hi all: need a hand here again.my 3 speed on the tree won't go into gear.i move the shifter and nothing is their.i remember many years ago that a guy moved the shafts to the trans to get it aligned up but that's it.can someone explain how to get back things to normal.it was perfect awhile back and i had no problems before.very frustrated here.please explain in depth if you can.not to mechinical.thanks again all........

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 08-Jan-03 AT 01:03 AM (EST)]First of all, you need a shop manual. Factory is best, Haynes/Chilton will help for $18. Next, I don't remember exactly, but what I do know is it should be fairly easy. There are two shifting arms with slotted adjustment holes that stick out of the transmission. Both have three positions. When they are both in the middle, you are in neutral. Only one moves from its neutral position at a time, while the other selects a gear. I would say to get under there, loosen the shift rods from the arms on the transmission, make sure the trans is in neutral, make sure the shifter is too (maybe have someone hold it in the proper position) and go from there. There is also a possibility that you have a broken body mount or something that is allowing the relationship of the column and transmission to change and making your linkage bind. It's hard to say for sure.

EDIT: If you have a few extra bucks, it might be a great time to install a floor shifter while you are underneath. The Mr. Gasket/Daytona shifter comes with everything you need. I'm not saying its the best quality, but it will work. They are about $55 at most stores, and even from Summit and JC Whitney, but I have found that at every O'Reilly auto parts store I've checked, they are $44.99, making that one of maybe three things that are not more expensive there than everywhere else......

 

My Haynes manual shows an indexing hole located in each of the shift arms sticking out from the steering column. Use a small drill bit/nail to index the column and then drop down and make your adjustments to the linkage. My 79 gives me fits, but's it's from the shift tube within the steering column. It just binds up, especially in cold weather. I'm looking to go to a floor shift. Good luck !:-)

 

Joe,
You didn't say what year your "Three in the Tree" was.
1. Open the Hood
2. Have a friend get in the cab.
3. With the motor off. Have your friend shift from gear to gear.
Do you see the shift rods moving? No you don't.
4. Push one of the rods forward or backwards. When you feel it click your in gear. Start the vehicle and determine what gear your in. Do it with the other rod until you understand what the rods do. After this determine why the shifter is not moving the rods. This shouldn't take long.
Good Luck, Tel us what you find
KingFisher

 

he said it wont go into gear, I had the same problem in my 77 F-100, I fixed it knowing nothing about it. I looked at my moms truck a 74 F-100 and just set them in the same position as my moms, very simple. Also you might be able to see where they use to be and where they are now, just push the bolts back up or down the sloted arm. Good luck.

 

It could actually be more complicated than what is above, there is a reason your tranny isn't shifting, either b/c the likage has come loose and fallen off, or your cab mounts are rotten and your cab is sinking causing your linkage to bind. I have had the EXACT same problem that you describe w/my 78' super cab, I replaced the cab mounts and the shifting instantly went back to smooth operation. I however did decide to go w/a hurst shifter on the floor. I highly recommend the hurst over the mr. gasket, the quality is far superior. I have pictures of all the shift positions, and pictures of the new shifter installed. If you think that maybe your cab mounts are bad or need help w/a new shifter, let me know, I can help you out. If it's just your linkage has become loose then it's just a matter of hooking it back up. Good Luck!!

Mike