Strange Shifting problem 1986 4x4 pickup
 

This is one for which I can find no solution in the Archives. I am no mechanic.

I have a 1986 4x4 pickup, 22R. I have recently had the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, rear main seal, output shaft seals done. The flywheel was turned. This was done by a decent local professional mechanic.

During last hunting season I noticed an odd thing. Shifting into 3rd was always a little 'crunchy' but I found that when I hit the brakes hard, I couldn't shift it into any gear except reverse -and that just barely. After I backed it a bit, i could crunch it into 1st and it would behave until the next time I braked abruptly. I replaced the Shifter seat, et-al, with ones from Marlin Crawler. That didn't do much. I then replaced the master cylinder and slave cylinder for the clutch. I should mention that all parts, other than the Marlin Crawler parts, were OEM, ordered by myself.

All my efforts have come up short. The braking=no shifting problem persists so I am tossing my problem out to the real mechanics here on the Site. Any insight into a fix would be greatly appreciated. ~AMMOe

Mine was difficult to get into second and third would crunch. Especially when cold. All gears more difficult than when warm. I put in Redline MT90 as recommended here. And it shifts a lot better. Don't know if it will help your problem, but might be worth a try.

Thanks for the reply. I have suspected that some of the fluid in the transmission is the original fill from the factory, augmented over the years as needed. I was going to drain and replace today with fresh. I have a bunch of Royal Purple 75-90 kicking around and was going to try that. I'm sure it will help but I can't explain how it will shift smoothly some times, a little crunchy when cold (like yours) but then not shift at all after a firm application of the brakes. I should mention that if it's a down-hill application of the brakes it is especially susceptible to the described 'lock-up'. I'm no mechanic, but that sounds weird.~Muir

I guess the first question is what brand clutch ??


Have you checked that your clutch bracket is not cracked?

Your never adding fluid to the clutch Master Cylinder ??

If it goes into first gear with no problem all the time .

If not the bracket broken perhaps time for a bearing kit .

The worn bearings cause slight misalignment of the shafts making for hard shifting

Thanks for the suggestions.
The clutch and pressure plate is Aisin, as is the throw-out bearing. Only 1.5K miles on the clutch and related assembly. The clutch master and slave cyls are Aisin and new as of last month.
Bearings might be the answer; sounds logical at least. As to the clutch arm, wouldn't that show up all the time? As I said, this only happens after a firm/brisk application of the brakes. (Think a rapid, non-emergency stop) Otherwise, it shifts pretty well. No difficulty getting into gear other than a slight crunch felt through the shifter. No extra force needed. ~AMMOe

:good:

When you say clutch bracket, do you mean where the pedal/lever pivots?~AMMOe

Ok! Just archived bracket replacement/repair. I'll go out and see what mine looks like. Thanks!

Ok. The rain let up so I pulled the seat and inverted my 260 pound self under the dash with a flash light and discerning eye for 30 minutes and could not find (nor feel) any cracks in the clutch bracket. I had my girlfriend push in the clutch and I watched for any flex and deviation from a straight in and out and got nothing.

I'm kind of sorry that this wasn't the problem because it puts me back at square-one. So I'm open for sugestions. I appreciate the advice to date. Regards ~AMMOe

did you check the clutch slave cylinder fluid level, it may need fluid

I don't know about the slave cylinder itself but I flushed, filled and bled the entire system... twice, just in case.~AMMOe

well done, if that didn't solve your problem I would check the clutch master cylinder next, it may or may not be bad, I don't know how to check that

The Master and Slave cylinders are new Aisin.
It's a real puzzler.~AMMOe

well then, if it was me I'd be looking for another tranny if I was you, I don't think there is much more to replace, lol. Sorry to say that but I don't know what else it could be dude.

98% of the time it shifts fine. I'll see how it progresses; it's not my primary vehicle anyhow. Thanks for the assistance, Amigo. ~AMMOe