Shift Selector Assembly Installation

[frank]

Hi Everyone,

I removed the assembly to replace the o-rings and

1. Didn't know what gear it was in when removed.
2. Not sure what gear it was in when re-installed.

I read through several articles describing what gear to be in when installing the gear selector but I am not sure they have applied to my issue or perhaps I just don't understand the articles.

The gears are not selected correctly, so I think there is an adjustment that needs to be done or I need to remove and re-install the selector assembly while it is in the correct gear.

I can't really tell what gear I am in at the moment except for Reverse and Neutral BUT neutral is at the 3rd gear position. That is, when I put my shifter into 3rd the transaxle goes into neutral.

Some other questions. I see that some articles state that I should select 3rd gear when installing the selector assembly / shaft but how do I know what gear I am in with the selector out? I know right now that the transaxle is in neutral. Will this help me in any way with the installation?

Page 2 of this threads gives me an understanding and I will dive-in to see if I can align the gears manually but would inserting the selector comb while the transaxle is in gear cause these symptoms?

Any thoughts?

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

I can't quite picture how getting the selector in wrong could cause what you are describing, but I would bet that it is possible. It's not hard to remove and re-install the selector at the transmission end, so it may be worthwhile just pulling it and double-checking things. You should be able to re-use the fresh gear oil if you drain it into a clean container.

I remember having to put the transmission in neutral to re-install the selector piece, so I'm not exactly sure which directions you followed.

...All of the above assumes a 73+ side-shift transmission. If you are talking about the earlier tail-shift transmission, that is something I haven't really played around with.

--DD

[frank]

I removed and re-installed the assembly... it looked good to me but when I re-installed it, the Shifter was in Neutral and working as Neutral. Something got worked out just by redoing the work....

I'm on to something...

So I put the transaxle into what should be 3rd gear.

I removed the cone-screw at the transmission-end and pushed the rod out of the way.

I pushed the selector further toward 3rd gear and it popped-in.

I turned on the car and 3rd gear was engaged.

So either my clutch isn't opening up enough (but all the other gears engage) or I need to figure out how to adjust the travel in the shift rod so it can pull it further into the 3rd gear position.

... and yes, it is a 73 2.0 side-shift.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

[frank]

So, I think I am back to square one where I don't have 3rd gear.

Is there anyone near me that would care to take a look at it? I am in Monterey, CA. Please PM me!

This rebuilt transaxle has been sitting on my shelf for about 3 years. Before I installed it yesterday I replaced ALL the o-rings / seals. It had been sitting dry and it took a little work to free it up with gear oil but not much effort to turn the shaft flanges.

I am wondering if anything else needs to be freed up like maybe the 3rd gear slider?

If I put some pressure on 3rd gear the wheels will start to move... earlier they moved a lot which brought me to the conclusion that an adjustment was required. Now they just move a little.

Through this "effort" I learned a lot about how the shifting works, for example with the shift selector. There are three positions, when it is closest to the transaxle it shifts to 1 and Reverse, when it is in the middle 2nd and 3rd, when it is pulled all the way out it shifts to 4th and 5th. I point this out because I would think...granted not the same gears, that if the rod can pull the selector far enough to engage 1st and 5th, why not 3rd?

I need some hands-on help this time. I will also add another thread specifically for my request for help as it may get lost in all this writing.

[frank]

What a day...

I didn't want to do it but somehow got motivated enough to dive into removing the gear stack.

What I found. All the gears are there. The dog teeth are all nice and pointy.

I immediately began assessing the issue by putting the transaxle into each gear to understand how it is working. 3rd gear is the ONLY issue with this thing but I wanted to compare how the other gears operated. I selected 3rd gear and put resistance on the pinion shaft while attempting to turn 3rd gear... and the gear turned! Ugh. The other gears will not budge when I do the same test.

So what is the fix? Should I fix it myself or send it to Mike?