they're in the same plane with the lever at the wheel in neutral.
I adjusted them when I did the swap but I'll check it again. Who knows maybe it moved some. One thing I found interesting is the shift levers on the column have bushings. Are these the same as the levers on the trans? Also the T86 didn't have the bushings but just a hole for the shift rod to go through. But the T5 I put in did and the rod ends were a little too short so I had to trim the back side of the bushings to get the cotter pin in. I think I'll pull the levers off and have a br*** bushing made and see if that helps.
OOPS! My bad. There are no bushings at the levers on the trans, only at the levers at the bottom of the column. Since you had to tweak the bushings to get the cotter pin in that may be the root of the issue, but the bushings should have a br*** center bonded to them. Is the linkage sloppy where it connects to the trans? If so you can shim some of it out with thin flat washers. Stack enough washers to remove the slop, or most of it, without causing binding. Also, when doing the adjustment make sure the everything is in the neutral position including the levers on the trans.
I guess the levers on the trans are coming off to get br*** bushings then. I'm not sure what year my T85 OD is but it doess have the rubber over br*** on the levers. I'll get them off and fixed and a new set of bushings on the column. Maybe having the bushings on both ends was too much slop and the more I drove it the looser it got.
My old three on the tree column shift was worn on the transition slots on the column. It was possible to get the gearbox stuck in first with the gear lever locked up. The only way to fix it apart from knocking it out of gear on the gearbox was to pull the stick firmly back into first gear and start all over again. The shift pattern by the stick was more an S shape than a H. You had to pull the stick back till you got to neutral then allow it to go forward and manoeuvre it into second. Couple that with stupid crossover mounted on the gearbox it was a pig to change gears. The ute is of course RHD and the gearbox had the shift levers on the left. I put up with it for 23 years and finally converted it a Fordamatic. You can't rush these things.
A good bit of the problem can be wear on the "plates", for lack of a better term, on the shift tube at the bottom of the column that engage the levers at that location due to years of people going diagonally from 1st to 2nd instead of following the crossbar in the H and letting the spring load do the work. Column shift was not designed with speed shifting in mind.
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