Ok, I have an 88 F150 Custom with a 300 I6 and a 5 speed Mazda tranny...I was driving home from work one night in April, going down the road doing the speed limit, and I felt a little shudder...Needless to say, I lost reverse and all forward gears except 4th. I was able to drive it to my parents the next morning in 4th shifting the transfer from low to high. When it idles, it makes kind of a whiny screeching sound in all the dead gears including nuetral. When I sit there and put it in first it acts like it wants to go forward, I can feel just a slight pull and then it gives way to the whine and goes nowhere...I read earlier in the posts that there is a little nylon ball on the end of the shifter. Could this be the problem? I can figure how to replace it, since I just did a ranger with what sounds like the same kind of shift mechanism...I need to fix it soon as I'm looking at putting a plow on it for the winter, but I don't really want to spend $800 for a used trans if I don't need to. If there is something totally screwy in there, how easy is it to rebuild? How easy is it to get a rebuild kit? Like I said, the way it sounds in other posts, the problem with the shifter sounds like a good place to start....Any ideas, suggestions? Thanks in advance...

 

I would say that being you only have 4th gear left,which is when the entire main shaft is coupled(1:1 ratio),the problem lies with the input shaft gear and/or the countershaft gear.Apperantly,one of these gears is just freewheeling around the shaft it is fixed to.I just can't imagine 3 sets of synchro's going out at one time.If it were the shift lever,you would be stuck in a gear or not able to shift into a gear because of the sloppiness.
Phillip

 

Well....it isn't easy shifting into these gears either....I will check the shifter just to make sure...it's an easy enough task, and would beat pulling the trans if it's possible that was the problem.I am considering throwing an automatic in there also....my concern is the shifter....would it be easy enough to put a B&M or Hurst floor shifter in there and make it work? It's going to earn it's keep this winter as a plow truck, so I don't much care how it looks, so long as it gets the job done....Thanks

 

Well, I'm looking at a C-6 out of an 89 Bronco with 68000 miles....for $250 that would include the torque converter and a flywheel...My question is this, the yard said it looked like it would bolt up to my transfer case...not sure of the model, but I believe it is a Borg Warner...anyone know if it does for certain? I don't want to have to buy a transfer and replace a perfectly good one...I also need to look at getting the kickdown linkage....Chilton calls this the Throttle Valve cable....correct? I've only owned one Automatic in my life....that had a solid bar that was bent down to the tranny....Has anyone done this before? I need some pointers before I jump into this thing....thanks