I've had this F150 for 6yrs, but 2 of those it wasn't driven cause I lost my license and i sure ain't letting the ol lady drive it, ever lol. Its a '89 with the 4.9l and mazda manual transmission, 2wd. I got my license finally, got her tagged and drove it about 100 miles all in the same day. I noticed a whistling kind of noise coming from around the trans when in first but it would go away once i got to cruising. I was about 50 miles from my house when the pedal hit the floor and it felt like it was stuck in disengage. i was able to pull the pedal up with my foot all the way up to 5th and i was able to make it to my town. When i got off the interstate I was able to shift just fine another 2 miles before the pedal hit the floor again. Thats when i just limped it off the road. It acted like the transmission was in a gear cause every time i tried to start it, it would die out, plus the pedal had zero pressure. First time she ever left me stranded.
I get it home do what troubleshooting procedures i can find, and determine that since the slave cyl inside the bellhousing was leaking, it must be bad. Since i had to remove the trans, I figured it would be best to just replace everything. It now has a new rear main seal, flywheel, clutch kit, slave cyl, input shaft seal, and i ended up replacing the hydraulic line running from the master cyl to the slave cyl. Got the hydraulic clutch bled and replaced the shifter into the top of the trans. Now it will start, but feels like it may be in gear, when i let off the pedal its trying to go. It should be in neutral. Also the shifter will not go into any gears, but feels like it is in neutral. I can't figure out why it won't go into gear and why it feels like it is already in a gear? Could the linkage inside the top of the trans have moved while i took the trans out and put it back in? Any help would be very appreciated.

 

First, I have not done the type of work you've done to fix your truck. I have, however, taken the top cover off of my '96 F150's M5OD a few times now.
Like you, I am wondering if the shift forks aren't aligned properly. I can't imagine that happening unless you took the top cover off, though. Was it in neutral for sure when you pulled the transmission?

Someone else on here will probably have more input.

 

Hey thanks for the reply. I'm pretty sure it was in neutral when i pulled the transmission. I never took the top cover off, or messed with the inside. Is there anything other than the shift forks that could cause this problem? I believe I got the clutch bled correctly, and I looked in the inspection hole while the pedal is pushed in. It looked like the slave cyl/ release bearing were doing their job.

 

dang out of 400 people nobody knows anything?

 

First off, there are a lot of knowledgeable members here, with tons of experience. Your OP was a bit difficult to follow; I had to go back and read it a few times to get gist of your post.

So with that, I'll try to provide some input to your transmission problem. I had sort of the same issue with my truck a few years back and did some of those "might-as-well" tasks tasks that you did.

Some question may need answering before you can pin point your issue.
- Did you replace the clutch master cyclinder along with the other hydraulic components?
- What part of the shift handle assembly did you remove to get the transmission out?
- Can you shift the transmission when the engine is not running?
- What brand of hydraulic components did you use?
- How exactly did you bleed the clutch slave system?

Another question; how was the transmission fluid level when you noticed the "whistling" sound?

 

Thank you for replying, I wasn't trying to offend anyone. In the OP I had meant to give a little background on the problem I'm having and to catch the attention of those more experienced than me.

I did not replace the master cyl. I replaced the slave cyl, clutch pressure plate, clutch disc, clutch hydraulic line and the flywheel. All of these were manufactured by Duralast. So now the only part in the clutch hydraulic system that isn't new is the master cyl. I bled the system exactly as described in the Haynes and the Chilton manuals. There is a steady trickle of fluid when I crack the bleed screw, with no air bubbles.

When I checked the transmission fluid it seemed a little low. The transmission drain plug had some black slimy gunk on it as well as some small metal shavings. I had thought the gunk was from it sitting for awhile.

I pulled the entire shifter assembly(stub shaft according to haynes) from the top of the transmission.
Now the transmission will not shift gears with or without the engine running. When the engine is running and I release the clutch pedal, it acts like it wants to lurch forward and stall.

I need some help in troubleshooting this. I just don't have the funds to throw parts at until I get lucky and solve the issue. Again thanks for taking the time to help me out with this.

 

I'm not familiar with the Haynes procedure for removing the shift assembly. Did it instruct you to remove the tapered bolt/pin from the bottom of the shift handle, or by removing three screws from the round top cover just under the bolt/pin?

 

I mentions both ways. I took out the three torx bolts because one of the nuts on the tapered bolt was missing. I couldn't break that bolt loose w/o maybe destroying the threads.

 

Okay, now we're norrowing it down. Was the transmission in gear or in neutral before you removed the lever? If it was in gear, you may not have placed the shift lever in the exact same position as when you removed it.

Have a read here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...r-r-and-r.html
Also, you need to insure that all the required bits are present under the round cap (the one you removed to get the shifter off). I'll try to find a post so you can get an idea of what I am talking about. Here you go, check out warren561's video in particular. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...y-shifter.html

 

When I pulled the shifter it was in neutral or at least acted like it. I made sure to bag and label all the bolts and little rings under that plate

 

alright i took the shifter out again and tried to put it in different ways and it only wants to go in one way. The shifter feels like it is in neutral but when the truck is running and I let off the clutch it feels like it is in gear. I also cannot shift through the gears. When i try to put the shifter into any gear it feels blocked, but it will move side to side like in neutral position.

I checked to make sure the hydraulic system was bled correctly. I'm not sure if its supposed to be "shooting" out of the bleeder screw or if its just supposed to "trickle" out? When i crack the bleeder screw it "trickles" steadily. Maybe the master cylinder is not pumping the pressure up enough?

 

Let's try to fix the shifter problem first. Go back and read through the first link I attached. You'll need to read a few times before it starts to make sense. When the transmission is in neutral, all the shift fork tabs should be lined up. Can you take a picture of the top looking down into the transmission, with the shift handle removed? Just like the picture in the first link.

There are two spring-loaded rods on either side of the top plate that keep tension on the shifter. It is difficult to place the shifter in the correct gear if the transmission wasn't in neutral prior to removing the shifter assembly. When all the forks are aligned in the neutral position, there is no spring tension against the shift handle, or at least very little tension. Hope that makes sense so far.

Hopefully someone else can chime in with a better discription or instruction.