arroyojim

... started having a little bit of trouble getting into gear a few weeks ago, then it got better, now it is shot. can't get in gear at all with engine running. made mistake of putting it in gear with engine off then tried to start it (with clutch all the way in of coarse) and it moved the truck. so the tranny is not disengaging from the engine? can anyone help me out here? my fix-it book doesn't give much info on this.

LITTLE B

do you have a good pedal mine did the same thing except i didnt have a pedal and it was slave master cylinder.or it could be the slave cylinder its self

Box5

If the tranny engages with the pedal pressed, it's either ur clutch (release bearing, pressure plate etc.), or the master/slave.

arroyojim

sorry, what do you mean by "good pedal"? i will have to read up on the clutch cylinder. not sure how to diagnose this one...

arroyojim

thnx box5. is there a test to see which one?

Box5

sure, look under the trans on the driver's side and u'll see the slave cylinder attatched to the trans with 2 nuts. Take it off and pull the slave out and pump the rod by hand. Make sure the clutch master resovoir is full with fluid (it's right above the steering column in the engine bay). The slave could have a leak that caused u to gradually loose the feel of the shifts. Can u get the clutch to disengage at all anytime? I honestly think it's ur master/slave, because the pressure plate should still let the trans free if ur slave is working like it should.

Southbend has a very good master/slave for $270 shipped, it's a very easy part to replace, so don't pay someone else to do the work.

arroyojim

ok, i read up on it and the only part i still don't get is what i'm looking for to see if the hydraulics are working. do i have someone step on the clutch and look to make sure the rod is extending? i checked the fluid level and it is good.

arroyojim

i've been doing some more research on this (http://www.quad4x4.com/NV4500FAQ.htm#what) and i now suspect failure of my pilot bearing. one thing i didn't mention before is that when this first started acting up was just after hitting a big bunch of pot holes while driving a dirt road. it was dark and i didn't see them in time and ended up braking pretty hard over the potholes and this caused some pretty severe shaking. i had to try a few times to get it into gear at all, and once i did, everything seemed fine again (although i was sure it wasn't, just wanted to make it home). about 50-75 miles later is when it totally failed and there was no getting it into gear, so had it towed the rest of the way home. i am going to check my transmission mount now, but if it has been damaged, would that account for the clutch not disengaging?

arroyojim

ok, here's another update. now that it has stopped snowing, i got under the truck and found that the tranny mount does have some cracks and damage. it does not however seem to be allowing excess movement of the tranny. i tried moving it with a large pry-bar and there wasn't much movement, but i don't really know how much is too much. i also found that the clutch slave cylinder wiggles around. the mounting bolts and plate are tight, but the cylinder itself has some play. i imagine this is not supposed to happen. i'm stuck though on what to do next though. do i remove the slave cyl. and check to see if it is working?

Box5

the slave does have alittle wiggle to it even when the bolts are tight, thats how they come brand new. I think u might have done some internal damage or somthing when u hit those potholes. You could have shook the shift rail loose or done somthing like that. But still the clutch should release the trans.

arroyojim

what's a shift rail? is that an internal transmission thing? not sure how to figure out what the problem is. any help greatly appreciated.

Haulin_in_Dixie

the problem as discribed should be a frozen pilot bearing which is common for the nv4500. The other thing that does do much the same is the center of the clutch disk breaking up. Either way the trans has to come out.

arroyojim

i was afraid of that. anyone know a good tranny shop in/around Boulder/Denver?