Transmission problem!?!

[General Mcgregor]

This afternoon I was pulling out onto a busy road when I found I was unable to shift out of second, I quickly pulled my deuce over and attempted to force it out of gear. I was able to pull the shifter back to Neutral but then found I was unable to shift INTO second or third!!!!!! So after attempting this several times I got her to go as fast as she could in first and then proceeded to shift into fourth, needless to say she bogged down but eventually I was able to get her up to speed and into fifth. Luckily I wasn't too far from home and the only gears I had to use were fifth, fourth and reverse... I tried several more times to get third or second to work while in my driveway but it feels like they were never even there. I removed the transmission access plate in the floor then removed the shifter housing to take a peek... all the forks are moving properly when I move the shifter but the only gear I am able to move by hand is the first/reverse gear... the fifth/fourth spool moves only slightly and the second/third dosent budge at all. after examining it with a mechanically inclined friend I was told that the inner splines on the output shaft might be worn to the point of jamming the spool in place. All the pins, teeth, bearings etc. seem to be intact but that center spool just wont budge. Sooooo what's the problem anyone know??? What are my options???

 

[FormerNewMVGuy]

There has been alot of discussion on this over the years here. I have never had it happen to me, but there is an issue with second seizing on the shaft.
I'm sur ehte others will chime in ...
Good luck with her

 

[Tinwoodsman]

That happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I was able to go from second to third if I double clutched it but that is not a long term option.I have a friend who sold me a good take-off and delivered it last Thursday. Now all I have to do is install it and I am clueless! Reading TM's and threads like crazy.

Good luck.

 

[badgmc56]

Take the transfer case out of gear and put it in neutral. Then spin the output shaft of the trans by hand to see if you can move the syncros back and forth. That should give you an idea of whats going on. You probably will have to pull the mainshaft of the trans and dis assemble it to see what is the problem. You can do that in the truck without pulling the trans. Be ready to find worn parts, bearings and or broken snap rings.

 

[ptg530C]

I had the same thing happen to me. I think that 2nd and 3rd are on the same shaft. your syncro's are gone. i would suggest purchasing another transmission and putting it in. follow the r/r instructions and you should be able to do it in a day. I recommend using a tans jack. it will save you a lot of time. dont forget to replace the clutch while you have it apart. and do not make the mistake of trying to pull it out with a cherry picker thru the cab.

 

[kendelrio]

I had the same problem with 5th. I thought it was the top end, swapped it out but it wasn't. I ended up changing the entire transmission. I made a "how to" link for those of us who don't have millions in tools etc. Here is the link:

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/52409-how-transmission-changeout.html

 

[AceHigh]

Very impressive guide Ken! Thanks.

 

[Wildchild467]

My transmission is hard shifting in 2nd usually. you have to get it just right and it will go in. I hade forcing it, so i just try to do my best at not forcing it and not slipping the clutch. I think i need to just swap trasmissions but it wont happen this year. i know my synchros are not looking that good when i pulled the top off the transmission. once and a while, it grinds a little bit when i shift....dosnt give me a warm fuzzy feeling for sure

 

[m-35tom]

the hub of 2/3 syncro should slide easily. that hub slides on another hub that is keyed to the mainshaft. it sounds like this inner hub has split, jamming the syncro hub in neutral. remove the mainshaft, disassymble and inspect.

tom

 

[Wildchild467]

the hub of 2/3 syncro should slide easily. that hub slides on another hub that is keyed to the mainshaft. it sounds like this inner hub has split, jamming the syncro hub in neutral. remove the mainshaft, disassymble and inspect.

tom

So what you are saying is its almost supposed to slide inside something else and this "split" has made the OD of the ring bigger and not allowing it to slide in as easy? is this a common problem? i have 90W GL-1 in the transmission now and its a big improvment over the 80w-90

 

[m-35tom]

re read what i said, it's not really what you said. i don't think this is a 'common' problem and have never actually seen one broken. also it is normal for 2nd not to go into gear when stopped. the nose on the syncro and gear dogs is quite blunt and requires some rotation to engage. the next time it won't go into 2nd, just hold some pressure on it and ease the clutch out just enough to move the shaft.

tom

 

[JDToumanian]

I'm developing a great dislike for these Spicer transmissions.... Either they are junk, or they don't like 90wt or 80w-90 oil. I can't think of any other reason why so many would fail with so few miles on them. I'm on my second transmission.... I filled it with Chevron Synthetic Manual Transmission Oil, 50wt. which is a GL4/5 and MT-1 oil. It is specifically advertised for use with heavy duty transmissions with synchros, and is equivalent to what the Spicer manuals recommend for civilian applications. I consider it an experiment with my own truck, and so far so good with 1k on the new trans and oil.

The old trans crumbled all the teeth off 5th gear.... It looked like broken glass in there.

Jon

 

[m-35tom]

'so few miles'? it is almost never known what the true miles are. and on top of that they are abused and misused many times, and most trucks have soft tops whitch is an invitation for water to get in trans. so of course there will be trans' that have problems. otherwise it is a very tough transmission that will hold up under much more power than it was designed for. commonly used behind 4BT, big block chev, and other engines in off road vehicles and hill climbers. i think that all things considered, it is pretty reliable.


tom

 

[General Mcgregor]

Ok so I found a good main shaft with all the gears, but I'm worried it will be difficult to remove the old one, with second/third fused to the shaft I wonder how much of a pain in the ass this will be. Could anyone refer me a removal/installation guide? I don't even know what TM to look in...

 

[davey8943]

Gen. Mcgregor,

Three transmission TMs that I know of are:

TM 9-2520-246-34, TM 9-2520-246-34-1 and TM 9-2520-246-34P

Good luck with the rebuild /swap!

Dave

 

[General Mcgregor]

Just a quick question, does anyone know if the main shaft and the main gears can be removed with the transmission in the truck??

 

[m-35tom]

yes, it is easy. completely remove drive shaft to transfer. take off rear flange, bearing cover, spacer and using suitable puller, remove rear bearing which will be very tight on shaft. i assume you will already have top cover off. slide shaft back and lift front end. you will drop 14 roller brngs from front of shaft and use magnet to recover them later. then lift front of shaft up and out of trans leaving 1st/rev slider in trans. reassymbly is reverse order.

tom