5th gear problem diagnosis

[Jon Powell]

Sometimes, and only sometimes, my '67 912's gear lever will not pull all the way down to the 5th gear position. The weird thing is, the tranny always goes into 5th gear; it never, ever grinds. It's only the gear shift lever that won't go where it's supposed to. However, when the shift lever will not pull all the way into the 5th gear position, the tranny does usually pop out of gear on deceleration, unless I push in the clutch again and pull the lever the rest of the way down.

All my other gears engage fine, and the shift lever goes where it should in all the other gears. What gives? Is this a symptom of a bad shift lever bushing? Or is the synchronizer on 5th on the way out? Or is my shift lever out of adjustment?

Any knowledgable advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jon

[Wayne 962]

Hmm, sounds like a tranny problem. The fact that it's popping out may be a bad synchro. Fifth gear will almost never grind because the ratios are closer together than on the lower gears. Try replacing all your bushings first, and then if you still have a problem, then tackle the tranny.

Hope this helps,

Wayne