Abrasivemike
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Has anyone had a problem of the shifter on a M35 5 speed trans getting stuck between two gears? If so, have you come up with an easy fix?
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Stuck between gears
- Thread starter Abrasivemike
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Jones
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Look in the TM library for TM 9-2520-246-34-1. It gives you dissassemby, repair and reassembly instructions for the transmissions as well as transfer cases and PTOs.
Can you tell which two gears you're in between? Where is the shift lever in relation to neutral?
Mine was a worn lever in the tower that slides between the tops of the shift forks as you shift through the gears.
On some transmission models you can take the gear shift lever and the small stub lever it bolts to, out of the shift tower and work the forks back and forth with a long screw driver or pry bar 'til you can get the trans back into neutral.
As a last resort; if your transmission is one that needs to be in neutral before you can remove the shift tower, you may have to wrestle it out of gear with brute force by holding the shift lever towards the gear that's out of place and pushing it forward or back to get to neutral.
Make sure the truck is parked, the wheels chocked, with the transfer case in neutral so there is no pressure on the transmission gears or you'll never get the shift forks to move.
If you can get the shift tower off, flip it over and work the forks around 'til you're able to get them into neutral and the end of the shift lever back into it's position.
If the end of that stub lever is worn, now's the time to replace it or you'll be going through this all over again at some later date.
Once the shift forks are in neutral, slide the gears to get the transmission into neutral too. When you can turn the short shaft between the trans and transfer case by hand, you're there. (The fork's positions in neutral will give you a hint where the gears are supposed to be).
Carefully replace the shift tower making sure the forks drop into their respective slots on the gears.
The problem comes from not following the shift pattern as outlined on the dash plate or in the manual. These things aren't designed to be speed-shifted and trying to go from 2nd to 3rd by shoving the lever diagonally as you push forward (instead of up to neutral then across the neutral gate and up into the next gear) wears out the end of the stub lever.
Can you tell which two gears you're in between? Where is the shift lever in relation to neutral?
Mine was a worn lever in the tower that slides between the tops of the shift forks as you shift through the gears.
On some transmission models you can take the gear shift lever and the small stub lever it bolts to, out of the shift tower and work the forks back and forth with a long screw driver or pry bar 'til you can get the trans back into neutral.
As a last resort; if your transmission is one that needs to be in neutral before you can remove the shift tower, you may have to wrestle it out of gear with brute force by holding the shift lever towards the gear that's out of place and pushing it forward or back to get to neutral.
Make sure the truck is parked, the wheels chocked, with the transfer case in neutral so there is no pressure on the transmission gears or you'll never get the shift forks to move.
If you can get the shift tower off, flip it over and work the forks around 'til you're able to get them into neutral and the end of the shift lever back into it's position.
If the end of that stub lever is worn, now's the time to replace it or you'll be going through this all over again at some later date.
Once the shift forks are in neutral, slide the gears to get the transmission into neutral too. When you can turn the short shaft between the trans and transfer case by hand, you're there. (The fork's positions in neutral will give you a hint where the gears are supposed to be).
Carefully replace the shift tower making sure the forks drop into their respective slots on the gears.
The problem comes from not following the shift pattern as outlined on the dash plate or in the manual. These things aren't designed to be speed-shifted and trying to go from 2nd to 3rd by shoving the lever diagonally as you push forward (instead of up to neutral then across the neutral gate and up into the next gear) wears out the end of the stub lever.
KaiserM109
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When you say “Stuck between gears” I think you are referring to the transmission being in gear and the tower being in neutral.
When AMC (AM General’s parent) was building Jeeps they put out a transmission with loose tolerances in the shift rods. Even new it was possible to pull the shift tower into neutral and leave the transmission in gear. That meant that the shift arm was in the middle rod in the neutral position while another, usually the 1-2 rod, was in gear. There is a lockout, comprised of a couple of steel balls and springs, that keeps 2 rods from going into gear at the same time. Since another is already in gear it will not allow the one your shifter is in to move.
On that specific transmission the ends of the shift rods were exposed and you could crawl under it and push the one rod and the gear back to neutral.
On these transmissions you are out of luck because the rods are enclosed. The only thing I know to do is take the top off and put the transmission into neutral by hand.
To prevent this from happening, be very precise about how you shift. Don’t put any side pressure on the shift arm until you are in neutral.
Good luck,
Arlyn
When AMC (AM General’s parent) was building Jeeps they put out a transmission with loose tolerances in the shift rods. Even new it was possible to pull the shift tower into neutral and leave the transmission in gear. That meant that the shift arm was in the middle rod in the neutral position while another, usually the 1-2 rod, was in gear. There is a lockout, comprised of a couple of steel balls and springs, that keeps 2 rods from going into gear at the same time. Since another is already in gear it will not allow the one your shifter is in to move.
On that specific transmission the ends of the shift rods were exposed and you could crawl under it and push the one rod and the gear back to neutral.
On these transmissions you are out of luck because the rods are enclosed. The only thing I know to do is take the top off and put the transmission into neutral by hand.
To prevent this from happening, be very precise about how you shift. Don’t put any side pressure on the shift arm until you are in neutral.
Good luck,
Arlyn
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When mine jams up and the shifter won't budge, transfercase either, I jack up one side or the other of the front rear axle, lets the tension out of the driveline and then I can move the gear shift. This usually happens going between first and reverse, shifter wont move, and the truck wont move. If this is the problem you are experiencing.
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I've had the same experience as Ed. Jack up one side rear to relieve wrap up and shake it out of gear.
ncduece
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mine does this also usually coming out of reverse going to first. i just get some one to push it back or forward slightly with another vehicle and it comes right out. it seems if i make sure i come to a stop before i pull it out of reverse i don't have the problem. i would guess one of the shift forks is bent
66Reo6X6
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Good info. I think mine is stuck between 1st & 3rd gear.
Here are a few pics.
Placed the T-Case in neutral with the engine off and tried to move the shift lever but was unsuccessful.
Removed the top of the trans and all looked normal.... I think?
Am questioning the position of the guide pins. Looks like some of them are out of place. Is this possible?
Before the trans bound up it was hard to shift. Kind of like there was pressure on the drive-train even with the clutch disengaged and holding the brakes.
Will try some of the above suggestions. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Here are a few pics.
Placed the T-Case in neutral with the engine off and tried to move the shift lever but was unsuccessful.
Removed the top of the trans and all looked normal.... I think?
Am questioning the position of the guide pins. Looks like some of them are out of place. Is this possible?
Before the trans bound up it was hard to shift. Kind of like there was pressure on the drive-train even with the clutch disengaged and holding the brakes.
Will try some of the above suggestions. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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66Reo6X6
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Update:
Turns out the problem was with the shift tower. Things were out of sync and had to be realigned.
After some disassembly and a lot of patience all is as it should be once again.
I am guessing the cause of the problem was getting in too much of a hurry and shifting incorrectly / too rapidly.
Here are a few more pics.
Turns out the problem was with the shift tower. Things were out of sync and had to be realigned.
After some disassembly and a lot of patience all is as it should be once again.
I am guessing the cause of the problem was getting in too much of a hurry and shifting incorrectly / too rapidly.
Here are a few more pics.
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Truckie
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I had the same problem when going too quickly from reverse to first; the shift tower somehow jumped out of its proper location. I jacked the rear end up to take the pressure off of the transmission. The forks had positioned the gears in both reverse and 3rd (If I remember correctly). If I had tried to move the truck, I’m not sure the transmission would have survived. Removed of the cover, repositioned the shift arm, aligned the gears and the forks to neutral and it has been working correctly for quite a while now.
(Sounds a lot easier than it was!)
(Sounds a lot easier than it was!)