Help testing junkyard 5MT from EA82

[greatdane66]

Doing a 5MT swap into my EA81 Brat... One junkyard within 200 miles has a 5MT D/R from an 86' that's already pulled from the car and on the shelf with no lever assembly for the shifter or the 4wd. I can only put it into what seems to be neutral, 3rd, and 4th (may be 1st and 2nd...straight forward, straight back).  I'm unable to rotate the linkage left or right to shift through the other gears.  Am I missing something like some kind of safety or is this transmission garbage? Hard to tell without the shift lever assembly.

I should be able to test shift through all of the gears on these transmissions, right? Going from a 4spd to this so I'm not familiar with them.

 

[FerGloyale]

Push and Pull the shift rod straight, with no rotation through it's positions.  This will be 3 and 4th, with neutral between.

Set the rod to the middle detent, neutral.  Now you should be able to rotate the shaft a very small amount.  It will not rotate off the 3,4 shaft unless it's in neutral.

Use a screwdriver or long skinny bolt through the rods hole if you need the leverage to ratate it.

After rotating left at the neutral position, push in on the shaft.  one click, this should find 1st gear.  Puling back, while keeping the slight rotational pressure, should click you back though neutral and into 2nd.

one click forward back to neutral, then rotate all the way right, and click forward once for 5th. and back 2 clicks for reverse.

Check the 4wd rod too.  Puled all the way back is 2wd  pushed forward one click gets you to 4wd hi.  One more click should get 4wd low (you will see the rod along the right side of trans move when low engages)

 

[greatdane66]

Thanks for the write up - From neutral I can't rotate the shaft left at all... zero movement with a good amount of force using a long screwdriver like you said. Right it moves barely at all, don't think it's enough to be 5th and reverse. This trans has been in the junkyard since 1998, no clue why they would keep it for 20 years if its only got 2 gears. 

 

[jono]

I find it very hard to swap between gates without the levers so then panic a bit when attempting same with screwdriver. It is 20 years since pulled. It could be good. Ask them for a confident sort of warranty. Pull the drain ug magnet to inspect. Where are you getting levers from then if wrecker not have?

[Al Zhiemer]

Definitely makes life easier to have the 5 speed shifter and linkages.

The 4 speed 4WD range selector could be modified to work easily enough, you have to cut and lengthen this one anyway if you want to keep it looking factory. A short length of round bar with one end flattened out and drilled so you could get the pin in at the gearbox end and then weld the other end at the appropriate spot to the 4 speed linkage. Jobs done.

 

Cheers,

Al

[el_freddo]

Are you sure you’re in neutral when you try to select the next gear?

Have you found reverse yet? It makes a very different sound to the forward gears. 

Don’t try to aniticipate what gear you’re in, get a feel for the movements the box allows you get into then work it out from there. 

You need to rotate the input shaft when you’re in a gear. Do it for each gear. If there’s any resistance that’s not a constant there’s potentially an issue with the gearbox. 

As mentioned, removing the drain plug and inspecting the oil, or at the very least getting your finger in to feel around for an metal around the drain hole is also an important assessment to do too. 

I hope that helps. 

Cheers 

Bennie

[greatdane66]

Yes, definitely in neutral when trying to rotate the input shaft left or right. Strange deal, I was just trying to rule out some kind of safety switch that I was missing without the linkage. So if it should shift like any other transmission, I’m just in for a drive to a yard far far away haha.

[sparkyboy]

It's always good to have a spare laying around, especially if you can find a good dual range at junkyard prices.

I can only tell you my experience with an untested manual trans, and that would be a muncie 3 speed that I purchased with an engine for my camaro. I remember that the only gear that I could rotate by hand and see the output shaft spinning was in 3rd. None of the other gears I could turn by hand, I assume it would just take more muscle to do so. That trans is a 1:1 top gear and is still in my camaro. But all the action was smooth. On that trans i could also select two opposite gears on the pattern one at the same time so one and two, and third and reverse could be selected and that would also make the trans unable to rotate. 

In comparison to the dual range the mincie is a very simple transmission both selectors middle is neutral and you can move the 1st and reverse and put the other one in the middle to select 2nd and third. I love the muncie 3 speed because first gear is left and down, like the old ferraris :-) but I digress slightly

The dual range has three selectors and the 4wd? I never looked closely at mine because it has never given me problems, bushings and all. And I did an ej22 swap and everything...it's kind of a shame I don't know my own car better now that I think about it lol

If the 4wd is in neutral the output shaft won't spin I assume? I also don't know exactly how the two detent system will work in relation with the stick and selectors, im trying to picture it but there could be many combinations where the trans is in two gears at once.

So I if I were you I would find 2wd and fifth and try to turn by hand I guess you will have to watch for the axle parts turning. Or just try every single combination and be certain i tried them all.What is the technical term for where you shove the axle into? The cup? Housing? You know what I am saying, it sounds like you know what you are talking about.

Then I would follow @el_freddo and @fergloyale and @al zheimer  advice to really see if the trans works, then come back with another post and put that camaro fool up on the dual range game 

Good luck man! I see them from time to time and I am about to start hoarding the d/r and I let a posi slip by me once. Never again! I see you have only a few posts so welcome to the forum, if not for usmb I would not have done the ej22 swap on my 86 GL or bought my 85 xt

Edited January 10, 2019 by sparkyboy

[el_freddo]

@sparkyboy - and for others - don’t forget that when in a low gear you have to rotate the input shaft MANY times to even see a change of orientation at the output shaft...

I should’ve added in my first post about the rotating of the input shaft - don’t just do one, do many so that you’re investigating all of the gear’s teeth in doing so.

When the gearbox in neutral, the output shaft may rotate when the input shaft is rotated. And I would expect in a fresh box that this would always be the case due to tight tolerances.

Cheers 

Bennie

[MR_Loyale]

This writeup may help you visualize.

 

[Al Zhiemer]

What Bennie said, it helps to paint a spline and a matching location on the housing for reference. Makes it much easier to see if it has moved.

 

Cheers,

Al

 

On a side note, while you have access to the flywheel, go and get some reflective tape. Cut 4 thin strips, 2 about 5 mm long and another 2 at about 10 mm long. I run Ruby at 12 degrees BTDC, I've placed the two long ones at 0 and 12 degrees BTDC and the other two shorter ones on 10 and 14 degrees BTDC. The timing light picks these locators up beautifully. I've used paint before and that works well but the reflective tape makes it far easier to see.