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Question about unsticking a stuck gearbox

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Roger_67MG

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Oh, I think I am in trouble! I have a 1967 Midget, 1275, and recently put the engine and gearbox back in the car. The gearbox used to shift (back in the day) but now it is apparently stuck in neutral.

Could it be that the clutch isn't releasing enough? I haven't finished bleeding the system. How about the shift mechanism jamming or some doo-dad coming loose?

Any ideas about how to solve this problem are welcome. It will be fairly easy to pull the thing out, but I would be happier to avoid that!

Thanks....
 
Hmm, very interesting link. I think we are going to be fiddling with the clutch in a little while. I'll report back on what we find out.

For what it is worth, the gearshift lever is not budging.

Thanks for the link!
 
I would expect the real problem is inside the tranny. We will see as this goes forward if my guess is correct.
 
jlaird said:
I would expect the real problem is inside the tranny. We will see as this goes forward if my guess is correct.
Click to expand...

Jeez Jack, if he could go forward, he wouldn't need any help from us! :banana:
 
Here's an update- My able assistant (that is, my very understanding wife) and I bled the last of the air out of the clutch hydraulics. I slid under the car and checked the action of the slave cylinder. All is well. The pedal even feels right.

Unfortunately, the shift mechanism is still in neutral and the stick won't budge.

Hot ideas are still welcome!
 
Yep, I believe you are right. The clutch works nicely. Of course, with all those nice new parts it should! :lol:

Anyway, my bet it is on the inside.

Well, I will look forward to any thoughts on this.
 
the bearings could be sticking at the shift rods....
did u rebuild the gearbox?
mine sticks in neutral sometimes....
its still a mystery to me ....
should shift freely without the clutch, btw ...z
 
No, I didn't work on the gearbox. In fact, because when I got it, the thing worked smoothly and there were no obvious problems, believe it or not. I suspect you are right about the sticking at the shift rods. I've been studying diagrams in my various books and I am thinking along those lines.

I am afraid the engine and 'box will probably have to come back out. This does not make me happy, but that looks like the way it is going to go.

I am wondering what happens if the gearbox is overfilled with oil for a few days to let things "soak." Could it loosen stuff up?
 
So the issue is you just can't move the stick, right? Is the anti rattle plunger thing still where it belongs where the stick attaches? I read (when researching my engine pull and gearbox swap done earlier this season) that it can sometimes fall in and muck up the works. At least you can take the stick out and see without pulling the motor.
 
Oh, yes, the car is a roller. The clutch mechanism even works. If fact, I have to adjust the brakes because the car rolls a little too well, if you know what I mean.
 
You are absolutely correct. The stick is stuck. Anti-rattle plunger...Hmmm. Yes, I believe it IS in there, but I will double check to be sure. I am going out to the garage shortly to see what is up.

Something running loose like that certainly could cause a problem. I do know that the spring and nylon insert immediately under the stick is in place nicely.

We may be onto something here.
 
I just checked the top end of the transmission, the area in and around where the shifter stick is located. All the parts are there. However, the reverse plunger seems to be frozen. I can't tell for sure it it is up or down, but this may have something to do with it.

Very strange. I'll report back whatever I find.
 
way back when had the same problem with a cortina I had I was getting ready to mount the tranny when a buddy of mine tried putting it thru the gears and it would not move. My uncle was there and pick it up and droped it from about 4 inchs on to a 2x6 laying on the floor. It put everthing back in it place!
something to do with the rods not in sync.
 
I have encountered this problem in the past, and it turned out to be a loose shift fork. This happened to me at work, so to get home, I jacked up the car, drained the tranny and then, with a screw driver, through the drain hole, I moved the offending, stuck, shift fork, re-filled the tranny and motored home where more thorough repairs were made to remedy the problem!
 
How forceful have you been thus far? If all else fails, I would get quite forceful before I pulled it all out, not much to lose really, right? Might just free up and work and save you the engine pull and gearbox tear down. Wonder if it'd make a difference if you tried it while rolling?
 
once i was stuck in reverse (for a change)
and got kinda mad and revved the car to about
2500 rpm or so with the clutch in for about 30
seconds, and it popped right out .. :wink:
u never know ....z
 
The Problem is Solved!!!! :cheers:

OK everybody, the problem is solved! And I must say that dropping the transmission 4" wasn't too far off. In fact, all the ideas that people sent in contributed to the solution. Here's the scoop:

After checking the shifter stick and the parts associated with it, such as the reverse lockout plunger, anti-rattle thingy, etc., I lubed up that assembly. I also replaced the cup and spring setup that the stick sits in.

I drained out the old oil and sludge (I had done this back when I removed the transmission originally, but goo and sludge on this car are just about as common as the rust was) and filled the gearbox with kerosene. My brother-in-law in Los Angeles used to flush these kinds of transmissions with diesel fuel, but I had kerosene handy and it was close enough. After a bit I drained out the kero.

I opened the side cover on the gearbox, which is a trick with the 'box in the car. Yeesh! Anyway, I checked the guts and cleaned some springs and plungers. Once that was done I closed up the whole show and filled the gearbox with nice fresh oil. Very yummy, apparently.

The mechanism was still stuck. About that time one of my friends, who heard of the situation, dropped by and cast a stony glance at the shifter and concluded that the rods from shifter to gearbox were being stubborn. We removed the stick, again, and he used a gigantic screwdriver as a lever and got the socket into which the end of the sifter stick goes to move a tiny bit toward reverse. He pushed it back a bit, and then shoved it back to reverse.

Meanwhile I gave the internal mechanism the Big Spray with WD40. Within a few minutes the shifter was moving in and out of reverse with no problems. I shot more WD40 onto the rod (which you can see with a flashlight) where it goes through a wall. A bit more encouragement with the screw driver was next. Then we fitted the shift lever back in place.

In a few more minutes were were shifting like we were at Le Mans. About this time my wife came to the garage to see what all the shouting was about, and the three of us took turns sitting in the car and operating the clutch and shifter.

Note to self: Buy seats soon.

And that is the story! It works!

I am pleased to say that the comments on the forum here were a <span style="font-weight: bold">big </span>help in getting this problem solved.

Many thanks to everyone!
:cheers:
 
Re: The Problem is Solved!!!! :cheers:

Roger_67MG said:
and the three of us took turns sitting in the car and operating the clutch and shifter.
Click to expand...

with or without vroom vroom noises? :driving:

congratulations!
 
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