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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / gearshift stuck in first

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Posted By Discussion Topic: gearshift stuck in first -- page: 1 2     fordmerc 05-18-2013 @ 5:40 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Oct 2009 I found the problem (but not the solution I want). The retainer ring (presumably for the strut keys) in front of the synchronizer rings is in a position to prevent backward movement of the 3rd(?) gear. It appears to have "popped out". I'll play around with it but it looks like very bad news. supereal 05-16-2013 @ 3:37 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Removing the transmission may not be necessary. Be sure that the sliding gears are in the neutral position before you insert the forks. Even a small amount of mesh will prevent turning the gears. I'm not trying to second guess Mac VP, but I've strugged more than once to get everything lined up "just right" so the top will fit back on the case. If not, I suspect something is amiss in the tower, itself. fordmerc 05-16-2013 @ 3:16 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Oct 2009 I'm limited in my ability to describe the problem further. When this happened the car was not in motion nor the engine running; I just gently bumped the lever. Now with the tower off I can't manually move the the gear that is moved by the high-intermediate shifter. Because the problem began so simply I was hoping there was an easy fix that I missed. Pulling the transmission seems drastic so I hope I'll solve the problem another way. fortyfordguy 05-16-2013 @ 2:54 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 27 Joined: Oct 2009 There aren't enough details in your posts to be able to offer a definitive answer to your question. After reading all the replies, I think we'd all be continuing to ride the "guesstimate" parade on this one. The fact that you can't get it out of 3rd gear (even with the shifter out) suggests there may be other issues....or even overlapping problems in the gearbox. I would think that at this point you may want to get the trans out and in the hands of someone who is very familiar with the early Ford 3 speed transmissions. I'm sure that we, or any other qualified individual could go through your trans and figure out what needs attention.......... Mac VanPelt fordmerc 05-16-2013 @ 9:15 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Oct 2009 I pulled the tower, added a little metal to the ball to make it round, now when I try to put it back on I find the gears are in third but I can't move them (put the tower on in third gear position) Now I don't think the problem was the shift lever. I tried rocking the car, no benefit. How do I get the transmission out of third gear when the shift lever won't budge it? ford1ford 05-14-2013 @ 4:47 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 31 Joined: Nov 2012 there is someone'just who slips my mind sells a new shift lever its just a little bigger than nos to take up the wear i have one in my thirty five works good every thing very tight. TomO 05-14-2013 @ 6:59 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 From Mac Van Pelt book, "Watch for heavy side wear on the stub tip.If the tip has large flats on either side, it will translate to more lateral movement up at the knob end. Normally you will see a round flat on each side of about 1/16" diameter." He goes on to explain that you could build up the ball with welding and grinding or look for another lever. Give Mac a call and buy his book if you intend on doing the work yourself. Tom 42wagon 05-14-2013 @ 6:27 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 585 Joined: Oct 2009 After 70 plus years I don't think you can blame a manufacturing error. I have seen articles in Model A publications regarding wear on the end of the shift lever so I would bet this is also your problem. The solution is either to find an other shift lever or build up the worn areas on yours with weld and grind/ file it back to the correct ball shape. fordmerc 05-14-2013 @ 5:32 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Oct 2009 I pulled the shifter tower. The ball at the end of the lever was jammed between the two levers. The ball is flattened slightly on the sides and this looks as if it were machined that way. The drawings show a round ball. Is this flattening wear or manufacture? fordmerc 05-10-2013 @ 4:38 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Oct 2009 Thanks. sounds like I'm in for a challenge. It's annoying since I didn't force anything or hit the shift lever with any force at all.

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