OK...its old but I like this truck and wish to keep it running...Lat week I lost the ability to shift into OD and now the manual transmission pops out of reverse too! I searched alot of Utube videos and did rebuild the shifter bushings as recomended and also pulled the top end and drained and refilled the transfer case with new ATF. Thought I had it repaired however when doing the flush I found several pieces attached to the magnetic drain plug that looked like a small flat pieces of the shifter housing parts and or seal??? I flushed the tranny and put it all back together thinking I had it resolved, but the transmission still will not shift into OD and it pops out of reverse also if I dont hold my hand on the shifter!...After replaceing the bushing the transmission shifted alot better but it still wont go into OD??? I love this truck and wonder if the Forks are bad, when I pulled the top cover throught the cab the forks looked OK but I am no expert on mechancics. Could the top end forks be worn out causing this problem? Or am I looking at dropping the trannty and replacing it with a rebult one? Getting access to the top end was easy and I can easilky pull it out again but I am not sure what I am looking at with the forks for a wear indication or mechanical failure and the metal parts that were in the bottom of the case had me wondering if something else was causing the not being able to go into OD problem?...Say maybe a jammed piece of metal stuck some where or a problem with the forks mechanics? Any help wopuld be gratley appreciated... Thanks KJ

 

Does reverse work -- as in you can use it to back the truck up if you hold the shifter?

 

Yes, however I must release the clutch smoothly and not be backing up a hill, flat surfaces are best and somewhat ok, but I need to hold the shifter down hard as well to back up!

 

Sounds like you need a new shift fork at the least.



If you pull the cover and inspect the forks you will tell easily if they are worn. The tooth that engages the slider should be about 1/4" wide. The groove in the slider is about 1/4" wide. If the fork is not 1/4" wide, then it is worn and likely why it won't go in gear/stay in gear.

Look closely at the picture. The RIGHT forks are worn(see the shiny ridge) and the LEFT picture is basically good.

Now, the bad part. The 5-R slider is in the tailhousing and you can't get to it without tearing the transmission apart. Look at part #7289 It moves slider #7183





NOTE: Do NOT, for any reason, drive with your hand on the shifter. That is the root cause of why these wear out. The material is too soft and will not accept the force you put on it with your hand while driving. The last transmission I bought I had to replace the 3-4 fork due to being worn out. That is easy since you only have to take the cover off.

 

This is a close up of one of the forks?
Here is a shot of the other fork!

 

A bunch of crap wss in the bottom see the photo... Not sure whats stuck on the plug
Possibly pary of the shifter bushings tha I rebuilt while I had the top pulled last week!

 

Bench fixed the shifter housing...had to punch out pins on each side!

 

Rear shot! Looks ok I think?
Other shot of the gears?
Top view of the tranny looking down from the access!

 

I have been trying to find fork parts but cant find any one who has them. I guess I get them all replaced dont ya think? Does any one have a lead on where to order forks for this transmission?. Yesterday while searching the web I did find a site that sell a nylon guide that slips over the fork ends??? Has anyone tried these instead. They were cheap... $5.00 bucks a pair.

 

Its an F150 Lariat 4x4. A Nebraska duck and phesant truck, and it still runs quite well!

 

If posted originaly that I am having trouble in OD and Reverse...Is it the fork that is burried in the bottom of the tranny that is likey causing me grief? When I called Allstate Gear they said that the 5th & reve fork rarely goes bad? I know the middle fork needs replacing for sur, after reviewing mark1986f150's photo post and compaing his to mine, however can just one bad fork cause problems with the other gears not wanting to hook up? I just dont want to throw good money into a tranny that I might need to swap out? Any one can help here as I need my hunting truck back for the goose migration this month! Help me solve this problem please!

 

Yes, 5-R is the one in the bottom. It does seem odd that it is worn, but it sure seems like the culprit in this instance. Unless the shifter gate is damaged/hurt and it is not allowing it to shift fully into gear?

Put a wrench on the arm sticking up in the tailhousing area and shift it. Then rock the truck and see if it stays in gear. If it shifts firmly and stays in gear, then possibly the shift rails are messed up and not allowing full movement. Measure how far it moves, then compare the shift rail to see if it moves as much.

Does that arm sticking up seat tightly in the shift rail notch? It might be the worn spot? Too much play will not allow you to get it into gear fully.

Replacing the forks in the cover is a pretty simple job of knocking out pins and putting it back together.

 

The lever in the tranny cant be moved by hand and I used a wrench as you suggested and it stayed in place after rocking the truck...however the top end rail moves quite easily by hand back and forth? Should it slide with ease or not? Note no wrench was required to push the 5th gear top end rail forward and backward. Anyways...I do have the part (top end) with me today, so I will look at the notch and see if there is any wear on it. I should also check the ball seat lever inside the shift housing for wear since its out of the truck too. I am planning on dropping the top end off at Midwest Transmission today and have them replace the middle fork, as it is obviously worn in the hopes that this is not allowing a full extension needed to shift while in all gears? One question though. When moving the arm in the back portion of the tranny e.g. 5th gear...How far should the arm move? When tested it seems that it dosent go very far? And it requires some musclue to engauge it...Is that normal too? Just wondering?

 

There is a pretty stout detent ball on that 5-R arm. The shift rails in the lid should move pretty easy as they only have very light detent springs. The leverage you have with that BIG shifter handle overcomes all the detents and makes moving them pretty easy.

As for travel? Likley not much, all depends on the ratio of the arms and such. Don't know what is right or wrong. You should be able to see one of the gears and how the slider covers it over. If you "snap" it into gear and the truck rocking won't pop it out, then I would say that is full travel.

Have the transmission shop inspect the cover and make sure everything is moving like it should. Maybe it was just the lid that is not moving that arm far enough? Sounds plausible. Replacing those arms is really easy. Few minutes and its done.

 

Ok I replaced the 3/4 fork that was ordered from All Stater Gear and inspected the 5 rail in the top??? It dosent looked cracked so I put it back togeter and dam if it dosent want to go into OD and it still pops out of reverse??? As you mentioned I can move the lever in the tranny, yet I am not sure if the top end rail is causing my issue...truly frustrating. I guess its cheaper to try the too end rail before dropping the tranny to gut the beast! I just wish someone else could tell me if this is gonna fix it. OD is a no go...no matter how hard I smack the shifter. Any other ideas let me know. As I am about ready to drive it into the river and sink her!