4+3 overdrive, reverse, and clicking problems

[W.lindberg86]

Hey so I had no choice but to start driving my 86 last week due to some problems with my truck. Before I got the car, the transmission was rebuilt and I helped install it. Then before I put it in service, I flushed ALL the fluids (engine oil, ATF, manual trans, coolant, brake, power steering, and clutch).

When I first started driving the car on little 1-3 mile trips just to see how things were going with it, it ran fine without any problems.

Now that I'm forced to drive it daily 40 miles a day I've realized that something with the trans is very wrong.

I'll post a video later today to explain more on what is happening, but I'll describe it here to the best of my ability and knowledge.

Here's the scoop: when I back out of my driveway, I'll put the car into reverse and let the clutch out, however the car won't reverse. It'll engage the gear but it'll just whine at me (like a clutch slip). I can literally keep the car in reverse, get out and stretch, it won't move. So I have to push it out of the driveway. Then, once I'm in the street, I get back in, and try to move to 1st gear. This is where the fun starts; I can't remove it from reverse! I literally have to put the shifter in a "no mans land" and hit it towards the forward gears with my hand to pop it over to the 1-4 side of the gearbox. So I get it over there, and go to first gear, but as I let the clutch out, the trans locks up (at first I thought this was a rear diff problem). I literally have to give the car a good amount of gas and drop the clutch. It'll POP the rear wheels and now I can free roll or drive forward.

Once I'm in forward gears, I can shift 1-4 just fine. No grinding, popping, slipping, etc...

OH WAIT THERES MORE!!!

So, the overdrive has me thinking that it's permanently engaged. When I drive forward 1-4, I can take my foot off the gas and it'll drop to an idle RPM. When I downshift say from 3-2 and let the clutch out it won't engage the gear until I give it a little gas, it'll just stay at idle rpm. There's also a lot of "clicking and thumping" coming from the trans as well as I'm driving forward. This mainly happens right after I have to reverse the car. I've since found parking spots that I can pull through and I've started pulling the car into a turnabout in my driveway so I don't have to ever reverse it now.

I also noticed since I get up so early for work, that when I'm driving in the dark, I'll come to a stop sign, put the car in first like normal and start to drive... Well when I get to the stop sign, and enter 1st gear, I saw in my mirrors that the reverse lights come on!

I'm so sorry for the long post, but I'm so lost on what's going on with my car! I've checked all my fluids again, and they all seem fine.

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Edit: I forgot to mention that the overdrive button seems to be working fine, as in; I press it and on the console it tells me if OD is enabled or not.


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[forrest]

Hey so I had no choice but to start driving my 86 last week due to some problems with my truck. Before I got the car, the transmission was rebuilt and I helped install it. Then before I put it in service, I flushed ALL the fluids (engine oil, ATF, manual trans, coolant, brake, power steering, and clutch).

When I first started driving the car on little 1-3 mile trips just to see how things were going with it, it ran fine without any problems.

Now that I'm forced to drive it daily 40 miles a day I've realized that something with the trans is very wrong.

I'll post a video later today to explain more on what is happening, but I'll describe it here to the best of my ability and knowledge.

Here's the scoop: when I back out of my driveway, I'll put the car into reverse and let the clutch out, however the car won't reverse. It'll engage the gear but it'll just whine at me (like a clutch slip). I can literally keep the car in reverse, get out and stretch, it won't move. So I have to push it out of the driveway. Then, once I'm in the street, I get back in, and try to move to 1st gear. This is where the fun starts; I can't remove it from reverse! I literally have to put the shifter in a "no mans land" and hit it towards the forward gears with my hand to pop it over to the 1-4 side of the gearbox. So I get it over there, and go to first gear, but as I let the clutch out, the trans locks up (at first I thought this was a rear diff problem). I literally have to give the car a good amount of gas and drop the clutch. It'll POP the rear wheels and now I can free roll or drive forward.

Once I'm in forward gears, I can shift 1-4 just fine. No grinding, popping, slipping, etc...

OH WAIT THERES MORE!!!

So, the overdrive has me thinking that it's permanently engaged. When I drive forward 1-4, I can take my foot off the gas and it'll drop to an idle RPM. When I downshift say from 3-2 and let the clutch out it won't engage the gear until I give it a little gas, it'll just stay at idle rpm. There's also a lot of "clicking and thumping" coming from the trans as well as I'm driving forward. This mainly happens right after I have to reverse the car. I've since found parking spots that I can pull through and I've started pulling the car into a turnabout in my driveway so I don't have to ever reverse it now.

I also noticed since I get up so early for work, that when I'm driving in the dark, I'll come to a stop sign, put the car in first like normal and start to drive... Well when I get to the stop sign, and enter 1st gear, I saw in my mirrors that the reverse lights come on!

I'm so sorry for the long post, but I'm so lost on what's going on with my car! I've checked all my fluids again, and they all seem fine.

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Edit: I forgot to mention that the overdrive button seems to be working fine, as in; I press it and on the console it tells me if OD is enabled or not.


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well that is mouth full of problems, and I am hoping its a simple repair with out a need to pull the trans that's last thing you need after your install nightmare.

lets start simple raise up the car look at the linkages make sure there is nothing jamming or interfering, are the linkages installed correctly (forward gears pointing up from trans side. reverse pointing down from trans) are the bolts tight and the shifter arms in there notch. you should be able put the car in each gear by hand from under car. if not take the shifter arms off and try again if you can't get into each gear, its time to enter the trans. Remove the shifter side cover inspect the shifter forks look for broken welds, with the side cover removed you should be able see the reverse idler gear and the bronze bushing.

one more thing about the side cover sometimes the blocking balls wear out which could allow you to catch 2 gears at the same time hence locking up the trans, I have heard of people revving and dumping but usually they just wide up shattering their counter shaft or nocking some teeth off.

rebuilding the side cover is very easy so you just may want to just do it. Sometimes when people rebuild the side covers they forget to install the blocking spacer inside the side cover spring making the blocking balls ineffective

as for not moving in reverse I seem to remember if the sprag bearing gives out in the OD if that's the case the trans needs to be pulled and rebuilt SORRY!!!

 

[W.lindberg86]

Thanks for the info! I'll be checking into it as soon as I get my truck back on the road (hoping for Sunday).

When I do finally get to looking at the side cover, where can I buy a rebuild kit?

What you described about the blocking balls, and catching 2 gears at once seems to be what my issue may be. Especially since I'm hearing a lot of clicking and ticking coming from the trans. Maybe I broke some teeth off.

Would this also "lock" me into OD? Or would that be more of another issue?


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[forrest]

Thanks for the info! I'll be checking into it as soon as I get my truck back on the road (hoping for Sunday).

When I do finally get to looking at the side cover, where can I buy a rebuild kit?

What you described about the blocking balls, and catching 2 gears at once seems to be what my issue may be. Especially since I'm hearing a lot of clicking and ticking coming from the trans. Maybe I broke some teeth off.

Would this also "lock" me into OD? Or would that be more of another issue?


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As you can well imagine the gear box and the O-D for the most part function as 2 separate transmissions other than the possibility of shifter the second gear shifter switch being a little confused with a partial in or out of gear because of side cover problem might make OD operation a little off but you should still be able to kick out OD with hard acceleration or manually kick out with OD on off switch. so I think you may have other problems.

in a 10 second google/Bing search I came up with a few places for some parts

Borg Warner Parts