I've got an '83 SR5 short bed and I'm having problems shifting. I have replaced the clutch master cylinder and slave it's doing the same thing. So I started thinking ok clutch disc bad. I pulled the transmission and clutch looked good. I have a center force dual friction system. I have pulled the shift rod thinking it was the cup at bottom. When it's running it sometimes will not go into first or reverse. When shut off the transmission shift fine like nothing is wrong. I got in into first took it for a test drive and it shifts fine up through fifth. But stop the truck and try putting it in another gear it has to be forced. The transmission is a heavy duty Marlin transmission. The throw out bearing spins freely and smooth. I felt the pilot bearing at it felt a slight drag. I pulled the bearing and the bearing felt fine. Only when I forced it to one side did I feel a slight drag, so I replaced it anyway. I'm frustrated, I don't want to throw the transmission back up in the truck to find its doing the same thing again. Do you guys have any ideas?

 

Sounds like you've covered all the usual culprits. When you're stopped (engine running) and it won't go into first, will it go into other gears? I know my 82 didn't like to go into first sometimes, I would just put it in second and then it would go into first. Usually with reverse I would go to fourth (just gears that were nearby- others may work as well).

If it will go into other gears stopped, does it lurch at all? if not my guess is your clutch is fine and the problem is with the tranny.

 

I pulled the top cover on the transmission yesterday. The synchros and gears looked fine, now I'm really confused.

 

i kinda had the same problem but it was my synchronizers

 

The sync to don't look warn, it's a reman Marlin. I did find that the fixed the shift forks by brazing the forks thicker and grinding the down.

 

Can you get the truck into other gears while stopped? If you can and it doesn't act funny (lurch, lug the engine down, etc.) then that points to the clutch being fine and the transmission being bad.

 

I replaced the pilot bearing and put it back together. It's running fine now, I did adjust the RPM down lower, son said it was to high in high idle and in normal. Maybe having that rpm a little to high was causing some of the problem. Thanks to all of you for your ideas.

 

Are you sure the clutch is adjusted to fully disengage