Dollar Bill
Well-known member
I'm betting you will find shifter fork or rail problems. You may need T/O bearing but that will not cause inability to select 2nd/3rd gear.
Can not shift to 2nd or 3rd gear
- Thread starter Rick6
- Start date
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
I would have someone push and release the clutch pedal several times while you are under the car looking for lost motion due to a crack opening up. It might be a crack in the lever outside or inside the bellhousing. If no cracks are found, then I'd be looking for a clutch disc or pressure plate problem.
Gunmetal blue2
Senior Member
your shifter fork for 2 and 3 gear may be wore down to the point it won't shift into 2 or 3 in the transmission tower
daveymc29
Well-known member
Have you greased the throughout bearing carrier? It may be that it is not sliding freely. I had that problem with my coupe and greasing it made it shift totally into 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Before that i wasn't really into first and if there was a bit of incline the gears just screamed and the car stood still. I could go into 2nd and the car moved fine. Grease the carrier, no harm done if that doesn't cure your problem.
Pictures of the shifting forks and the ball end of the shift lever. There is a bitof wear on the ball end of the shift lever and on the shifting fork castings where they engage with the shift lever ball. However none of the wear looks bad enough to cause an inability to shift.
What would you check within the clutch/pressure plate assembly?
I don't have an engine hoist so would you suggest pulling the rear differential and dropping out the transmission to inspect the clutch and pressure plate assemblies?
Thank you,
Rick
Patrick L.
Well-known member
Only the pic of the transmitter comes up for me. It seems to look OK.
The idea of having someone work the pedal while you watch the clutch operation is a good one. I was thinking you had done that especially after reply 14. The fact that you can shift from any gear when not moving and being able to shift in first and backward without problems seems to tell me that again the clutch seems OK.
When pulling a transmitter or removing a clutch I pull the rear end. I find it far easier and it won't scratch anything important or pretty.
The idea of having someone work the pedal while you watch the clutch operation is a good one. I was thinking you had done that especially after reply 14. The fact that you can shift from any gear when not moving and being able to shift in first and backward without problems seems to tell me that again the clutch seems OK.
When pulling a transmitter or removing a clutch I pull the rear end. I find it far easier and it won't scratch anything important or pretty.
Good morning Patrick,
I did have someone in the car working the clutch pedal while I watched the movement. I saw no loss of motion or signs of cracks in the actuator arm external to the the bell housing. I'm not sure how to see inside the bell housing to check the internal actuator arm without pulling the transmission.
The other pics were links as the forum would not let me attach additional images due to a security certificate error.
Here are the links:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oumqtozn14x94b3/20170514_165357.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fprdxc87fidf6dk/20170514_165410.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tn77aa3nk56t5h2/gearbox - note wear on front sliding gear.jpg?dl=0
I did have someone in the car working the clutch pedal while I watched the movement. I saw no loss of motion or signs of cracks in the actuator arm external to the the bell housing. I'm not sure how to see inside the bell housing to check the internal actuator arm without pulling the transmission.
The other pics were links as the forum would not let me attach additional images due to a security certificate error.
Here are the links:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oumqtozn14x94b3/20170514_165357.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fprdxc87fidf6dk/20170514_165410.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tn77aa3nk56t5h2/gearbox - note wear on front sliding gear.jpg?dl=0
Last edited:
Updated reply to Patrick
Good morning Patrick,
I did have someone in the car working the clutch pedal while I watched the movement. I saw no loss of motion or signs of cracks in the actuator arm external to the the bell housing. I'm not sure how to see inside the bell housing to check the internal actuator arm without pulling the transmission.
The high gear has quite a bit of wear on the left (rearward edge) see third image link below. Is that causing the inability to shift into 2nd/3rd gear. What I don't understand is many have said its not the clutch if I can shift into 1st/reverse. But others have said if it grinds the clutch is not disengaging fully and that is the problem.
There is some binding of the shift finger for the high gear on the rail that the finger slides on. The low and reverse finger slides easily on its rail. Not sure this is the problem as I can shift through all the gears with the clutch disengaged with or without the engine running at a stop. Any forward movement and we get a lot of grinding until you can get the gears to stop spinning and then you can engage 2nd and 3rd gears. But the car is not moving so it does no good.
The other pics were links as the forum would not let me attach additional images due to a security certificate error.
Here are the links:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oumqtozn14x94b3/20170514_165357.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fprdxc87fidf6dk/20170514_165410.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tn77aa3nk56t5h2/gearbox - note wear on front sliding gear.jpg?dl=0
Good morning Patrick,
I did have someone in the car working the clutch pedal while I watched the movement. I saw no loss of motion or signs of cracks in the actuator arm external to the the bell housing. I'm not sure how to see inside the bell housing to check the internal actuator arm without pulling the transmission.
The high gear has quite a bit of wear on the left (rearward edge) see third image link below. Is that causing the inability to shift into 2nd/3rd gear. What I don't understand is many have said its not the clutch if I can shift into 1st/reverse. But others have said if it grinds the clutch is not disengaging fully and that is the problem.
There is some binding of the shift finger for the high gear on the rail that the finger slides on. The low and reverse finger slides easily on its rail. Not sure this is the problem as I can shift through all the gears with the clutch disengaged with or without the engine running at a stop. Any forward movement and we get a lot of grinding until you can get the gears to stop spinning and then you can engage 2nd and 3rd gears. But the car is not moving so it does no good.
The other pics were links as the forum would not let me attach additional images due to a security certificate error.
Here are the links:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oumqtozn14x94b3/20170514_165357.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fprdxc87fidf6dk/20170514_165410.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tn77aa3nk56t5h2/gearbox - note wear on front sliding gear.jpg?dl=0
BILL WILLIAMSON
Well-known member
Rick6,
Kinda' ODD situation! By the way, you said you ran out of clutch adjustment. The suppliers sell an adjustable link rod that doesn't require removing the clevis pin, it adjusts, using LOCK nuts & I "think" it has a LONGER range of adjustment???
Bill W.
Kinda' ODD situation! By the way, you said you ran out of clutch adjustment. The suppliers sell an adjustable link rod that doesn't require removing the clevis pin, it adjusts, using LOCK nuts & I "think" it has a LONGER range of adjustment???
Bill W.
Keith True
Well-known member
I'm a little confused now.You said you greased the throwout bearing,but now you say you can't figure out how to look inside the bellhousing for clutch operation.To grease the bearing you had to have removed the inspection cover,and that is where you would look inside the bellhousing.Did you grease the shaft pivots thinking you were greasing the bearing?I'm not reading anything that would lead me to believe you have a clutch problem anyway.Everything you say points to the bullets in the top cover.Also,if you've had the top cover off before you tighten the bolts again make sure the shafts slide freely into the two holes in the bellhousing.They can hang up being a few thousandths off.Usually that will mean not wanting to slide into first or third easily.
BILL WILLIAMSON
Well-known member
Strange things happen??? A Friend, with a NEW shift tower & shift lever, got it stuck in reverse & "some" other gear??? And it LOCKED up.
Fiddled with it & somehow it was OK again! Things that keep us AWAKE at night!
Bill Puzzled
Fiddled with it & somehow it was OK again! Things that keep us AWAKE at night!
Bill Puzzled
Keith,
Several posts back it was suggested that I check the clutch acuator arm for cracks leading to a loos in movement. You can not see the acuator on the inside of the bell housing from the bell housing inspection access window where you grease the throw-out bearing.
Yes, I did grease the throw-out bearing.
Several posts back it was suggested that I check the clutch acuator arm for cracks leading to a loos in movement. You can not see the acuator on the inside of the bell housing from the bell housing inspection access window where you grease the throw-out bearing.
Yes, I did grease the throw-out bearing.
Art Newland
Well-known member
Someone needs to hook you up with a different tower to give a try. My 49 F-1's non-syncro 4 speed does this same thing, it's very frustrating. I attribute it to the shifter being worn out but really don't know, don't care either as I'm on the hunt for a three speed.
dave in australia
Well-known member
Have you tried placing it straight into 2nd whilst the car is stationary then trying to take off?
Patrick L.
Well-known member
OK, I guess I'm stumped for now. Lets start again.
Make sure pedal free-play is 1-1.5"
Engine running. [Is the idle set to a correct speed ? Not too fast.] Clutch released in neutral, Push in the pedal, will it allow you to shift into any and all gears ? Alternate using pedal and shifting into different gears. Having to allow a second or two before it'll allow to shift is OK.
The fork collar does appear to be worn, but, its hard to see how much wear. I don't think thats a problem right now though. The forks are being set into the collars correctly ?
If the clutch is working correctly, try taking off in second and see if it can be shifted into 3rd. If it can, then see if it can be downshifted.
I'm scratching my head right now.
Make sure pedal free-play is 1-1.5"
Engine running. [Is the idle set to a correct speed ? Not too fast.] Clutch released in neutral, Push in the pedal, will it allow you to shift into any and all gears ? Alternate using pedal and shifting into different gears. Having to allow a second or two before it'll allow to shift is OK.
The fork collar does appear to be worn, but, its hard to see how much wear. I don't think thats a problem right now though. The forks are being set into the collars correctly ?
If the clutch is working correctly, try taking off in second and see if it can be shifted into 3rd. If it can, then see if it can be downshifted.
I'm scratching my head right now.