iansw

iTrader: (7)

I received a 5spd transmission today, and was told you can test it by moving the spot where the shift rods connect to it with a screwdriver and shifting it through all the gears.

I attempted this, and it only moves a little tiny bit upwards/downwards and only twist maybe 1/8th of an inch with a "click" sound.


mtrai760 is with me, and he tried it, and said when he did his sawp the mechanism moved alot more, and he could feel it move through the gears by pushing/pulling and twisting it. He was VLSD however, and this is not. (not that I'm sure that matters)

Does that mean the tranny is broken? Is there something else I should do to make it move?

I don't want to spend all that time converting my car just to put a broken tranny in it, so let me know....

Thanks!
IanS

hlh0501

iTrader: (1)

it is not easy to do , you have to almost jam it into the gear and yank it out and pull back to get it in the other..

i can say from personal experience, its worth checking!! as I have installed a 5spd tranny before where the shift rod was bent internally (i guess from a wreck the donor car was in?) talk about VERY frustrating to have everything finished and not be able to shift the gear shifter inside the car.

Maximan190

iTrader: (8)

was it a minor thing to fix? or did it require a full rebuild or something

dont mind my asking a million questions in the near future as i may be doing this

hlh0501

iTrader: (1)

I purchased another whole tranny and junked the bent-shift-rod one. not to say there wasnt some way to have fixed it? I was 12hours from home and just wanted it finished and running, new tranny was avail the next day..

and i'm all for questions, email them over i am happy to help

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

Ian, this sounds like the problem. EB was wacking it pretty good while I held it inplace.

gotta let me help take it apart

MrGone


oh btw, if it helps any, when we spin the input shaft, we can see the transmission spinning where the splines interconnect.
the transmission appears to be in 4th or 5th gear, I started to count the turn ratio, but kept loosing my place and had nothing to mark the input shaft with, I held a flat head inbetween 2 of the ridges just so I could "easily" keep track of its position.

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

sometimes checking if it shifts gears isnt all you need to test. apperently mine shifts fine but the striking rod is seriously phucked up

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Thanks...but I bent 2 1/8" metal rods today on it...it's not moving at ALL....I'll worry about other problems once I get this fixed, if I do.

Dammit...

I would think if it were broken, it would rattle around or something in there...but it doesn't. Just turns a tiny bit to the right with a resounding click, then when I let go, it clicks back to it's original position. I tried pushing in and out by applying all of my 200lbs on it....and ebmorgan did that too...and he weighs 300 (and thus bent a rod).

iansw

iTrader: (7)

I also think maybe I'm going to try to find a tranny shop tomorrow and have them look at it.

But they're going to probably tell me it's bad no matter what, and try and make me buy a new one....

IanS

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

If its clicking while turning it clockwise (5th+reverse) then thats normal

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Yep.

That's it. So it shouldn't move otherwise?

what about counter-clockwise? Inward, outward?

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

oh the way to fix it is open it up and replace the rod like what im about to do. mines bent in a way that it will allow it to shift fine but it wont seal up correctly so it will leak fluid

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

well it will move but its harder since theres more resistance going to 5th and reverse from neutral. you will need to get the rod into neutral center before you can get to reverse.

1st- counter cw, pull
2nd- cc, push
3rd- center, pull
4th- center push
5th-clockwise pull
reverse-clockwise push

iansw

iTrader: (7)

So what is nuetral center....if I need to get there from reverse/5th?

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

From is the key word there

wait, so this means we are supposed to twist the shifter connector then actually make the shift?

Im pretty sure the tranny wasnt affected by your little kicking spurts probably gets more of a shock from a hard shift than that, or a speed bump.

this is interesting. If the rod is bent, would we be able to replace it? Let me know if I should pick up any parts for you.

MrGone

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

as you may have noticed, the rod will move in and out and also stay inbetween which is where neutral is. neutral center is when the rod isnt being moved clockwise or counter so it will just rest in teh middle as if the shifter in the car would have it.

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

yes it twists thats exactly what your doing with the shifter inside the car, it pushes and twists the shift linage. yes you can replace it thats exactly what Im going to be doing soon. I need to either go to the dealer for one if I cant find someone with a used one off a junked tranny.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

I'll call Napa during lunch tommarrow.
I understand the twisting thing but now I want to go try and pop it out of gear!! I know where Ian will be tommarrow (err later today).

MrGone

iansw

iTrader: (7)

OK, I'm still confused.

Those directions above - is that to get it INTO each gear, or into Nuetral FROM each of those gears?

schuss

the point is, we can't get it to move enough to perform those switches.

it turns ever so slightly to the right and makes a satisfying click (that's with a large screwdriver for leverage - it's not easy to turn).

it doesn't move in or out, or turn any other direction. when you try, there's a satisfying click that stops movement - it doesn't feel gummy or bound up, just latched in a gear.


my analogy would be in an auto, when you park on a hill and turn your wheels all the way one direction, and come back to drive your car and you can't get the steering wheel out of lock - you have to wiggle the wheel and the shifter to get it to 'click out'.


i think something similar's going on here - problem is, without being installed, we have no clutch pressure and very little leverage on the shift linkage. i have to wonder if it was installed if we'd be able to wiggle it into motion. on the other hand, it would totally suck to install it and have that not be true...

mtrai760

iTrader: (19)

We tried moving the linkage through the gears, but it will only move side to side. I know you have to move it to get it to shift, but it will not move in or out at all, no matter what position it's in. I think were gonna have to crack it open and see what we can see...

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

This is how to get it into gear:
My guess is that we would then need to turn it and push/pull on it to try and get it out of gear. maybe we could make a wooden box to fit over the tranny and install the shifter on it and get us some more leverage?

MrGone

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

when I first got my tranny it was very hard to push it in and out but managed to use some large pliers to do it and now Im able to just use my hands easly. I dont know but I still have to open mine up to replace the rod so maybe your on the same boat as me

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Well, I just spent 2 more hours mucking with it.

This is how it is, and has been, from the beginning.

When puling outward it will move out about 1/10th of an inch - barely at all. When doing this and turning clockwise, I get a small click.

When it is not pulled out or pushed in, and I turn it clockwise, and gives a louder click.

It will not push in at all.

This is using a steel rod and putting my feet on the tranny for leverage while pulling/pushing my hardest in, out, left, right.....clik-click-click.....damn that sound is mocking me.

The turning clockwise is about 1/8th of an inch - also barely at all.

I considered taking it apart, but then thought better of it, until I settle with the person I bought it from, I don't want to mess with the internals....besides, I'd have no idea what I was doing.

Another small thing - while turning the tranny over to get leverage, out of the trash bag it had been wrapped in came a small spring....it looks similar to the springs that go on the insude of the front brakes, but the spacing between the metal pieces is thinner....almost hourglass shaped. Anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? I was thinking it came off the throw-out bearing holder thing or something, but I don't know.

IanS

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

that spring is for the fork that pushes on the throw out bearing. it doesnt take much to move the rod counter cw, its almost effortless and barely moves.

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Nope - not for me.

This sucks - I've been looking forward to installing the 5spd for months, and this is the only time before probably June I'll have time to do it.

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

also, you need to twist it before you pull on the rod while the rod is pulled out to neutral. the key before switchign in any gears is that the rod must be dead center(not pushed in and not pulled out) but right in the middle.

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Thanks - tried that a bunch of times too.

I've spent about 4 hours in the last 2 days playing with it, and schuss, MrGone, and mtrai760 spent another 3 or 4 hours combined yesterday.



I know I seem negative right now, but I'm just REALLY .

Sorry about that.

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

dont feel bad, I been on my 5sp project for well over a half year now. only thing for me is to take the time to open this sucker up and fix it myself. me working on other toyota 5speed trannys helps but I never looked at a maxima one before

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

Does this mean that we need to replace the rod?

If you would like Ian, I can do it at the shop on Thursday, or at home anytime.

MrGone

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

sounds like you might have to. if you do and if you buy another rod, please let me know how much that thing cost because I need one too.

Ramius83

When I had received my transmission I could only put it into neutral and another gear by pulling back on it. I could NOT, for the sake of my life, get it to click into the other gears. But, after I said what the hell and installed it anyway and hooked up the shifter, it worked fine. Have you tried hooking up the stock shifter linkage yet? I still think you are ok. Only RARELY will a shifter rod bend, and this rare time was in Hal's case.....

maximase86

iTrader: (24)

I went over and helped ian with it today. We couldn't get it to work, I called my uncle to check on it, and he was thinking that there was a possibility of a bent fork. So we took the cover off, and there was a magnet sitting on the differential gear. But it shifts now with the cover off. We are betting it had something to do with either that magnet, or the gears got goofed up some how, or the shift rods were a little out of whack. We have it shifting from 1st through 4th gear. 5th and reverse seem to be really tough to engage though, but I'm betting it will be fine once everything gets put back together and in the car.

S

iansw

iTrader: (7)

HEY! I wanted to announce it!!!



Yep - It's working now - or seems to be...

Thank god - I was freaking out.

maximase86

iTrader: (24)

lol! You're too slow dammit!

S

iansw

iTrader: (7)

I was busy kissing the gf's azz for being gone all weekend.



Anyone know where the 1/2 circle catch magnet goes inside the transmission?

IanS

schuss

well, thankfully that's over. i thought i was actually going to have to come up with my own plans for next weekend...

guess there's no point in washing those work gloves...

maximase86

iTrader: (24)

Yeah...though we do have to reassemble the tranny....so you might want to clean them....just in case.

S

ericdwong

Theres a slot in the bellhousing side of the case of the transmission that it fits into.

Dave B

Even with the tranny in the car, 5th and reverse are nearly impossible to engage while just sitting still. I'd imagine the reverse lock-out is causing much of the problems there.


Dave

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Yeah, I looked for that, but didn't see it.

Can someone circle with Photoshop where it goes on this pic?

(I know it's a small pic, but it's all I can find right now, and can't take a pic of the tranny, because it's at a firend's house)