41 pickup transmission question

[LeroyM]

Question as to why or what would cause this. Running a 41 pickup transmission in a Model A coupe. It's behind a stock 283 Chevy, never had a problem before. Took the car out for a spin today and went to shift from 3rd to 2nd and couldn't get it into 2nd or any gear other than 3rd. Couldn't even find neutral. Ended up driving it home in high gear. Pulled the top off the transmission and the hub that slides reverse and 1st gear wasn't moving.

Jacked the rear up and rotated the tire by hand. The keepers that are spring loaded that the hub slides on for reverse and 1st gear wasn't letting the hub move. So I manually pressed them down and got the hub to slide. Got the forks lined up and all the gears went into place like it should. It's a open drive, and the only thing I can figure is the seal is leaking some, it was about a pint low in gear oil. Running 85-140 for the gear oil.

The transmission had just been gone thru a few years ago, everything that was bad was replaced, new syncro's and all that. So what else could it have been?

 

[Talkwrench]

Cluster bearing is a possibility. Everything started to jamb up on mine when a cluster shaft bearing went. Drained and checked your oil for metal?
Mine was a 39 top loader box.

 

[skidmarks]

That is the 2 nd and high gear syncronizer That you described. 1st and reverse is the larger gear to the rear of the case the smaller fork fits into

 

[LeroyM]

Put a new rear seal in it this morning and took it for a spin. Seems to be back to normal.

 

[rotorwrench]

Low reverse gear just slides on the mainshaft splines so there is no hub per se. 2nd & High gears are part of the synchronized shift. The synchro hub would be what is holding things. There could be a problem with the detent balls/springs in the synchro hub of there may just be slack in the shift tower ball pin or shifter fork detents.