THM350 Gear Selector Lever on column

[brown7373]

I have my 72 Cheyenne back on the road with new engine and new power steering pump.

But I am having an issue with the gear selector. When coming out of Park, the lever should be pulled toward the driver to allow access to Reverse or Drive. My lever does not pull rearward. It has no front to back movement. Attached picture shows the column. I can grab by hand the part closest to the front with the rod attached and move it toward the front of the truck, which I think is what should happen when the lever is pulled rearward.. It feels spring loaded in the column. Is the other part closer to the top of the column supposed to move, or is it stationary.

Any thoughts on how to fix this?

[brown7373]

I double checked all the adjustments in the manual, hooked it all back together and it takes more effort than it used to, but now the lever will pull back like it is supposed to. It say for 18 months while I was doing some work, so maybe the lubricant there is dry. I'll see if it loosens up with use and heat cycles.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Easy fix. Drive out the pin that holds the shift lever in the column. Pull the lever out. Spray WD-40 or equivalent around the shift shaft inside the opening. Put the lever back in & put the punch in the hole instead of the pin. Work the lever back & forth till it frees up. Remove it again & spray some more. Put the lever back in & tap the pin back in the direction it came out.
George

[hjewell2]

Originally Posted by Wrenchbender Ret

Easy fix. Drive out the pin that holds the shift lever in the column. Pull the lever out. Spray WD-40 or equivalent around the shift shaft inside the opening. Put the lever back in & put the punch in the hole instead of the pin. Work the lever back & forth till it frees up. Remove it again & spray some more. Put the lever back in & tap the pin back in the direction it came out.
George

what he said!!!!!

[brown7373]

Thanks guys. I got it functioning but it is very tight. That should loosen it up.

[HO455]

I had a similar problem. The gear selector has a metal bushing inside the bottom of the column and it was rusted. The rust caused the bushing to swell and prevent the selector from turning and from moving forward and aft so the dog will fall into the detent as it should.
I had to pull the column and completely disassemble the lower end. It took me eight hours to do it. I am pretty sure it could of been done faster if I had soaked the lower end in penetrating oil overnight before starting as the biggest task was removing the swollen bushing.

[3757chevy]

I pulled the top of my column apart , cleaned all moving parts , reinstalled and spayed anti-seize into the shift lever hole . Now it works like new.