1939 Ford pickup transmission grinding noise

F

Fech

Member
Hello all,
I am new at driving this pickup, but I notice a grinding noise while shifting from 2nd to 1st, going slow or fast the same noise appear and feels an obstruction in the shifter.
 
3 spd 1st gear doesn't have a syncro and will grind when down shifting. You can wait until you stop or double clutch to get to 1st to avoid grinding. 2nd and 3rd are synchronized so shifting between them isnt a problem. Lets see your truck.
 
You shouldn't shift from second to first unless stationary.

If it grinds when selecting first from rest you might need to wait longer before selecting after pressing the clutch pedal.

You might not have a full release of the clutch.

If you can learn to double declutch (or double clutch) you might be able to shift 2-1 on the move.

Mart.
 
Also, when stopped at rest, in neutral, put it to 2nd or 3rd to still the gears, then move the lever to first or reverse with no clash.

Double clutch on the down shift is simply note vehicle speed, think what the engine sounds like in 1st gear at that speed. Then move the lever to neutral, raise the clutch pedal rev, the motor up to the sound you thought of. Depress clutch and shift to first. The keys here are knowing engine speed, vehicle speed, and engaging the clutch during rev-up.

The reason to shift into 1st while moving is, because you may have slowed down too slow to pull 2nd gear ( say on an upgrade ) and wish to keep moving. So rather than stop, to engage 1st, a double clutch downshift is necessary.

However if coming to a stop, then 1st gear is not needed. The recommended strategy is simply use the brakes.

Have fun while learning, but go easy on the stick until you do.:)
 
actually, i rarely use 1st gear in my old fords. if moving at all, i choose 2nd. up hill or from a dead stop, 1st. however, i do not drive in the city very much
 
Reducing the gear grind is a learned skill. Matching engine rpm to the gear speed is very important. When you get used to the sounds of different engine rpm with the different gears, you can throttle up to the rpm that will be required for a certain speed and the non synchronized dogs will mesh pretty well on a downshift. It took me a while to get the hang of it when I learned to drive in an of 1952 F3 pickup with the old gear grinder T8 4-speed. When I purchased my first model A, I felt right at home with it. Double clutching makes it a smoother shift but a person can do it without double clutching after you get used to it.

No offence but STP or other viscosity builders aren't really necessary if you use the correct gear lube viscosity to start with. Higher viscosity can make shifting worse if it's too thick. You get used to how fast the cluster gear slows when you step on the clutch no matter how thick the lube is.
 
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Fech, please add your location to your profile. Believe it or not it can affect our advice. All this discussion about double clutching may have a place ... maybe not.

Most likely the problems you are having are caused by poor technique and can be corrected by a few simple instructions.

But first, tell us where you live ... it does make a difference.
 
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