not stumped yet .. but

[fmichaels]

okay, so i did a dry fit on the trans tonight and all the gears shift nicely ... except reverse. if i remove the reverse selector detent plug at the top of the remote control, it shifts easily into reverse. everything looks like its installed correctly, but as soon as i screw the detect plug in, reverse is not possible.
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i am only about an hour into this problem so i figured i'd let the forum offer some thoughts.
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by the way, the trans works great (except for reverse) i'm syched! ... the laygear was a little tricky but eventually i got it.

 

[healeyboz]

Did better than I did. When I installed all of the gears the synchros where too aggressive and something was misaligned so it ticked when I turned the shaft!! All is well now though.

 

[fmichaels]

these trannies are noisy not matter what ... nothing worked well one the first try, it took some "jiggling" of the gears and syncros to get everything aligned .. then it sang! ... but all is lost if i can't get reverse. it's probably something simple .. always is!

 

[spritenut]

"but as soon as i screw the detect plug in, reverse is not possible."

There is a plunger on the right side of the remote.
Oil it up and work the shifter sideways into the reverse position. That plunger often gets stuck.
This is NOT a screwed in plug but a spring loaded plunger.
You can see it but it's a bit recess I think.

 

[fmichaels]

i know which plunger you're talking about. i lubbed it with assembly lub and it's free ... but i will check it again .. so the detent ball is there to make sure that reverse isn't easily shifted into (i.e., accidentally shifted instead of 4th gear). could it be that reverse is so hard to get that without installing the trans in the car(rigid mount) that i won't get it. i was shifting this on the basement floor. maybe it's okay once installed
. wasn't there a previous post where some said they just got their trans back and couldn't get reverse?

 

[fmichaels]

i had to bring this back up top to ask the question again and perhaps request the person most likely to know the answer. who on this forum has the most expertise with the ribcage tranny?
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i spent some time going over the remote control housing and the shifter and everything is correct. i even took the shifter off my 65 sprite with no change.
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with the detent plunger loose, reverse is easy. with the plunger fully inserted, reverse is not possible. i tried another remote housing with the same results.
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this is kicking my butt! everything is free and everything is lubbed. i even clamped the housing down on my bench and still couldn't shift into reverse. oh by the way, the remote control housing wasn't even mounted to the trans while i was doing this. wow! this is crazy!

 

[bugimike]

This is one of the balls inserted from the bottom side of the tranny, correct? The one with the long spring and plunger? If so, you may not have it seated correctly as it must fit in the gallery between the two rods and must be inserted before the 3rd and 4th gear rod is inserted (ie between the rods) then the reverse gear rod is inserted and then the reverse plunger is inserted. I had to go through this routine 3 times on my first gearbox before I finally got it right. Unfortunately one must tear everything back down to the point where the shift rod insertion sequence begins to correct the problem! Patience and good luck!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbsup.gif

 

[fmichaels]

actually this is the plunger that goes into the remote control housing right next to the shifter. it's inserted horizontally with a spring and ball. it sits against a spring loaded plunger and prevents the driver from shifting too easily into reverse gear.
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one thing i want to check is the detent plunger itself. there is a locating pin that keeps this plunger in the right position and that pin is installed, but i want to make sure the plunger isn't spun around and backwards.
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the transmission itself is fine and all gears work great. all of the anti-rattle balls and plungers are installed and fine.

 

[bugimike]

That is odd!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazyeyes.gif

 

[fmichaels]

yes, and the more i look for details on these babies the less i find. i even searched the forum with no luck. that's why i think it's something simple or straightforward that i'm missing. i need to check that plunger though!

 

[bugimike]

Is it possible the spring in the plunger is binding/bent up and not compressing into the detent plug? The fault could also lie in the reverse selector plunger, spring and locating pin! Something there could be binding, or the rear selector lever is not situated properly.

 

[zimmy]

my car sticks in neutral!
figure that one out.....
ive rebuilt it already,
guess ill b going back in soon....

u should be able to shift all gears
without installing the tranny....z

 

[fmichaels]

i agree ... oh well, i guess i have to go back and retrace some steps.

 

[Bruce_B]

Fred,
Good luck finding your problem. To me the word "Tranny" is French for DON'T TOUCH.

One of these days I'm sure I'll be needing to do a rebuild. In the meantime I just read all that I can about you guys in the 'Advanced" Auto Mechanic School working your skills.

 

[fmichaels]

overall it wasn't that bad to rebuild. i had to deal with the syncro ball and springs, and the laygear gave me some momentary grief, but other than that, it was fairly straightforward. this issue with the remote control housing and reverse is probably something fairly simple that i'm missing. the box looks good and works great. if i can get this reverse thing figured out, i will have a nice new fresh tranny to install.
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i can tell you that after this, there won't be much i don't know about these babies. i am considering rebuilding one of my other spares while the knowledge is fresh.

 

[bugimike]

Trial and error, trail and error...it works or it doesn't...then you try again! All part of the learning curve!

 

[fmichaels]

zimmy, i wouldn't want to guess too much on what your problem is with neutral, but i would offer that any wear on the gears and cones could be causing the gears to bind in certain spots. i replaced 1st gear, laygear, and reverse gear. all other gears including syncro rings were left as is. i also disassembled the entire mainshaft so that there was no doubt that the mainshaft was completely inspected. there is still wear inside the box but nothing that would keep it from working.
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i would also check the remote housing as well. with the housing removed from the tranny, check for free movement of the shifter and clean out all the detent and anti-rattle plugs.

 

[bugimike]

I would guess if it is sticking in neutral that the problem lies in the selector shaft detent balls jamming up somewhere though I am not too familiar with the Spitget tranny!

 

[bugimike]

overall it wasn't that bad to rebuild. i had to deal with the syncro ball and springs, and the laygear gave me some momentary grief, but other than that, it was fairly straightforward. this issue with the remote control housing and reverse is probably something fairly simple that i'm missing. the box looks good and works great. if i can get this reverse thing figured out, i will have a nice new fresh tranny to install.
I can tell you that after this, there won't be much I don't know about these babies. i am considering rebuilding one of my other spares while the knowledge is fresh.

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That is a good idea "while it is fresh". I redid this some time ago and memory fades and you have to learn all over again!

 

[fmichaels]

in my case, i had all the plungers removed. some of them were stuck in the chamber and wouldn't come out. i had the housing washed and cleaned and then went through each access hole with a drill by hand to clean the chambers out. i replaced all plungers and balls per the manual and made sure they were free to move.