gadberry Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 '81 wagon with dual range 4 speed (4" lift installed) Was out in our Uber-rare spring-time 13" snow yesterday and was having a blast, but I've noticed that it's getting more and more difficult to shift into 1st and/or 2nd when the tranny is cold.. It's better once it warms but it seems it's in a slight bind/torque occassionally and that I"m not able to get enough "throw to the left" to find 1st or 2nd. If I can get it rolling in 3rd (low range), then I'm able to work it into first. I'm fairly certain that additional mods to the stick-shift extension is in order here, but I wanted to check w/the gang to make sure it's not something else, common in these cars.. I'll also re-double-check all nuts/bolts installed during the lift, just to make sure I don't have any issues with the "cinder blocks under this house trailer". Oh, and have a look at the shift connection at the tranny, of course. It's been a little stubborn to shift into 1st and 2nd in the past, but mainly while in 4wd before it had warmed up a bit.. anything else to check? best regards, gadberry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) I had a similar thing happen to my car awhile back and it ended up being shifter bushings. Out of 4 bushings i had 1/2 lol. It made it very hard to find 1st and 2nd and almost impossible to find 5th (2wd). I would get under the car and find out whats going on. Also check your role pins. They could be worn out and warrant the GD patent pending fix . Edited March 23, 2010 by hatchsub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asis Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I had a similar thing happen to my car awhile back and it ended up being shifter bushings. Out of 4 bushings i had 1/2 lol. It made it very hard to find 1st and 2nd and almost impossible to find 5th (2wd). I would get under the car and find out whats going on. Also check your role pins. They could be worn out and warrant the GD patent pending fix . 10-4 on that Awaiting schedule compliance for a personal tootalage doing mine...only get 3rd about 75% of the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 You sure the clutch is releaseing completely? - if it's dragging it could make it hard to get into gears. Otherwise - you probably need to redo the whole linkage. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadberry Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share Posted March 27, 2010 GD, thanks for the tip, I replaced the clutch cable last fall, so after a quick adjustment of the clutch, it shifts better! Still alittle hard to hit 2nd on a downshift but I haven't driven it too much since the adjustment. I'll have to try it in 4wd, but it's much better, and I'm thankful for your help. I'm sure I'll need to replace bushings at some point, but I only have 144k on the clock cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Make sure that you routed the cable under the steering shaft and the heater core hoses or it will wear out prematurely. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadberry Posted March 27, 2010 Author Share Posted March 27, 2010 Yep, I followed the advice of others on the board when installing, plus I've got a OEM spare in the car. I've got a waterpump with a growl and a new brake m/c to install soon so I'll be a USMB regular again, soon. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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