No reverse or first gear

[falconvan]

I just finished putting in a 1950 Plymouth 3speed trans and I have no reverse or first gear. I tried adjusting the rod with no luck. A couple questions: 

1) the selector arm on the trans be moving toward the front of the trans when selecting reverse/first, correct?

 

2) should the selector arm have and kind of resistance or spring when moving it? Mine moves back and forth really easy, almost like it’s not connected to anything inside the trans. I’m wondering if something come loose or broke inside. 
 

Any help is most welcome!

[Plymouthy Adams]

you did not reverse the linkage..not eve sure if you could but at the minute need to throw that out there...my 54 is a slush-o-matic...I'm a shiftless bastard...

[falconvan]

Lol! I feel pretty shiftless myself right now. No, they’re in the right spot. No matter which way I move the selector arm I still only get 2nd and 3rd year. And like I said, the selector arm swings back and forth with almost no resistance. What does this arm connect to inside of the trans? I’ve got a manual but it doesn’t have an exploded view.

[Eneto-55]

You probably have the same manual information, but here's what mine says:

1) selector rod is adjusted too long

2) loose fork or shifter rail may cause hard shifting

3) "gear butting" - leading edges or bevels of the gears have become flattened due to someone having banged the gears a lot

4) a tight idler gear due to damaged roller bearings

 

Edit to add: I assume that you went through putting the trannie in each gear before you installed it, so of this list, only the first is left.

 

2nd edit: I tried to send a scan of pg 170 from my manual.  Hope it gets to you, not too large, etc.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Eneto-55

[pflaming]

Mine had hard dirt. Once removed all again worked fine. No adjustment required.  Also,, the shift handle at the top, held by two screws, MUST be secure, zero movement. Good luck! 

[DJ194950]

Remove the 3/4" plug nuts at the front drivers side of the trans, positioned as upper and lower.  Is there a ball bearing under each with a spring just under the nut?   Should be both in each, ball in first then spring. Without either the shifter arms will not move as intended. I opened these up on one 3 spd. Mopar trans I had and one ball was smaller than the other (wrong) and a very short length of spring ( again wrong).!!

Would never work correctly.

 

Just one more possibility?

 

DJ

[falconvan]

Thanks! And thanks Enito for sending me an exploded view of the trans. Actually I found it in my manual, too. Judging from the picture it feels  like the cam on the back of the selector arm either broke or came off. You can feel it’s not engaging in the R/Low shift fork; it just flops back and forth with one finger. Guess I need to pull it out and see what the story Is. Picture is upside down for some reason.

Edited May 9, 2020 by falconvan

[pflaming]

That I believe is the selector arm,  press it on both ends, one end is spring loaded, you have to over ride that spring, not difficult to do. 
 

 

[falconvan]

That’s what I thought. No spring action; just flops back and forth. 

[pflaming]

Use the long ago TV fix technique, tap on it, the innards may be stuck from longtime non use. 

[dpollo]

you can remove the side cover without having to remove the transmission

[falconvan]

So I pulled the side cover but couldn’t really see in there laying on my back so I went ahead and pulled the trans. I’m glad I did. The problem with the shifter was the selector cam not lined up right in the fork. Looks like someone pulled the cover and didn’t put it back on with both forks in the neutral position. So all the gears work now but I noticed a noise in the front when spinning the input shaft. Don’t think I would have made it very far like this.

Edited May 10, 2020 by falconvan

[Plymouthy Adams]

oh yeah...the disintegrated cage....I haven't seen anything like this since   YESTERDAY when I had to rebuild a mower hub.....they notorious for this...

[falconvan]

Hopefully I can get by with bearings and gaskets. Gears look good and everything seems to move easy.

[Sam Buchanan]

2 hours ago, falconvan said:

So I pulled the side cover but couldn’t really see in there laying on my back so I went ahead and pulled the trans. I’m glad I did. The problem with the shifter was the selector cam not lined up right in the fork. Looks like someone pulled the cover and didn’t put it back on with both forks in the neutral position. So all the gears work now but I noticed a noise in the front when spinning the input shaft. Don’t think I would have made it very far like this.

 

"Houston....we've had a problem."

 

The person who goofed up the shift fork installation did you a favor.....  ?

 

Make sure the bearing retainer is well sealed when you put it back together, that is a prime location for leaks. You might also see if you need to modify the retainer for proper oil return:

 

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Sam Buchanan

[falconvan]

Yep, all that shredded metal was blocking the oil return hole. If I had drove it any distance it probably would have self destructed pretty quick.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Shredded metal isn't a good thing in your transmission.

[falconvan]

Anyone ever changed that bearing; is it pressed on?

[Dartgame]

It should slide off - I recall there might be a split retainer ring to hold it on the pinion shaft. good thing you found that nasty bearing !

Edited May 10, 2020 by Dartgame

[falconvan]

Yep, took a little heat and persuasion but it came off. Guess I need to pull it all the way apart and make sure there’s no more bearing laying in the bottom of the case. Guess I’ll be calling Andy tomorrow.

[Dartgame]

I used an outfit called northwest transmission parts located in Winchester Ohio for rebuild parts...

[falconvan]

Thanks, Looks like all I need is the bearing and gaskets; everything else was in good shape. Ordered them from Old Moparts today.

[keithb7]

You're this far in....Have you thought about doing up that tranny right?  It'll serve you a long time if you do.  It's not difficult to pull apart. A new small parts kit and output bearing too, is a good thing. If that input bearing is any indication, the rear is likely not far behind in wear. There are plenty of members here ready to help walk you through it. Happy to answer any questions.

Edited May 11, 2020 by keithb7

[falconvan]

I thought about it but I couldn’t get the rear nut off. I had an impact on it with the air turned all the way up but no luck. So I just flushed out the case. Everything else sounds good so I’m going to try it with the front bearing and gaskets. 
But thanks, I do appreciate the offer.

Edited May 11, 2020 by falconvan

[Eneto-55]

1 hour ago, falconvan said:

I thought about it but I couldn’t get the rear nut off. I had an impact on it with the air turned all the way up but no luck. So I just flushed out the case. Everything else sounds good so I’m going to try it with the front bearing and gaskets. 
But thanks, I do appreciate the offer.

If I remember right, the manual says to loosen that nut by locking the hand brake, but you have to know ahead of time that you are going to go into the trannie before you pull it, and the manual was also written for mechanics working on these cars when they were only a few years old.