Clutch or Transmission

1

1947 lurch

Junior Member
Relative newbie on Fordbarn. I have a clutch or transmissiom problem on my 1947 Ford. With the car running I am able to shift into 1st or reverse but when I go to engage the clutch get a terrible grinding noise and cannot shift into either 1st or reverse.There is no noise or problem to shift into 2nd or 3rd. Any suggestion would help. Thanks
 
???? I do not understand the question? Did you mean with the engine off you can shift into 1st and reverse but not when it is running and the clutch pedal depressed but you can put it into 2nd and third?
If this is the case then the clutch isn't completely releasing. Is it adjusted to where there is about 1" of toe board clearance? If so your pressure plate fingers may be out of adjustment. This will probably require removal of the clutch.
 
I have grinding if I try to shift into 1st gear while the car is moving. Never tried to shift into reverse while moving though. I did readjust the linkage but have not driven since I did. I am in the middle of reworking the brakes.

This maybe normal but I don't know.

Rich
 
Sorry for any confusion. The car is running in the idle neutral position.I push the clutch in and shift to either the 1st or reverse position, when I go to engage the clutch I get the grinding sound.
 
Make sure you're getting full engagement of the linkage ... otherwise you have some teeth missing off the 1st/Reverse slider gear ... or you've torn up both 1st on the cluster and the reverse idler.
 
It sounds like you have to adjusted your linkage .Before you do that see if it goes in 1 or reverse and moves,or start in 2nd gear.
 
"Before you do that see if it goes in 1 or reverse and moves, ... "

I wouldn't.
 
You eitrher have a transmision linkage problem or a transmision itself problem. Check your columm linkage for full travel or excess looseness. I think that's where you'll find your problem. First and reverse run off the same arm.
 
1947 lurch said:
Sorry for any confusion. The car is running in the idle neutral position.I push the clutch in and shift to either the 1st or reverse position, when I go to engage the clutch I get the grinding sound.
Click to expand...

When the engine is running with the transmission in neutral with the clutch pedal up, there's a whole bunch of parts spinning around in the transmission. If you push the clutch down, they will continue to spin due to momentum. Then, when you try to shift into first or reverse, the one gear in the whole transmission that isn't turning (it's connected to the drive shaft) tries to engage with a spinning gear. That's where you get the noise. You're also damaging the teeth on both of the gears you're trying to engage. Second and high gears have "synchromesh" which is a friction arrangement designed to bring the gears being engaged to the same speed before the actual teeth engage. This will be basically the speed of the car if it's moving or stopped if the car is stopped. I was taught a long time ago that if I'm driving, with the clutch out in neutral and the car stopped to press in the clutch and shift into SECOND before shifting into first or reverse. Also, NEVER SHIFT INTO FIRST OR REVERSE WITH THE CAR MOVING unless you're really good at doing that sort of thing and you're willing to spend for substantial transmission work.
 
"I push the clutch in and shift to either the 1st or reverse position, when I go to engage the clutch I get the grinding sound."

I'm reading that "lurch" already has shifted into gear ... when he starts to let the clutch pedal out is when the noise occurs. Not when he's trying to get it into gear.

If that's not what he means, it sure is what he's saying.

IF that is what's happening, maybe a VERY out of adjustment shifter linkage ... bent, worn, boogered ... could(?) allow the slider to just barely touch 1st on the cluster or the reverse idler resulting in the noise. But, I sorta doubt it.

I'd still check the linkage, but suspect damage has already occurred as I previously posted. This is the area of the most common damage since, as Pete says, there are no synchronizers on 1st and Rev ... rough use and poor driving habits take their toll.

( ... I also may not be reading "lurch's" posts correctly.)
 
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How about draining the oil out of the trans? If you get some broken teeth or other parts, proceed with removal of the transmission. If the oil is clean, proceed with checling out the shift linkage. If everything seems to work correctly when you let out the clutch in second and third, but you get a terrable noise and the car will not move when you let out the clutch in first and reverse, it may well be in the transmission.

With the car at a stop and the engine running at idle, and the clutch pedal pushed all the way down, if the transmission will shift into second and third without making noise, but grinds when you try to shift into low or reverse, but the car moves in all gears, the clutch may not be fully releasing. Please understand, because first and reverse are not Syncronized, you may have to wait a few seconds with the clutch fully depressed to let everything in the trans to stop rotating before you can shift into low and reverse with out a little noise.

Just a suggestion,

Chris
 
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I also have grlnding sound when i engage the clutch with the engine running. I think maybe I have the wrong size clutch Ford parts book calls for 9 inch in a 1939 2dr but I have a 59 AB block which I think calls for a 10 inch. what is the right size clucth for this conversion?
 
Is it possible you installed the clutch wrong, with the raised side against the flywheel? A friend and I did this back in the 50's, when he dropped the clutch and didn't pay attention to putting it back in. It made a bad noise when attenpting to push in clutch.
Milt K from Pa
 
Thanks Milt that is possible I have to pull out the clutch and see what is going on there. Thats a nice pickup you got. still don't know which size clutch I need.
Jack
 
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