OK, in the view on the left the transmission is in Neutral. There are 3 rods which slide forward and back. Each rod has a fork on it and the fork is in the gear synchronizers. Also attached to each rod is a slot and the 3 slots are arranged side by side which is what is shown above.

The end of the shifter tang is depicted by the red rectangle in the middle. It is in between 2 spring loaded buttons which hold it in the middle. To shift into 1st gear the shifter tang moves to the right,against the spring and back (the opposite of how you move the ball). To go to second you move the shifter tang straight forward.

If the tang or the slots get worn excessively the tang may slip sideways on the 2/3 shift before the 1/2 fork has moved completely into neutral. Because there is another mechanism (not shown) which prevents the transmission from going into 2 gears at once the shifter tang cannot move either of the other two forks until the 1/2 fork is back in neutral. Because the synchronizers (I think) have a detent which holds it in gear it will slide the 1/2 fork fully back into 2nd. Then the tang is blocked from getting back into the 1/2 fork and cannot move the other forks because of the blocking mechanism. This situation is depected in the view on the right.

 

Should one have the misfortune to be stuck in second gear, how would one go about getting un-stuck??

Possibly have to pull the top plate??

 

That's what mine does! I can actually get mine back into second if it comes out now, it takes some finess but it will go back in the way it came out. You can also pull the shift lever out and pop the truck back into neutral with a screwdriver, at least on my truck. I want to fix this badly though, not good for shifting at the track!

 

Sometimes, if you remove both boots (floor and shifter) and then take out the 2 screw pins on the tower that go into the slots in the shifter pivot ball this will allow you to rotate the stick and thus the shifter tang such that you gan get the tang back over in the 1/2 slot. Then you can pull it out of 2nd gear back to neutral. then turn the shifter back straight and re-assemble everything.

If that fails, as it did on mine, you can completely remove the shifter by removing the expansion ring. The shifter should then pop up and out. Then you get a big long screwdriver in there and realign the slots in neutral and reassemble.

The permanent fix of course is to replace the worn parts. I think I saw a rebuilt transmission top assembly somewhere but I didn't bookmark it.

Edwin

 

The shifter forks are arranged in the top cover to clear each other.
1/2 fork reaches across one shift fork rod to engage the 1/2 synchronizer slider; it has a hole bored in it to clear the shift rod it reaches across. The hole looks like it should be bushed but mine wasn't.
The weight of the 1/2 shift fork hangs off center, letting the fork drag on the slider. The wear was so bad in mine that the fork sagged sideways enough to open the gap in the gates at the shift lever, allowing the end of the shift lever to engage the 3/4 gate when I tried to shift into first or second. The interlock prevented the shifter from going into any gear.
The other forks are more balanced so they don't drag off center the way 1/2 does.
Pulling the cover was a whole lot easier than pulling the transmission and setting up the bearings, but I have a removable floor hump in my truck, so I don't have to pull the transmission out to take the cover off.
To me, the right fix is to replace the 1/2 shift fork, polish the synchronizer slider surface so it doesn't chew up the new fork, make sure the main shaft bearing preloads are right (see previous threads), and use the right oil in the transmission (see sticky). If I can't get a few hundred thousand miles out of that repair, I'll do something different like lining the shifter forks slide surface with something besides aluminum.
I have talked to a drivetrain company that told me they had rebuilt top covers; PM me and I'll send you the link. I don't benefit financially from referring any customers to them, they are simply where I got my parts from.

 

This is new information to me. It also points to a possible fix for these problems which seem to be popping up on this list more lately.

If we pull the top of the trans off and replace the 1/2 shift fork then we tighten up the gate (what I called the slots) which prevents the shifter from getting in between.

It looks like the cost of a new fork is about $65.

Edwin

 

Nice work, Edwin. It's going in the sticky.

 

Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. This is quite an honor.

Edwin

 

hey guys i was hopin one of u can tell me what the ratios are in the getrag? mostly what OD is so i can figure out sum tire/gearing combos.

thanks-karl

 

0.77 over(5th)

 

I've had the problem where the roll pin that holds the shift fork to the rod on which it slides broke. I had no 1st and 2nd with a 6,000 pound trailer. thank cummins for torque.

the fix was to drop the trans pull the top replace the old one and reinstall. (wish it had a a tunnel cover like the 70's dodges did)

 

I made a tunnel access cover for my 90 and 92 trucks by cutting a large hole in the tunnel with a saber saw. To reinstall, I made a simple flange from sheet metal pieces around the edge of the cutout and fastened with sheet metal screws. It allows easy access to the top of the transmission and once buttoned up you'd never know it was there.

 

most of the time guys from what i have found when these get stuck in gear its the darn rollpins that get stuck in the case and wont come out so instead of paying thousands of dollars for a rebuild that you dont need (but may want) its just a 30cent roll pin

 

An old trick from the old tractor camp for a sticking-in-gear situation is to pull the lever, build it up with a welder, and grind it back square.

 

So does anybody have a pic of a good/new shift lever, the bottom part?