Transmission help, stuck in neutral or gear?

[mekohler]

I have the engine and transmission in the car, and was going to remove the rear nut so I could seal up the rear of the transmission and continue to make progress. I put the socket on the nut and turned and the axle stubs turn, feels smooth and I do not have to apply a lot of pressure. I attempt to change the gear and I can only slightly turn the shift shaft or pull/push it in or out and it appears it might be stuck. I currently do not have oil in the transmission and it is not wired up yet if that matters.

Should I be able to change gears by hand (screw driver through the hole)? What/how should I be able to?
Any thoughts on what might be the issue, or suggestions?

Thank you in advance.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

The shift shaft doesn't move far.
Maybe + or - 10 degrees rotation.
Maybe + or - 1/2" linear travel.
Holding the shaft is tough if not attach to the engine.
I would just wait till you have axles and tires on the ground.
Bob

[ssssly]

The shift shaft does not move much but it should move freely. And you should hear the click as it engages.

Oil shouldn't matter much since there is no load on it and the gears aren't spinning.

The forks could just be in a weird spot from moving it around and such. Try slowly turning the shaft, and pulling the shift selector in and out at the same time.

Should free it up. And don't try to force anything. If it is giving you much resistance at all something is wrong.

The other thing that could be happening is it could be in reverse. It can be difficult to get the tranny to shift out of reverse when not hooked up to anything. The above method and some patience will do it though.

Is also much easier to do with the shift selector installed in the tranny than by trying to do it with a screwdriver or the like.

[RM1SepEx]

I would pull the end off the trans and check it out. When the dealership installed my quaife and reinstalled the trans end segment they bent something slightly and it wouldn't shift. Take it apart and make sure vs bending something!

[mekohler]

Thank you all, I will see what I can do this weekend. I have been able to move the shifter some and I do hear some clicks. I just expected it to be significant I guess.

[mekohler]

Well, I do believe it is stuck in some forward gear, I have put the 2wd conversion nut on, shift cables and all on. Attempt to shift it and it moves some, but does not move much at all. I am able to crank engine and let clutch engage and the wheels begin to spin some in the forward direction, nothing with the shifter seems to get it into neutral. I guess I will have to open up the tranny, I have no idea what to look for etc. but oh well another problem to solve. Any good DIY guides to cracking one of these things open?

[mekohler]

I took the rear section of the transmission off and was able to engage each gear, so i re installed the shift mechanism and the rear section and it is no longer stuck. Not sure what the issue was, but my guess is the shift mechanism was in a gear section that was in neutral and another gear was engaged without the mechanism so I could not return it to neutral. This probably happened with LSD was installed. Best outcome, but geez this project is 3 steps forward one back at times.

Thanks for the help and ideas.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I took the rear section of the transmission off and was able to engage each gear, so i re installed the shift mechanism and the rear section and it is no longer stuck. Not sure what the issue was, but my guess is the shift mechanism was in a gear section that was in neutral and another gear was engaged without the mechanism so I could not return it to neutral. This probably happened with LSD was installed. Best outcome, but geez this project is 3 steps forward one back at times.

Thanks for the help and ideas.
Makes total sense to me.
For others, make sure the 3 slots are lined up in neutral before assembling rear housing.
See picture.
26800