So the other day I lost 1st and second gear for a while. Could only start in 3rd, and could use 4th and 5th. After a while of driving I had to come to a stop and put in in 1st and a gear engaged, although it was not first but second. I put it in second and I get the same gear. Try to put it into 3,4 or 5 and I get a drag as if I'm pressing the breaks.

After a while of 2nd I managed to get it into 3-5 with much fiddling of the stick (no Idea if the fiddling is what did it though). So today I start her up and put it in 1st and I have a forward gear, but I think it was second. Put it in second and I get a noise that I can only describe as a higher pitched rattle. I then put it into 1st again and I get no gear and that rattle. I get all other gears work fine but are a little hard to engage as they always have.

For a little more history on the trans it has been having trouble going into 1st and 2nd unless I match the rev's of the engine when downshifting, and often won't go in if the truck is not moving. I'm assuming that may be the slave cylinder, but it seems odd that it only happens in second and first.

I'm stumped on what it might be. The truck is a 1995 F-150 with a 351w 4x4. Some of my buddies suggested the fork broke, but in such case I would not be able to engage it at all would I? He also suggested that a pin broke off and I have no idea what that is. Another guy suggested I have a bad syncro, and these guys one is a drag racer of 10+ years and the other is the most knowledgeable ford guy probably in the province.

Thanks for reading this I know it's long.

 

Pull the top off the trans and look?

 

Well I have pulled the top and I don't see anything that would be causing my problems. But I have found a metal shaving and a few finer ones.
I found it in the plastic tray which I assume brings lube to the top of the tranny. I have no idea where it's from.

At first I though I didn't see the first and second gear movement of the fork but I tried again and again and it works properly.
And yes I know I got a little dirt in there. It will be cleaned as soon as the truck is drivable.

 

Nobody have any ideas? If not I guess I'll take this to the 87-96 forum.

 

Does the stick move the forks? There are parts in the pivot mechanism that can wear.

Difficulty going into first would be somewhat normal. Second should be easy, but still, rev matching helps.

That piece of metal is a head scratcher. Can you see down into the bottom of the trans, maybe stick a magnet or grabber in there, see if you can find any more stuff like that?

Sorry the answer isn't popping up here.

 

The forks move correctly. The only place I can see that that metal could have come off of is the forks, but I'm not sure how that could happen. I stuck a magned down there and I did get about a teaspoon or metal shards and one about 1/8" by 1/16".

The smaller shavings I attribute to my 2nd gear issue where sometimes on the downshift 2nd gear will grind. Bad syncro maybe?
I think the key to this diagnosis probably lies in the rattle when I put it in 1 or 2 and they don't engage.
Sorry If I sounded rude in my previous post, it wasn't my intention.

 

Check the rear shift fork, it could be loose on the rail inside the cover.

There is a roll pin in the fork that keeps it from sliding on the rail, I have seen them shear.


Also check for wear on the tips of the forks, make sure the move the ring in the trans.

 

So I just got a chance to look at it. The roll pin is fine. There is some wear on the forks, so I guess I will check into that further. I should mentions that my fluid looks a little burnt also.

And on another note, what could cause the trans to be hard to put into gear. Sometimes it won't go into 1, 2, 3 when stopped but it will go into 4 then from there if I shift really quick through each gear down I can get into first. This problem was real bad when I had a high idle issue, and now I still idle kind of high 1000-1500rpm. Would that be the problem or could there be some other issue.

EDIT: Well I have now checked the forks and can say that they are certainly the problem. The 1-2 fork is EXTREMELY worn. So that is certainly where the metal came from. Now I'm scared I got a few metal chunks around in there. So I'm going to take a while with a magnet in there and change the fluid twice maybe to get all the little bits of dirt and metal out of there.

Thanks for the help guys!