trans locking in gear.

ryanwheelock · Sep 29, 2009

I have 78 chevy C10 that has been passed down to me. Shes an old wood hauler but has been parked for a few years because it likes to lock into gear when shifting mostly from 1st to reverse and sometimes going from 1st to 2nd. Its a 78 Chevy C10 2 wheel drive with the three speed shifter on the steering column. I can remember it doing once in a great while back when my dad and grandpa had it. Once it locks up you have to open the hood and wiggle the shifter linkage and it comes out of gear. Wondering it anyone has seen this problem before and if can be fixed? something with the shifter forks inside the trans?
Hopefully knowbody gets mad for putting this question under tractor talk.
Thanks
Ryan

glennster · Sep 29, 2009

check the shift bushings in all the linkages. also, and it may sound weird at first, but check the motor mounts and trans mount. could be one mount is bad, causing the motor to either lift up or shift a little sideways, making the linkages lock the trans in two gears.

jal-SD · Sep 29, 2009

Common 3-speed chevy problem. My old '51 chev car did it all the time, as did the '60 Apachie-10 pick-up I drove more than 100,000 miles (loved that old truck). Pop the hood, move the shifting rods on the column base so they are level in the middle of the three positions, get in her & go. Or you can replace the bushings (for somer big $$) & go for another 15,000 miles or so. (My $0.02 worth. jal-SD)

rustyfarmall · Sep 29, 2009

No, it is not in the transmission itself. The other guys have it pretty well covered.

BCnT · Sep 29, 2009

save yourself alot of headaches and cash and stick a aftermarket floor shifter in it...GM is known for lousy column shifters.

ryanwheelock · Sep 29, 2009

Thanks guys. I'll check the bushings. Can remember my grandma drivin the truck when I was little and the gears locking up at a stop light. wasnt bad if stuck in 1st but when stuck in others had top get out and wiggle the linkage under the hood in the middle of traffic.

RobMD · Sep 29, 2009

Had a 52 chev with three on the tree. Lots of shifting was done, all the pawls were worn. Taking this apart shows how stupid the design was, which would obviously leave a mother and daughter stranded in cold weather.

I got rid of it for that reason, but then when I saw a show on TV called "trucks," I saw that they installed an electronic solenoid shifter kit for the 3 on the tree. They threw the linkage in the trash, and used the original shifter handle as a giant electrical switch. The solenoid threw the truck into whichever gear easily.

RickieBlue · Sep 29, 2009

Lots of the Chev shifters had a way to tighten them up...at the bottom of the column just under the shifter..there is a plate held in by 3 screws..the screws are on the outside of the column..loosen the screws and turn the plate..the screws are in slotted holes at angles and will take all of the up and down slop out of the shifter. Let us know what you find!

Leroy · Sep 29, 2009

Don't know about the Chevy trucks but had an AMC Rambler Classic 1963 that would lock up different times, Dad had to garage for that a few times and they would get it back in adjustment and tighten a screw, after a while it would repeat itself, finaly one day I got to fiddling with it and found where that screw was comming loose and letting it get out of adjustment, got it back in place and screw just kept turning and not tightening up. Grabed a worm drive hose clamp and put around steering coulum over screw head and tightened down good. Never locked in gear again as that hose clamp kept the screw tight so the adjustment could not slide.

trans locking in gear.

ryanwheelock

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glennster

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jal-SD

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rustyfarmall

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BCnT

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ryanwheelock

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RobMD

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RickieBlue

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Leroy

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