Shiftin' problems

[theogre5150]

If I'm sitting in the driveway with the engine off, I can shift though the gears with no problem. However, when I get on the road, I am having problems shifting gears in Big Bird. This truck has sat for a while and I am fine tuning some of the issues. When I do get it in to gear, it reminds me of driving my grandfathers F600. You gotta PUT that thing into each gear. That was hard to do when I was 8 years old but a very cool truck to learn on. Should I change out my gear oil?

[Blue Cloud]

Changing the gear oil on a truck that has sat for awhile is always a good idea.(rearend too) Have you checked the clutch adjustment?

[theogre5150]

Sure haven't. I'll be going home tomorrow so I check that out.

[flyboy2610]

Check your motor and tranny mounts, too. It may be that the engine is shifting around just enough to cause problems.

[Jake11]

The 3 on tree was fussy about being adjusted just right.

[Leadfoot]

well if its not gear oil, its likely a drivers cab mount going bad, causing the linkage to jam. it is 3 on the tree?

[AlleyCat]

You said it shifts fine with the engine off but the problem occurs when you are moving.Does it grind when you shift into reverse? If it does this is an indicater of a clutch problem.It may be as simple as adjusting the free travel which should be about 1". Since the truck has been sitting the clutch disc may be binding on the trans input shaft from rust.Hope this helps.

[theogre5150]

I drove the truck to the gas station today. I got out of my driveway and headed up the road. I was not able to change gears. I had moved the shifter to try to get in in 2nd. It would not even go back in to 1st. The funny thing is that it was still in gear even though my shifter was in the neutral position. I drove it back to my house, turned it off and had to pull on the linkage to get it to move. This worked but you can definately feel a metal to metal somewhere. Very hard to shift.

[FORDification]

If it's a 3-on-the-tree, it sounds like your column is headed south. Sounds like the shifter and shifter bowl are moving but the shifter tube isn't. The shift tube has nubs welded on each end which engage the shifter bowl (at the top) and the shifter arms (at the bottom). These nubs tend to break off, which will make shifting very difficult. For some pics on the inside of your column, check out the following link:

http://www.fordification.com/3spd-column_01.htm

[theogre5150]

Thanks Keith. Yeah, it feels like it is in the column. Every time I shift, it feels like a strain on the column.