my truck stuck in fifth gear yesterday and i cant get it out. when i went too slow down for a light i pulled down on the shifter and the shifter went to neutral but its still in 5th. also the shifter will move side to side but not all the way over to where 5th and reverse should be. I already know that its just that the detent in the top cover just allowed it to go too far because i had the exact same thing happen before when it stuck in 2nd about a year ago. i was able to just pull off the pto cover that time and push the fork back to neutral. can anyone please help me with pictures or instructions on removing the back cover (while transmission is in the truck) so i can push that fork back tto neutral. Ill check the 5th gear nut at the same time. but i really need the truck back on the road to drive to school and work. any help will be VERY GREATLY appreciated.

 

remove the d/shaft, mount, and extension housing. 5th gear will be right there

 

make sure you use 12 point sockets or you will strip the bolt heads

 

When this happened to mine what happened is it tried to shift into 5th and 3rd at the same time.
Just removing the boot and the top of the tranny from inside the cab made the problem very obvious to see and fix with the pop of a screwdriver.

 

I have done the same thing as Infidel. You can see the shift rails and detents and move them with a screwdriver to get to neutral and then replace the shifter.

 

you can do that sometimes had an 01 that hung because it got lugged down in 5th and they had to remove the rear of the tranny. lots of times these trannies will hang up because the oil is dirty and old.

 

the oil thats in it has only had about 10000 miles on it though. i took the shifter out and tried to push in the detent and push it back forward to neutral with a screwdriver but it wont move all the way to neutral. same thing if i try pushing the shift for forward with the rear cover off. I know its not engaging in two gears because the enter and passenger side sliders in the top cover are in neutral plus i was ableto still drive it home like that(which was hard with a 2 wheel drive truck having to stop and start for a few lights but luckily i was planning on replacing the clutch next weekend anyways). Also, if i end p replacing the top cover because its worn, would the top cover from a 98-02 5 spd work? id like to upgrade to that style top cover if i can so i can put a short shift kit on it

 

The top covers will interchange on all the NV4500HD transmissions, but first make sure the guides on the shift rails, in which the end of the shift lever rides, are not excessively worn. Same for the shifting forks and the guides in which they ride on the gear sets.

From your signature it sounds like you lean on the throttle from time to time. If so you are likely going to find that the fifth gear shaft is tweaked and will need to be replaced. When you do that, use one with the full spline that completely engages the corresponding inside spline of the gear itself, and that has the clip ahead of the nut to keep the gear from hammering the shaft nut off the threads.

 

When mine stuck in 5th gear, the nut had come off, and 5th gear slid too far back & hung up the shifter. You'll probably be able to fix your problem by pulling the tailshaft & putting the nut back on 5th. But check the easier options first. Good Luck.