3 speed help?
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Central Texas
3 speed help?
I have a 63 stepside 223, 3spd. manual. Just got brakes fixed. Drove it for about 2 days. Occasionally it would not want to go into 2nd gear but with wiggling, cussing, & holding my mouth just right it would go into gear & work fine.
Last night just as I pulled into my driveway it wouldn't shift to ANY gear. It seems to be stuck in 3rd. Shifter is in approx. N position & won't move.
Today I checked the lingage. It looks 42 years old but does not seem to be the problem. Rear shift lever on the side of the tranny seems to move freely. Front lever (nearest to engine) won't move at all.
Maybe relevant, maybe not. At hiway speeds I would occasionally hear high pitched whine that seemed to be related to ground speed. I hoped it was the new brakes breaking in. May have been the tranny instead. I checked fluid before it quit shifting. Its was very low. I filled it up.
Now all I need is for a tranny expert to tell me an easy inexpensive fix. I'm no mechanic but they don't seem to get any simpler to learn on than these truck.
Any & all advice & wisdom is appreciated
Thanks,
tgunn
Last night just as I pulled into my driveway it wouldn't shift to ANY gear. It seems to be stuck in 3rd. Shifter is in approx. N position & won't move.
Today I checked the lingage. It looks 42 years old but does not seem to be the problem. Rear shift lever on the side of the tranny seems to move freely. Front lever (nearest to engine) won't move at all.
Maybe relevant, maybe not. At hiway speeds I would occasionally hear high pitched whine that seemed to be related to ground speed. I hoped it was the new brakes breaking in. May have been the tranny instead. I checked fluid before it quit shifting. Its was very low. I filled it up.
Now all I need is for a tranny expert to tell me an easy inexpensive fix. I'm no mechanic but they don't seem to get any simpler to learn on than these truck.
Any & all advice & wisdom is appreciated
Thanks,
tgunn
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 2,813
Likes: 6
From: Connecticut
Make sure your cab mounts are not sagging and putting excess pressure on the column. Check at the bottom of the column under the hood. The jam up there, not at the tranny. Try to push the 2 shift rods to nuetral. If you have to, disconnect them and put them in nuetral at the tranny, then line up the column levers and put the rods back on. The column has bushings at the bottom area that wear out.
Your "whine" may be a front bearing in the tranny. If it's noisey all the time, I'd suspect the tranny. If it appears as you let off the gas, it's rear wheel bearings or pinion bearings in the rear. There are parts everywhere for the tranny and rear as they used them both into the mid 70's on these trucks.
Barry
Your "whine" may be a front bearing in the tranny. If it's noisey all the time, I'd suspect the tranny. If it appears as you let off the gas, it's rear wheel bearings or pinion bearings in the rear. There are parts everywhere for the tranny and rear as they used them both into the mid 70's on these trucks.
Barry
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 957
Likes: 3
From: Winchendon MA
Block both side of the wheels. Open the hood. Grab the shift rods at the collum and push and pull untill its in neutral. You should see a sheet metal loop welded to the collum and holes in the shifter tabs. With trans in nueral you should be able to slide a 1/8 drill bit throught the loops and tabs. if not the rods are.
1) out of adjustment.
2) the rubber and brass bushings in the arms are shoot.
It's more then likely both 1 and 2.
If you replace the bushings do all 4.
with the drill bit in the loops slide under the truck and pull the clips holding the rods to the trans move the trans arms in to a gear then pop them back in to nuetral ( hit with fist) let them SNAP in to place then adjust the rods so they slide in with out having to move the arms.
44Dwarf
PS: The loops can be used as a ANTI - theft device.
1) out of adjustment.
2) the rubber and brass bushings in the arms are shoot.
It's more then likely both 1 and 2.
If you replace the bushings do all 4.
with the drill bit in the loops slide under the truck and pull the clips holding the rods to the trans move the trans arms in to a gear then pop them back in to nuetral ( hit with fist) let them SNAP in to place then adjust the rods so they slide in with out having to move the arms.
44Dwarf
PS: The loops can be used as a ANTI - theft device.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
From: Texas
Its broke.
it could be a little contamination on the shifter fork inside, or it could be terminal.
You might try jacking up the back axle to release any binding from the drive line and see if you can free the arm with a rubber mallet. Make Positive that the other arm is in neutral first. If it comes free, it may be ok, and just, well, stuck. lack of oil or deposits on the shaft, or some some slack in the shift linkage causing it to try to get into 2 gears at once might have bound it up. Chainge the oil, and inspect the old stuff for sludge and metal chunks
If it doesn't come free, replace it. these 3speeds are common enough that a junkyard special will be cheaper than rebuilding the one you have.
it could be a little contamination on the shifter fork inside, or it could be terminal.
You might try jacking up the back axle to release any binding from the drive line and see if you can free the arm with a rubber mallet. Make Positive that the other arm is in neutral first. If it comes free, it may be ok, and just, well, stuck. lack of oil or deposits on the shaft, or some some slack in the shift linkage causing it to try to get into 2 gears at once might have bound it up. Chainge the oil, and inspect the old stuff for sludge and metal chunks
If it doesn't come free, replace it. these 3speeds are common enough that a junkyard special will be cheaper than rebuilding the one you have.
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 27
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From: Central Texas
It Works! After reading all posts I checked linkage again. I NOW know that the lever on the side of the transmission wouldn't move because the other one wasn't in neutral. Turns out it is missing bushings on the trans. end. I put a couple of extra washers on it until I can find the correct bushings. Seems to be working good now.
Now, if I can just get my speedometer to work......
Thanks for all replys!
Now, if I can just get my speedometer to work......
Thanks for all replys!
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 233
Likes: 0
Sounds like the same problem and solution that my 64 had.Your speedo problem is more than likely the cable but,could be the speedo,the gear that goes on the end of the cable,or gear in the tranny that drives the cable.
Brian
Brian
