ford 4500 transmission issue

[94porkchop]

ok some background. i was using my 72 4500 tlb. had a full load in front on a slight down hill. through it into neutral , come to a stop and see that going from 2nd to first is a little stiff. feel like i engaged in first and then move shifter to forward and nothing. move it into reverse nothing. so it's basically stuck in first gear but not all the way engaged. i can;t pull the shifter out of it.like it's jammed. any ideas? i just had the engine rebuilt and dropped way more $ into this old howe than she is worth. please help....:Banghead

 

[ManicACMechanic]

What kind of trans does that 4500 have? First check fluid.

 

[mitch504]

Most of these had a four speed w/ a power reverser. If so it will have no clutch pedal on the left, and a reverse lever by the steering wheel.

Are you talking about the 4-speed shifter between your legs being stuck? That is pretty common and no big deal. Just pull the top cover off of the transmission, line the shift forks back up in neutral, and put the cover back on. It has been at least 10 years since I have had one of those apart, but I remember they had the forks suspended from the sides, instead of on rails. It is pretty easy once you pull the cover off to see how it needs to go.

Good luck, and feel free to ask if you need more help,
Mitch

 

[94porkchop]

mitch, yes 4 speed shifter between my legs. pulled the cover and now have more questions. i see one shift rail that runs across the top of the tranny. shifter fork is almost near rear of tranny. how do i know the fork is in neutral? also the shift rail has a notch in it. should this notch be lined up with the area where the actual shifter pivet ball sits? is the rail even movable my manual means? ie: hammer with block of wood?

i admit the cause of all this was my own fault. i pulled a bolt on the side of the tranny thinkning it was a oil level check. turned out it was one of the bolts that held up the shifter pivot bracket. Removed bolt and inserted it into bracket the right way.

more questions. my tranny neutral switch wiring is butchered up bad. as only a means to diagnose the shifter issue-is there a way to bypass the switch? if i join the wires will it cancel the switch signal? also i can't tell if f/r lever is in neutral either.

iv'e had a bad weekend :O(

 

[mitch504]

i admit the cause of all this was my own fault. i pulled a bolt on the side of the tranny thinkning it was a oil level check. turned out it was one of the bolts that held up the shifter pivot bracket. :lmao:lmao

iv'e had a bad weekend :O(

Don't worry, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you. The first time I saw the inside of one of these things it was because I did exactly the same thing about 20 years ago.

I'm trying to remember now, it's been 6 or 8 years probably since I've seen the inside of one of these, but, here goes:
What you're calling a pivot is actually a piece that goes down and moves one of the two shift forks. It should be easy to move the rail with a big screwdriver. As long as the engine isn't running, it doesn't matter what position the f-r shifter is in, as it only moves a valve. On this subject, if you start the engine with the cover off, you will get a bath. To know if it is in neutral, you have to put the rail and the bracket in position where the shifter can move freely from one to the other. Keep in mind that the shifter moves the opposite way under the cover from the way it moves above it.

I'll try to remember to look in a book tomorrow so I can be more help if you need it.
Good luck,
Mitch

 

[94porkchop]

ok, so i tore it apart last night. one bad flashlight...and one lost spring. the one that is for the rail. doh! so i get it back together and i think i need the spring because it won;t come out of first gear, plus the fact that it seems my shifter plate is all chewed up. Might order up a new one, gasket and the spring.

BTW MITCH is the man. i used a large wrench to move one fork and then slowly everything popped into place.

i will jupdate once i get the new parts installed.

 

[94porkchop]

ok, for those who are interested. i pulled everthing back apart and and reinstalled with new spring on upper rail and gasket. To find neutral the upper rail has indents-3 of them gear, neutral ,gear-- slide it either all the way forward or backward and then count two indents. Drop in spring-done. NOw for the shifter itself...i should have taken a picture for others to see but my hands were covered in grease. The shifter from over usage had huge burrs. took a file to them, cleaned it up and a lot less effort needed to engage gears. oh btw Lower shifter bracket...same thing has three positions. Make sure bracket is in the middle. Drop everything back in and voila!

 

[willie59]

Don't worry, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you.

Pfffttttttt, don't believe that BS porkchop, Mitch is the original Despicable Me!