<hr style="color: rgb(209, 209, 225); background-color: rgb(209, 209, 225);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> <!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_start --> <!-- END TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_start --> Posted this in the Trans section but wasnt getting any hits and Im kinda impatient, so I figured I would post it here too.

Had some problems with the trans in my pickup and Im trying to take off the top cover and take a look inside to see what the problems are.

I was driving the other day went to shift into second, shifter went down, let out the clutch and nothing. Wobbled the shifter around until I got it into a gear and limped it home.

I took the shifter when it was in neutral, and got all the bolts that hold the top cover out but it wont come off. Its loose and will wiggle around but I dont want to force it and mess it up.

What am I missing?

I was searching earlier and saw a thread on replacing the plugs that had a write up but now cant find it

 

by top cover do you mean the shift ball cover or the whole shift tower...you will never get the whole shift tower out with the tranny in unless you pull the interior appart and get the doghouse out...but the shift ball cover on the other hand, there are 3 small bolts?

remove the shifter first makes it easier...if you look at the bolt on the shifter take the nut completely off on the RIGHT side of the shifter then give the bolt head on the left side a twist in one direction or another and the bolt should pop out...goofy little design that people overlook...

once you get that off the cover should pull off over the shift ball/stem...it should be a little tight due to the rubber seal, then the ball will come out, check out the shift ball seats and see if they are even there at all...if not replace them...make sure the two pins that keep the ball straight are not worn down...other than that you cant really tell much though there

my guess is you have worn out shifter forks...that requires you to either pull the tranny or the seat and the floor (carpet or whatever you have) then the doghouse cover...

 

I have the ball out, and I also have the carpet pulled back and the have the piece that is bolted/glued to the floor of the cab off. Then I pulled out all the bolts that hold the cover on the trans and pulled off the electrical connector. It still wont come off

 

Try depressing the clutch pedal and then pulling up on the shift tower.

 

okay your pulling the whole tower through the cab...they can take some wiggling and adjusting and pulling, it will come eventually and once its out look at the shift forks and you will see why it is like it is to get out, and get back in, it will look like its going in crooked, let it, it will straighten out

i used a srewdriver to pry on it a bit...it should be able to wiggle and move enough to get some space between it and the tranny, just be carefull with that gasket thats in there

if im on the same page he is depressing the clutch pedal wont help...they are hard ot get out because of the way the shift forks are, its hard to eplain but one wraps around to one side and the other one goes to the other side so natually it wont want to come straight up and out it needs to be twisted, the clutch wont do anything here, or having it in any other gears, the forks are still in the collars either way, so the only thing you can do it twist and pull and play arounf with it, let it go the way it trys to and it should gome out, but dont force anything, pry very lightly up on the tower at the front of the tranny

you should get some pics if you can

 

Ok so I got it apart today, and it looks like the shift fork that is closer to the engine is shot.
Not really sure what its supposed to look like but it doesnt look right thats for sure



The gears inside are looking pretty good no excessive wear, and the teeth look good.
Fluid looks a bit low but I think the plugs that people talk about on here are the culprit.
Are they the ones here and on the other side?

 

Also, where can find some parts so I can put this thing back together?

 

look for tranny shops, you can get good forks from a junkyard...just make sure they arent bent...but yea, the front one is definately shot, if you can find a better one replace the rear one while youre there.

those plugs can be a problem yes, i had one blown out on me, used a coin and some silicon...problem solved, but if they are in there and visibly leaking just replace them

 

I must be blind, I don't see what y'all are talking about on the fork, it looks fine to me. What do your shift pins (inside the hole where the ball sits) look like? That is a much more common failure point on these transmissions than the forks.

FYI you can get an entire top cover with new forks on eBay usually.

The plugs are the three black plugs visible in your last picture. Get new ones from Ford and glue them back in with Permatex Ultra-Blue sealant.

 

Went to the Ford dealership and the forks and seals are discontinued.

I looked on ebay and found some forks, waiting to find out from the seller to see if theyre new or used. Also Im checking the tranny shops around here to see if any of them sell parts.
The junkyard here wont sell parts to transmissions just the whole thing and if Im gonna buy a whole trans I would just go with a ZF.

Could I just use some generic metal plugs to replace the rubber ones or do they have to be soft for some reason?

 

That fork is bad, same issue with my M5OD this summer had to drive 30km stuck in 2nd...
I'm gonna guess you've been having trouble getting it into first and second most of the time? Most people push too hard when down shifting and wear on the forks, it's generally not a problem but it seems that these transmission don't handle it as well.
Ford is lying to you when they say they no longer make them, casue they wanted to sell me a single fork for 160 bucks! So instead I went and got the whole transmission from a guy who has a junkyard of ford parts for 40 bucks and 40 bucks gas lol. I swapped the fork over and I also now have a spare tranny.

If you somehow manage to get a fork, you may find it interesting trying to get the one on there off.

 

look at the fork on the right in both pics, its warn right through...thats about what mine looked like when i changed em

actually when i did the shift forks in mine it was pretty easy...just watch out though, as you slide the shift rail out you might find that there are a few small metal ***** and springs that like to bombard you, they usually go for the eyes...dont lose them, thats what holds the damn thing in gear LOL

 

OK, now I see, I was looking at the good one. He said "closest to the engine", don't the rubber plugs go to the back? It's been about 15 years since I did the plug repair on my old '90 truck, I can't remember.

 

Ordered the forks today. Should be here middle of next week.
Does anyone know the size of the plugs I need? Im just gonna go to the local auto parts store and get some press in metal plugs but I dont have a set of calipers to measure the holes.

 

Any auto part store that carries Dorman products should have the expansion plugs or can order them.

Part number is 555-108.

Here are the specs.

https://www.dormanproducts.com/cgi-b...tegory_list=:0

Here are two links. One for RockAuto and the other for Summit Racing.


RockAuto Parts Catalog

Dorman 555-108 - Dorman Freeze Plugs - Overview - SummitRacing.com