55 ford column shift problem

zoegrant

zoegrant

Well-known member
Hi to allthe column shifter on my 55 Ford is acting up. When shifting from 1st to 2nd the shifter gets temporarily stuck in neutral. If I jiggle the shifter when it is stuck in neutral then the shifter drops a hair and shifts into 2nd.....
This is a T86 overdrive that I installed to replace my stock 3 speed manual ******....the only change I made to use the overdrive ****** was to shorten my driveshaft and contour my shift rods slightly.
I have checked to see if the shift rods were touching and they were not, the ****** seems to shift fine except that I have to wiggle the shifter sometimes when going from 1st to 2nd...."THE COLUMN SHIFTER DOES NOT SEEM TO DROP INTO THAT SWEET SPOT IN ORDER TO SHIFT SMOOTHLY". When pulling up on the shift lever, the spring tension feels ok.
Anyone have any ideas before I tear into the column to see if something is bindiing ? Thanks in advance.....John
 
Check the linkage bushings. If they're worn out you can have those symptoms. Also check the linkage adjustment where they connect to the shift levers at the bottom of the column. They should be even with each other with the lever in neutral and the lever should be horizontal. Adjustment procedure should be in the shop manual.
 
Thank you Dobbie & WestCoast.....the rubber bushings on the shift lever assembly are pretty beat up.The rubber/metal bushings are flanged over so do I cut them off ???? The new rubber bushings do not have any metal to flange over so i presume that I just install them like a grommet ????...this part is # 7343-A
If this part is the correct one then can I install it when it is still on the car or do I have to remove the levers from the column ? thanks
 
Dobie...i just re-read your post again and I see that you talk about checking the linkage bushings. Besides the bushings that the shifting rods go thru, what other linkage bushings are you speaking about ?Are they inside the column ?
 
No bushings inside the column, only the 2 where the linkage connects to the levers on the trans. They're a tight fit but you can pry 'em out with a screwdriver. The book shows a wavy washer on the trans side of the levers but you can use flat washers there to take out some of the slop if you don't have the wavy ones. Slick the new bushings up with silicone spray lube or soapy water to ease installation. I don't suggest using WD-40 because it attacks rubber.
 
John, Also check that the hole in the shift arms on the transmission are not egg shaped where the shift rods go in. Mine were worn enough that a fairly fast shift from low to second would sometimes let the lever go down to the second -high arm and the transmission would still be in low. Have to get out, open hood and manually pull lever out of low. Ordered arms from Macs but they weren't right for my OD trans. Ended up getting some flat bar stock, drilling proper size hole and welding them onto shift arms after cutting off worm part. Ben
 
Those darn rubber bushings at the top of the shift rods turn to mush after awhile, especially if you're blowing oil on them. I am looking for a new one myself (same part used for Ford-O-Matic shift lever) but can't find anybody that sells em anymore. Also, pull your cotter pins off at the bottom and inspect shift rod where it goes thru the hole. That can be badly worn there causing extra slop. You can repair that by running beads of weld with MIG welder and filing down to the proper diameter. You also need the special spring washer and flatwasher at that connection. If those are missing, the rod can slouch and cause too much slop.
 
All good advise. Driving those old cars with worn out shift linkage was something most of the guys I grew up with lived with. Some were so worn out no amount of jiggling the shift lever would free them up. We finally figured out if they stuck, all you had to do is pop the hood and pull up on the 2/3 shift arm to free it up. Most just saved up for a floor shifter which presented problems of there own for some.
 
Today I installed the two bushings that the shift rods go into...took about a 1/2 hr, had to cut off the old ones with a hack saw blade as they had what appears to be a brass sleeve flanged over on each end of the bushings.The new rubber busings I purchased from Mac`s in NY had only a plastic bushing in the cennter. I pushed out the plastic center and greased the rubber bushing and slid them thru the shift linkage and then reinstalled the plastic center bushing.
I still have the shifter problem ......odd thing is that when the car is standing still it shifts preety good into all gears but when engaged in first and I am under power, I cannot shift out of 1st into second??????
Do the shifter assembly arms have to be "EXACTLY"parallel to each other when in neutral ????
thanks for all the input.....John
 
Not exactly. Best check, have shifter in neutral, have someone watch the two arms while moving the shift lever back and forth. Arms should not move up or down as the pin moves from 2/3 arm to 1/R arm. Do you mean you can't move the lever up out of first and down for second or does the lever drop down into the 2/3 arm but ****** is still in first? See my earlier post about worn shift arms on trans. Also, what is condition of motor mounts and transmission mount? Ben
 
Usually the problem is the arms themselves are worn where the pin at the end of the "hockey stick" ride in the arms. We used to replace both arms and the "hockey stick" when we repaired them. Seems like I've done 100's of the old Econolines way back then. Next time it jambs up, shut it off and look at the arms at the end of the column. The 1/R arm should be in the down position. Pull up on that arm until both are even and see if the shift linkage works again. If it does that's where the problem is, worn shifter arms.
 
Hi Ben...and Dan......not sure what you mean by "arms should not move up or down as the pin moves"What pin ?.......
The column shifter itself does not seem to drop down in order to shift into 2nd from first so ****** stays in first.
I did check the holes in the shift rods where they attach to the transmission levers to see if they were worn out of round but all seems ok.
I will check the motor mounts and the transmission mount....
I have bent the two ****** rods trying to find a shape that works the best so I am not sure what the original contour of these rods were. ...I am leaning toward the problem being there or that a syncro is cracked inside the ******...just had rebuilt the ****** by a ****** shop a few months ago so I keep trying to adjust the rods.
I do appreciate both your inputs and will let you know what I find....thanks, John
 
Ok...I have the the shifter working to shift correctly when the car is not moving. In other words, at a "STANDSTILL" I can shift into all gears smoothly....when I take off in 1st, I cannot shift into 2nd. The minute I stop the car,I can then shift correctly again..it appears to be torque related, when at idle (nothing in ****** moving) all is fine. Any torque applied on the input shaft and the ****** locks in 1st...
Any other ideas what would cause this situation ???????
 
On a slight incline put it in gear, engine off, and push the clutch pedal all the way down. If it doesn't try to roll it's a clutch problem. If it does try to roll the issue is inside the transmission.
 
John, there is a pin in the end of the shifter rod that sits inside the 1/r and 2/3 arms. When you pull up on lever for first, the pin moves up into the 1/r arm. When you move lever out of first, spring tension moves lever down and pin moves into 2/3 lever. With engine running, and clutch depressed, can you shift thru all gears? Can you start off in second and then shift to high when enough speed? The pin is what actually moves the shift levers up and down when you move the shifter.
 
Dobie...I will try your suggestion to eliminate the clutch and the ******...Ben...with the engine running and clutch depressed I can shift correctly 75% of the time, then all of a sudden it will hang up in neutral....
Today we put the car up on a lift and I had a friend watch to see what happens under the car as I shift. He thought that the neutral position was where the problem was and it most likely was a linkage adjustment...so I will play with the shifting rods to see if making them longer or shorter will fix the problem...........if that does not do it I may have to remove the shifter from the column to see what that pin condition is like.......I will keep you posted...thanks
 
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