Won't Shift Into 2nd or 3rd

D

dalton

Member
I have recently started driving my Model A. At first, the transmission shifted easily into 2nd and 3rd gear. It gradually became more and more difficult to get to shift into 2nd and 3rd. Now, I can't seem to get it to shift into 2nd or 3rd gear at all. No grinding at all. Just nothing. Shifter stops and won't go past neutral slop area. It will shift into 2nd and 3rd when not running.



Any ideas?
 
Take top off of the transmission. Examine gears and see if they move easily. Then examine the shifting forks, detents, and shift lever action for possible problems there.
 
Ok, so I got this thing opened up. The forks have a deep groove where they engage the reverse/low and 2nd/3rd gears. the gears seem to be smooth and round in the slot where the forks ride.



The shifter ball is square, and the low/reverse fork is badly worn where the shifter ball rides.



Shifting fork detent shafts are in good shape.


There is a lot of sludge in the tower, but the gear case is pretty clean.


I can't get the pictures to post.


Thanks for your help guys!
 
Take the tower apart and clean everything. When you get the new forks, test fit them into the gears. There should be no perceptible slack. Some people have reported success at welding up the end of the shifter and grinding it round then polishing it. Consider replacing the pins that go into the detents if there is any question. Use some good quality grease when re-assembling the tower. Change the oil in the transmission. Mitchell, who make the overdrive, recommend modern 85-140 oil in their transmissions. The transmission will last longer with the modern oils.

Go Advanced to open up another window. Then click on Manage Attachments. Then Browse to select your photo or photos and then click on Upload for each photo. DO NOT close the Manage Attachments window. Go back to the original window and click on Save Changes. You can then close the Manage Attachments window. Use photos in jpeg or PDF format. Use any photo editing softwear to change format of the photos.
 
Last edited:
nkaminar - Thanks again.


Brentwood Bob, I see many threads where the original poster never replies and the thread just dies. I figure if someone can take the time to answer my question, the least I can do is follow through. That's how this works.


Ok, so upon further inspection after cleaning the inside of the transmission, the gears seem to have minimal wear where they engage, and have some lash between them. I'm not sure how much is expected. The 2nd/High gear hangs up a little bit depending on where it is in the lash. Seems this may be part of the problem. The tower wear is still being addressed. I found a "like new" used tower for less than the cost of new forks.
 
nkaminar - Thanks for the help.


Here are the pics.
 

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Ok, so upon further inspection after cleaning the inside of the transmission, the gears seem to have minimal wear where they engage, and have some lash between them. I'm not sure how much is expected. The 2nd/High gear hangs up a little bit depending on where it is in the lash. Seems this may be part of the problem. The tower wear is still being addressed. I found a "like new" used tower for less than the cost of new forks.
 
Dalton, if you bought that $90.00 tower off of Ebay I think its going to need a new shift lever. Looks like it's broken or cut off.
 
The shifter shaft should be round yours is square.
Install new shifter and your good to go.
 
Joop said:
The shifter shaft should be round yours is square.
Install new shifter and your good to go.
Click to expand...


Thank you. It's hard to see in the pics, but the part of the fork that the shifter ball rides in is very worn. Probably 110 degree instead of the 90 it is new.
 
Joop said:
The shifter shaft should be round yours is square.
Install new shifter and your good to go.
Click to expand...


Thank you. It's hard to see in the pics, but the part of the fork that the shifter ball rides in is very worn. Probably 110 degree instead of the 90 it is new.
 
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