Difficulty shifting (1 Viewer)

[Hank6760]

I have an intermittent problem shifting ( 82-60 4 speed). Some times it won’t go into gear, clutch depressed as normal. No grinding or noise, just won’t go into any gear. Most of the time at a stop, sometimes while slowing and accelerating for a corner,for example. If stopped, it will make grinding noise for reverse, if it goes into reverse it will then shift as normal. Moving shifter furiously around while rolling will eventually get it into gear. Fluid level is good, clutch and hydraulics are 5, or so years old. Most of the time it’s ok, more likely pointed up hill than down, sometimes 3-4 times on my 25 mile commute, sometimes none. Just wondering where to start. Thanks

 

[F226continental]

It may be in the top plate of your transmission, but I bet you got a bearing or sychronizer issue, causing line up problems when shifting.

 

[OSS]

How long have you owned your cruiser?
Grinding into reverse is normal if you're impatient.
Stiff shifting can be "normal" too if you're used to driving a normal stick shift car with a dinky transmission.
The cruiser transmission shifts like a Mack truck.

Shifting into reverse tip:
1. Press in clutch
2. Count to five at least
3. Shift slowly into reverse. It should click into reverse silently.

Reverse gear doesn't have a synchronizer. You've got to wait until all the heavy gears in the case spin down their inertia to a stop while the clutch is pressed in, otherwise it'll grind.

Grinding into reverse is bad. It creates metal shavings which circulate in the oil, turning it into an abrasive grinding slurry. Don't do it.

If shifting is still bad even when being patient, the pilot bearing is likely shot.
When the pilot bearing wears out, it doesn't spin freely. It's friction prevents the gears from spinning down to a stop during a shift which makes shifting difficult.

 

[g-man]

try double clutching to get to the next gear. Basically clutch in shift into neutral then quickly clutch again and shift to next gear. This would be a short term solution until you replace or rebuild your transmission if the syncro's are going.

When mine went it was mostly a 2nd to 3rd problem. Double clutching did help. A new 5 speed helped MORE!

 

[3_puppies]

I was thinking the shifter seat may be wearing, try pulling up on the shifter while going into gear.

 

[Seth S]

Try drinking prune juice at meals…should loosen you right up.

oh. Shifting.

 

[Hank6760]

Thanks for the tips, I’ve had the cruiser 6-7 years. The only time it grinds into reverse is when it’s not wanting to go into any gear. I will try lifting a little as I shift as the pilot bearing was new two years ago when I put in a rebuilt engine . I have a transmission aqn

 

[Hank6760]

Dogs hit the screen mid sentence. I have a transmission and transfer case from a parts truck, the input shaft is no good, from exposure,but the internals should be salvageable for parts till I can afford a 5 speed.

 

[cruisermatt]

How old is the clutch slave cylinder and rubber hose, and how do you have the pushrod adjusted? Not having it adjusted probably can cause issues.

an H42 shifts like a dream when setup correctly.
I have driven a Mack truck. A FJ60 is like a Miata in comparison

 

[OSS]

The clutch disc slides (or should slide) a bit on the input shaft splines. When the truck is level, the pressure plate of the clutch cover pulls away from the disc when the clutch pedal is pressed and the disc loses traction. This disengages the disc (and input shaft) from the constantly spinning flywheel and the gears in the transmission stop spinning - so you can shift gears.

When the cruiser is on a hill, facing down, the clutch disc can slide down the input shaft splines and contact the spinning flywheel, preventing the input shaft from spinning down - which makes shifting hard.
There's nothing that can be done to prevent that, since it's the nature of the beast.

 

[morganism]

I think its just the shift lever seat. 5 $ plastic seat, seems like it just snaps in....

 

[kirvesmies]

i'm tending to go with an issue in the hydraulics. i've had the same shifting symptoms you described in 2 of my yota p.u.'s. the 1st one was the slave leaking internally. the 2nd the same with the clutch master. they are an easy rebuild. 20-25 minutes, done.

 

[et3surge]

@Hank6760 im curious what you found to be the problem. I have a carbon copy of symptoms and haven’t touched anything yet. I’m betting slave cylinder but curious what you learned.

 

[Hank6760]

I haven’t found the cause of the issue yet, but it has become less frequent. I’m about to do some major work to it through the fall, and transmission is one area of focus. I will post what I discover as the cause.

 

[Hank6760]

Well, I finally got around to working on the shifting issues. Replaced the master and slave cylinders as well as the hose. Used asin cylinders from rockauto. So far it seems to have fixed it. I had replaced the slave 6-7 years ago with one from O’Reilly. The master may have been ok, asin only a couple of years old, but it’s all new now.