Shifting problems...better but not great.

[LuckyWinner]

3rd and 4th....great. 1st and 2nd a pain in the ***. So I know my clutch is working. Could it be problems in the trans (tko600) synchros??? just took apart the trans from bell housing and adjusted the pivot bolt, now working better, but 1st and 2nd a pain.

[skullandbones]

Lucky,

You could over adjust the clutch to where there is no slack between the fork and throw out bearing. Then run it through the gears. It won't hurt the bearing for just a short test. If you still have the issue with 1st and 2nd then it might be the trans. If it does go thru the gears OK, then you still have a clutch adjustment issue. IMO, WEK.

[LuckyWinner]

just did that. still real real hard to get it into 1st and 2nd. does anyone remember a post where someone was talking about the gears right under the shifter being out of line? Could that be it? Anyone remember that post?

[LuckyWinner]

so, mike just had me lift up the rear and depress the clutch pedal to see if the back tires would spin....they didn't. don't know what to do...pivot bolt all the way out, almost hitting the clutch. cant tighten down cable anymore, or it will burn out. Fork going all the way forward with only about a 1/2 inch before it hits the bell housing. Any hints? Wife getting mad cuz I'm pouting

[LuckyWinner]

so went out and tried again. last time I had my grandson turning the tire and he said he couldn't. so this morning I went out and tried with my wife on the clutch. I put it into 3rd, and had her press on the clutch, I could turn the tire and she let off on the clutch and about half way up the tire wouldn't turn. Tried in 1st and the same thing, but was a littler harder to turn with the clutch all the way down, but still turned.

[LuckyWinner]

ok....now I don't know whats going on....when the clutch is all the way out or all the way I can spin the wheel, drive shaft not moving and opposite side tire spinning the opposite direction. I don't remember this happing last night. more info....(still no pics, phone giving me problems) so I started it up with the back up and wheels in the air, clutch all the way in....and clutch was almost all the way returned before the wheels started to turn. more info...so drive shaft moving again...wheels spinning same direction....but when I put it in gear, not touching the clutch. drive shaft stops moving and wheels spin opposite direction

[skullandbones]

It looks like you may have a throw out bearing issue. I don't know what combination of components you have but it just sounds like (by your description) you can't get enough adjustment to engage the pressure plate fully. With all the stuff you've done, your running out of possibilities. As an example, it's possible that you can get some cable stretch initially but it usually requires an adjustment or two and then, it's set for a while. I had never worked on a Ford engine until this project. I have three small blocks now so I have learned a lot about Ford's way of doing things. I still find some of it a little odd but it works. The point being, the clutch system is one of those odd things so I was extremely careful when putting the flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, fork, etc.... and still got it wrong the first time with my new engine. We tested the clutch before installing the engine and found the problem. I believe the fork had slipped off the throw out bearing. I am going by memory but I do remember having to fix that issue before engine install. I don't know if you can install the bearing in a way that it will work only partially. Maybe a Ford expert can chime in. WEK.

[Jester]

ok....now I don't know whats going on....when the clutch is all the way out or all the way I can spin the wheel, drive shaft not moving and opposite side tire spinning the opposite direction. I don't remember this happing last night. more info....(still no pics, phone giving me problems) so I started it up with the back up and wheels in the air, clutch all the way in....and clutch was almost all the way returned before the wheels started to turn. more info...so drive shaft moving again...wheels spinning same direction....but when I put it in gear, not touching the clutch. drive shaft stops moving and wheels spin opposite direction

Please correct if I've got this wrong but so far you have the following:

#1) with the motor running and clutch peddle all the way to the floor, wheels spin freely and when releasing the clutch peddle the clutch engages near the top of the peddle throw and the wheels begin to rotate (as expected). This indicates the clutch and peddle
are functioning properly and you need to adjust the clutch cable for proper release position the peddle stroke. You may double check the clutch quant on the firewall to insure proper installation - May need a spacer on the firewall to allow for more adjustment (I remember this from build school- I did not need additional spacer on mine).

#2) with the engine off and the trans in gear - when you spin one tire, the other spins the opposite direction - this is normal and a function of the differential

#3) seems the difficulty may be a stiff trans - You want to call the Mfr and ask if there are additives for brake in to make shifting easier.

Hope this helps

Good luck

[LuckyWinner]

so having the clutch cable too tight can also affect the shifting like the problem I am having?

[LuckyWinner]

after a couple of calls to Gordon, and then to Mike. I adjusted my cable a little...then Mike had me raise the rear and go thru some shifts for about 15 min. Working a lot better now. Very happy. So happy we have so many people on these forums that are so willing to help.