Gear Shift Removal - Help! (1 Viewer)

[alanbl]

Some of you may have seen my post about the gear tower breaking off the transmission case cover. Well, the weather finally warmed up enough so I was able to remove the gas tank and the tranny tunnel today. Unbolted what is left of the tranny case cover. But, I cannot get the gear shift out of the top of the tranny case cover. Following the directions in Haynes it says to push down on the shift lever and turn clockwise. No way will this budge. I have put the piece in a vice and used vice grips to try and push down and turn, but no luck. Anyone have any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong? Here's a pic of the problem part.

 

[Buckwheat]

There is a collar that engages the pins on the side of the tower that needs to be depressed & rotated to disengage the pins (CCW if I recall correctly). Clamp it up in a vise & use ChannelLocks or needle nose. Then the shifter will pull right out. Or, you could get your 3-pounder & bash the remnant depicted in the photo, thereby accomplishing same - I'm kidding . . somewhat!

 

[DaveWest5150]

Not the shift lever... the small ring that holds down the shift lever, it has a rectangular cut to it hold the assy in a vice or have a buddy hold it , and push down and counter clockwise , you might be able to do it with your hands...

 

[alanbl]

There is a collar that engages the pins on the side of the tower that needs to be depressed & rotated to disengage the pins (CCW if I recall correctly). Clamp it up in a vise & use ChannelLocks or needle nose. Then the shifter will pull right out. Or, you could get your 3-pounder & bash the remnant depicted in the photo, thereby accomplishing same - I'm kidding . . somewhat!

Buckwheat, thanks for the tip. I have been tempted to go with the sledge hammer method, but have not yet reached that point! I've tried various approaches to this and I am probably pushing & turning in the wrong place. The manual says to push down and turn CW to remove. Here's a pic with some labels. "B" is obviously the shift lever, "D" obviously the pins. The pins are fixed in place. I can't figure out where is the collar to which you refer. Is it here?

 

[alanbl]

Not the shift lever... the small ring that holds down the shift lever, it has a rectangular cut to it hold the assy in a vice or have a buddy hold it , and push down and counter clockwise , you might be able to do it with your hands...

Light bulbs are starting to come on! I have seen these small rectangular cuts when I move the shift lever around. I'm heading to the garage now to see if this is the magic formula. Thanks!!!

 

[IDave]

Be aware, I've read that some of the collars are backwards, you have to rotate the other direction. No hurt trying that.

 

[alanbl]

Be aware, I've read that some of the collars are backwards, you have to rotate the other direction. No hurt trying that.

Is "A" the place I should be pushing down and rotating? Appreciate the tip about trying both directions.

 

[60fj25]

Rotate "C" and I think it is CCW. You can get a channel lock to engage the squared edge and push down and left at the same time. It is just the opposite of a turn signal bulb where you push in the bulb and rotate to get it out of the little "J" hole. The collar "C" has the j hole.

 

[Degnol]

You need to rotate clockwise, just the opposite of lefty-loosey...righty-tighty

Here is a pic of what you are trying to remove.....


GL


Ed

second and third pics are of a tool I made to make it easier......
Squashed muffler pipe

 

[alanbl]

Rotate "C" and I think it is CCW. You can get a channel lock to engage the squared edge and push down and left at the same time. It is just the opposite of a turn signal bulb where you push in the bulb and rotate to get it out of the little "J" hole. The collar "C" has the j hole.

Thanks much! This worked! And it was CCW. By the way, my Haynes manual does say "clockwise." The idea of trying both makes sense. I really appreciate all the input from everyone. Beers for the house!

 

[FJ40Jim]

Don't listen to degnol, he jumps the gun sometimes.;p

The lock collars changed orientation inexplicably. One year they are CCW to release, then they changed to CW. I don't know for sure when the change was, but suspect it happened w/ 3spd to 4spd upgrade around 1974.But the collars can be moved from one tranny to another, so there's no garantee what's in yours. Just push down, compress the spring and try turning either direction.

 

[Degnol]

You sure are hard on an old man just trying to help
In my V-A-S-T experience with TWO transmissions, the both came off by rotating clockwise as you can see from my first pic, that's the only way it would come off.........................I know this because I spent a lot of vocabulary trying the other way first.
The good thing is that my "SST" will work in either direction


Anyway, glad you got it off.


Ed

 

[alanbl]

You sure are hard on an old man just trying to help

"I" sure wouldn't give you grief! At least till I knew you a little better. That tool you fabricated would have made the job a lot easier. I"m impressed.

By the way, found out what probably caused this mayhem. There were two bolts missing from the tranny case cover. More important, one bolt was missing that holds the tranny to the bell housing. Seems I was getting just a "little" vibration. Nice thing is that with wth the tranny case cover off, it's easy to add oil! ( I gotta look at some silver lining here.)

 

[bsevans]

I was told that the CW or CCW rotation to remove the gear shift was dependent on whether it was a right or left hand drive vehicle. The cone changes the angle of the shifter depending on the LH/RH drive. I've got an Aussie cone and it is the opposite rotation than the factory cone on my tranny and puts the shifter at a different angle.

 

[Mark W]

The difference in rotation direction is three speed tranny vs four speed tranny.

Mark...

 

[honk]

The difference in rotation direction is three speed tranny vs four speed tranny.

Mark...

Yes, and it's got nothing to do with RHD or LHD. (I was told that it's counterclockwise in Australia and has to do with which way water flushes in the loo. ).

The part does interchange so any trans can be CW OR CCW, except in Kansas where all are backwards.

 

[Degnol]

........ except in Kansas where all are backwards.

Ain't that the fxxxing truth! I live waaaaaay too close to Kansas.


Ed

 

[Degnol]

Oh, and the tool WILL work with either....



"There once was a man from Rancine,
Who invented a sex machine,
It would serve either sex,
Concave or convex,
But, Oh, what a mother to clean"

 

[honk]

Rancine? To imply rancid?
Or do you mean from Racine?

Inventions from the rubber room.

Hi Ed!

 

[Degnol]

Rancine? To imply rancid?
Or do you mean from Racine?

Inventions from the rubber room.

Hi Ed!

I always heard it as "Rancine" Probably to avoid offending any cheeseheads....plus, it rhymes mo' betta'


Rubber room? yours or mine?

Ed