Model B transmission problem

fordcragar

fordcragar

Senior Member
The transmission was working fine. This morning I drove it around and then pulled it back into the driveway. I started the car and tried to move it and noticed that the shift pattern was skewed and had trouble finding the neutral gate. I pulled the lever down into the 1st gear position and found reverse. I'll pull the tower this weekend. What am I going to find? Bad forks, missing pieces?
 
It sounds like the end of the shift handle became mis-located in the slots in the shift forks. If nothing is actually broken, try removing the handle from the top (with the top still in place) and use a flashlight and a long screwdriver to get the forks back into alignment in nuteral. Re-install the shift handle and it should be just fine. Occasionally this happens when things get a little worn or you over run the shifter going into second.

BE CAREFUL when removing the shift handle NOT to DROP the pin that fits in the threaded part of the top. This pin keeps the shift handle from rotating and is easy to drop down into the trans. If you do drop it and can not fish it out with a magnet, try draining the oil and hopefully, it will come out.

Good luck, let us know how you make out.

Chris
 
I had the same thing happen to me twice with my B. I made an o/s pin that had a better fit in the slot of the shifter handle. I don't know if that fixed it or I was just lucky it did not happen again.
 
fordcragar said:
Chris,

This worked great, it is fixed. My question now is what caused it, or this just a common anomaly?
Click to expand...

I think things get a little worn and may be you went a little too far into second gear and the end of the shift handle slipped out of its slot.

This transmission does not have the best detent arrangement. Later top shift Ford Transmissions had better detents but even they can be shifted a little past the detent going into second gear. When I rebuild a early Ford transmission, I put in an internal stop to keep from over riding the second gear detent.

The end of the handle, where it fits into the slots, may also be worn. If so, you can weld it up and re-shape it or find a better one.

As previously posted, the pin in the top of the tower and the slot in the handle may also be worn. If this is tight, it may also help.

It may not happen again but if it does, you will know how to fix it.

GOOD JOB, :)

Chris
 
Shifterfork_B7231or40-7231.jpg
Early B and V8 transmissions from 1932-33 at least had a low/rev shifter fork that had a slot for the shifter lever stub to fit into (as they all do) but it was easy to pop past that slot. Ford put an H shaped metal bracket into the shifter housing. It fit between the two shaft and provided a sort of guide or channel to keep the stub from popping away from this slot. Beginning in 1934 I think, they changed the 1st/Rev fork to add some metal to the fork....flat areas on each side of the fork' slot, which served the same purpose as the sheet metal guide. Plus much easier to install the forks and shafts without that guide. This picture shows a comparison of the two. If the guide is missing in your trans, and you have the B-7231 fork, it could be hopping out of that area and it would be difficult to get it back. Food for thought....
 
Mac VP said:
Early B and V8 transmissions from 1932-33 at least had a low/rev shifter fork that had a slot for the shifter lever stub to fit into (as they all do) but it was easy to pop past that slot. Ford put an H shaped metal bracket into the shifter housing. It fit between the two shaft and provided a sort of guide or channel to keep the stub from popping away from this slot. Beginning in 1934 I think, they changed the 1st/Rev fork to add some metal to the fork....flat areas on each side of the fork' slot, which served the same purpose as the sheet metal guide. Plus much easier to install the forks and shafts without that guide. This picture shows a comparison of the two. If the guide is missing in your trans, and you have the B-7231 fork, it could be hopping out of that area and it would be difficult to get it back. Food for thought....
Click to expand...

I'm fairly sure that my trans has the later shifting forks. Is it possible to see the guide while looking down the shifter hole? Do you have a picture of the guide or is it what I'm seeing on another shift tower that is hooked to the ends of the shift rails; which looks like a rod being suspended between the forks?
 
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