No Longer Able to Shift
 

While driving my '73 2.0 this weekend, I noticed the shift pattern was slowly but steadily getting out of alignment. First I noticed that I was having trouble shifting into first, then had to put pressure on the shifter in the left direction, to shift into 2nd or 3rd gears. So I loosened the clamp at the base of the shifter and rotated the front shift linkage rod clockwise, while the shift lever was in neutral all the way to the right (between 4th and 5th).

After I adjusted and tightened up the clamp, I moved the shift lever and noticed it felt very very easy to shift. Looks like maybe my shift linkage rod(s) are no longer attached to the rear shift rod head? I'm thinking either the front or rear tapered screws worked their way loose? Or did I lose the welded joint? If the latter, just where is the weld located? Also, is the front tapered screw right behind the firewall under that rubber bellow thingee?

The "shifting improvements" tech article shows you where the bushings and cone-screws are. (Yes, there's one under the rubber bellows.)

The weld that can break is near the back of the rear shift rod, where the slightly smaller-diameter straight section joins up with the slightly larger-diameter part that bends. Follow the rod forward from the transmission end and you'll see where it changes diameter.

--DD

Thanks Dave. I'll be under the car today and will check it out. Is it fairly common for the tapered screws to back out?

No, it's not. Well, it shouldn't be, because they have a plastic bump in the middle of the threads that should act as a mechanical lock (a la Nyloc). But a lot of us tend to re-use them over the years, so they don't lock so well any more...

--DD

Ah. Well, I discovered that the rearmost tapered screw backed all the way out. I tighened it back up (should have used some locktite) and WOW, now it shifts great. What a difference. Check those tapered screws if your shift pattern starts to wander!

Use blue thread locker, the little nylon insert is not enough to keep it from backing out. I can tell you this is a fact from personal experience. If you have not replaced the shifter bushings, you probably need to do so.

Don't try messing with the shifter adjustment until getting everything else right, this is not something that just changes.