shifting problem

WHAT YEAR??

Speedy Jim

It is a 1968 "westy"

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OK. While it may be a shifter adjustment problem, it's much more likely to be caused by wear in the various linkages.

Get underneath, at the front of the tranny, and watch/feel the rubber coupling while someone moves the shift lever. See if there is play in the coupling and whether the tranny shift rod goes thru full range of motion.

If not the coupling, the next most likely spot is the bushing at the *very* forward end of the shift rod. You have to pull the splash pan off to see this. If that bushing is worn, the shift rod will "wander" all about and make shifts very ambiguous.

There is another coupling in the shift rod (roughly under the front seats). Once in a blue moon it may come loose. If cars rust where you live, it's even possible that the rod (hollow tube) has rusted so badly that it is twisting.

Finally, if you clean up all the slop in the shift rod and it still won't find gears all the time, the problem is in the tranny . In the nosecone, there is a plastic ball (sphere) with a hole drilled thru it for the shifter. After 100K miles, the hole becomes oval and there is now a huge amount of slop introduced.

Takes patience to find out exactly where the problem lies. Go thru each area carefully.

Speedy Jim

That's a very good point. Here's my fav test:

Engine idling. Clutch all the way in. Very, very slowly engage Reverse. If it grinds, there is a clutch problem.

Speedy Jim

Thank you very much Jim and John. My schedule is to busy this next week to solve the problem but now I have a plan thanks to you. I have had the front pan off. Not rusty and plenty of grease. The bus just has surface rust for the most part under except for one hole about the size of a 50 cent piece under the wheel well on the drivers side. Dennis

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