4 speed shifting .... how's it supposed to "feel" (1 Viewer)

[fyton2v]

The only 40 I've ever driven is mine. The clutch was replaced during my restore. The clutch feels good. Shifting is a little rougher than other manuals that i've driven in the past. They were all newer cars though. It goes into 1st and 2nd pretty easily. Not ultra-smooth, but it you don't need any real force to complete the shift. Into 3rd you can feel a little resistance and it's not a smooth transition. There's no grinding involved, but moving the lever into 3rd requires a little extra force. 3rd to 4th is the pretty much the same as 1st to 2nd. It doesn't feel bad... it's just not as smooth as the manual cars that i've owned. I had a 1980 Corolla and it was butter.

So, should I be expecting smooth and buttery, or is a little effort part of the overall experience?

 

[AdamKFarmer]

Dunno, kind of sounds like mine.

 

[Tancruiser]

It's a truck not a Corolla.

 

[JAFO2014]

I do not have to use any unusual force to move mine into any of the four gear or reverse. Rather smooth shifting mine.
What weight oil in the transmission? I know years ago my wife had an Isuzu Trooper. She took it to Jiffy Lube for oil change (I was too busy) and they gave her some premium deal where they did lots of various fluid changes. Anyway, when she got back the darn thing was really hard to shift. I checked the manual and book said the trans took 40 weight synthetic motor oil. Jiffy Lube put in 80w90 gear oil. Once I had the correct oil it shifted like butter again.

 

[Fast Eddy]

Learn to double-clutch the 3rd gear shift.

Another tip is to always put it in 2nd before reverse without lifting the clutch. You stop the internals and won't grind on the non-syncro reverse gear.

 

[cult45]

If there's a noise accompanying the shift 2-3 there could be synchro wear. But yes, it's a truck.

 

[1911]

Mine shifts like butter - both the stock original H42 that came with it, and the "serviced" H41 I bought from Spector that has been in it for 6 years and counting. In all gears, though I do the reverse shift that @Fast Eddy mentioned. It shifts so easy that it is my preferred vehicle for teaching young people how to drive a stick.

 

[thebigredrocker]

I'm sure your Clutch pedal height is fine, but have you checked that? Mine was way out if whack.

 

[Fast Eddy]

My H41 that came from SOR has marginal syncros in 2 and 3. If I baby it, it's fine. If I try to gear-jam, it's noticeable.

 

[Splangy]

I've noticed that 3rd seems to be the first one to show symptoms on these transmissions. Probably time for a synchro/rebuild. If it's not making any weird noises and you treat it kindly, it'll probably last you many more years.

 

[fyton2v]

Great info everyone. Thank you. Yeah... it works fine, but it's not "butter" like @1911's. I'm gonna leave it until it starts making noise.

 

[snaggletto]

Find a GL4 80w90 gear oil, Brad Penn has some that can be ordered on Amazon. Everything that you find at auto parts stores is GL5, extreme pressure gear lube that is made for differentials. Everybody says it is backwards compatible, but the GL4 stuff is a lot easier on the soft metal syncros in your transmission. It won't fix a worn syncro, but it might just smooth it out a bit and buy you some time.

 

[Landpimp]

They are a very nice shifting trany for a truck, that should take no force or tricks to shift in and out of gear.

It should make a pleasing(at least to my ears) noise when shifting between(into and out of) gears that sounds like a nice Mauser K98 rifle when action is cycled. If you have seen The Longest Day...it's the same sound that the GI's mistake for the crickets(used to ID friendly troops) they carry. What can I say....wierd stuff goes thru my head

 

[sggoat]

It is not wierd-----

 

[Augusts96]

All gears shift equally smooth in my truck. I've always shifted into first gear before reverse in all the manuals I've driven has done the trick for me but looks like second gear works equally well. Regarding your potentially bad synchros I agree practice double clutching I drove an old 1985 Nissan Urvan for about a year or so which would grind like a **** shifting down from fourth to third which was a pain in the ass when hitting hills. However after I got good at double cluting/rev-matching it would shift down into third like an angel. Actually, I found it quite fun to drive like that haha it was a good little challenge.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Not to hijack, but I also have a 4-speed. My transmission shifts extremely smoothly up, through all gears. No added resistance in 3rd. Occasionally it doesn't want to go into first (ie: after sitting at a red light) but generally pumping the clutch pedal once and trying again allows it to drop in. However, downshifts are really slow, require quite a bit of force on the shifter, and involve a ton of whining, ...haven't determined yet whether this is a mis-adjusted clutch or a transmission issue...

It almost always "grinds" slightly into reverse.

 

[sandcruiser90]

Just picked up on this thread. Just got my first 40. 1972 with 77-78 2F engine. My 4 speed also doesn’t shift quite as smooth into 3rd as it does 2nd, 4th and reverse. When I shift into 3rd I feel, and I think hear, a slight click like it’s engaging the gear. Certainly not butter smooth, though it goes in easily, sort of slides in. No grinding at all. Clutch feels strong and no leaks. Is this what I should expect?

 

[fyton2v]

From what i've learned, any grinding related to shifting or general clunkiness means you're in for a rebuild, someday. I think you can drive these trucks for a long time when the synchros are worn in your transmission. I've yet to touch mine, because I'm lazy. Someday i'll rebuild the tranny and xfer case at the same time.

 

[Geezer Cruzzer]

Miss Scarlet's tranny is kind of crunchy. Kind of like my joints. Both of us just have to take it easy. You can't hurry the tranny in a FJ40 unless you can afford a complete tranny rebuild. Then you still can't pull any speed shifts. We don't pull into traffic that requires a fast shift. Learn how to double clutch.

 

[Landpimp]

should be no need to double clutch a 4 speed(a 3 speed downshifting into 1st yes).

if by speed shifting(what I call it as well) you mean changing gears without using the clutch, you should be able to(I can in all of mine, up is easier than down, mostly because i lack the patience)

none of my 4 speeds have ever been rebuilt, but they are still young-ish with 125K and 146K on them. The 3 speed in my 45LPB was rebuilt and its the sweetest shifting 3 speed(on tree) I have ever driven, its a joy.

I have a new shifter bushing(or seat?) I am going to put in the 82 one of these days, the shifter kinda rattles more than I'd like, but that may also be something else.