Ok, here's what happenned: i drove my teener around last night and everything seemend to go great, all gear engaged very smoothly (except for 1st of course), then this morning when i took it for quick dash around the block i tried to go up to 4th gear but the lever just wouldn't go far enough to the right, i would always end up engaging 2nd gear... i drove the car back home and did a quick check of the bushings and linkages, everything seems to be fine. tried going into 4th again with the car turned off, but still nothing; the lever just refuses to go far enough to the right, then all of sudden it works again, but since it's always too good to be true, it only lasts a couple of shifts.
now i'm worried it's got something to do with the tranny's internals.
any feedback on what could be happenning would be great, since i've got a whole driving weekend planned.
thanks guys
Nick

QUOTE (Hydra @ Aug 12 2005, 10:24 AM)

i drove the car back home and did a quick check of the bushings and linkages, everything seems to be fine.

i bet the set-screw at the shifter coupler near the firewall is coming lose ...

pull back the rubber cover and make sure the screw is tight.
Andy

GOD DAMN!! you guys are quick!!!!
the one thing i didn't check was the under the boot....
i'll check it asap and get back to you.
So in your opinion it is unlikely that the problem's source is inside the tranny?
Nick

While you're under there, check the engine and transmission mounts. When they fail or rip the rubber part the engine can move and shifting is affected and then they can move back so shifting works again!

Good way to check if it's the tranny, get under the car and shift it into 4th by hand...

The problem you're having is almost exactly like what I had, my problem was the firewall bushing though.

I had similar shifting issues, and it turned out to be that one of the two bushings in the shift coupler was crumbling.

Also check to see if the pin in the center of the shift coupler bushings is backing out. If the bushings are replaced the pin just floats free after the reinstall. To fix it, take a chisel and raise some grooves on the pin center. This will make it a friction fit in the shift rod.

If you have a lathe, knurl the center of the pin.

upon further inspection, i found out that the bushing that fits between the shift rod and the gearbox mounting plate (the last one) is missing.
could this be the source of all my problems?

QUOTE (Hydra @ Aug 13 2005, 05:42 PM)

could this be the source of all my problems?

i think not. can you shift into 4th/5th by hand at the tranny ???

Andy

QUOTE

can you shift into 4th/5th by hand at the tranny ???

Yes i can, very easily... i also noticed that the ball bushing at the engine side of the firewall moves 1/4 of an inch along the the pin, and i don;t know how much this would affect shifting.
the reason i suspected the rear bushing was the source of my problem is that when i try to shift to 4th and 5th, the rod instead of turning around its axel and driving the shaft out of the gerabox, tends to move closer the tranny but the shaft that goes into the gearbox doesn't move.
Anyway i'll double check the shifter coupler later today.
thanks all for the feedback.
Nick

QUOTE (Hydra @ Aug 14 2005, 05:08 AM)

i also noticed that the ball bushing at the engine side of the firewall moves 1/4 of an inch along the the pin, and i don;t know how much this would affect shifting.

ohhh, i see, it's a tailshifter!

that changes things a bit. the bushing on the firewall ball has to be tight ...
have you ever replaced the bushings? if not, it will be a good investement to get a set of replacement bushings for the whole shifter mechanism ...

Andy

there are 2 pivot balls on the tail shifter. one on the rod attached to the wall and one on the rear section of the front rod. the front rod is a 2 piece affair. i agree with andy. if you've never replaced the bushings, you're better off breaking down and replacing every one at the same time instead of one, then one, then one,... why adjust the whole thing every time you do one bushing? order a new roll pin for inside the rear cover at the same time. it's a 5x24 triple rolled pin. order 2 and a new gasket as well. often overlooked are the 2 bushings that cradle the ball on the shifter lever. you're in cyprus right? save on shipping and get everything at the same time. looking at the exploded parts diagram on p90 of the haynes manual will help you quite a bit.

k