1972 C10 2wd M20 wont go into gear

[ratman90]

Okay here is a picture or two the white charging cord is towards the seat.

[mongocanfly]

if I'm seeing it right it looks jammed...take a big screwdriver and get all 3 shifters lined up...you'll have to pry em into place...

[ratman90]

Man I can't even tell what you're talking about from that picture I need to find some normal pictures along and go back to look at that thread.

What this happened because there was not oil in it?

[mongocanfly]

if you look down in the shifter hole you'll see 3 notched shift levers...they should all be lined up...here's a pic of a clean one so you can see em better...but this pic is in gear...

[mongocanfly]

are you saying the trans didn't have any oil in it? if that's the case you may have serious issues...

[ratman90]

Not 100% sure of level. Does not leak or drip. 90k miles so i did not stress about it. Had many other projects on the truck since july.

[ratman90]

Here is a video in my google drive. See if it works.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11va...w?usp=drivesdk

[ratman90]

What is that button or Rod looking thing on the left in my picture?

[jjzepplin]

What does the bottom of your shifter look like? Please post a pic. Your shifter has a small button on the bottom that goes in those slots. All the slots need to be aligned to be in neutral. The "Button" Should move freely between 3 aligned slots when in neutral if I remember right. Start with aligning that one on the right with the one in the middle.

[mongocanfly]

I can't tell what that is in the pic...lotta glare...and grease/oil....make sure its not the end of your shift rod broke off...

[ratman90]

Yeah when I initially pull the shifter out, I thought about that tab. I was not sure if I was hopeful that it was broken off so if he needs a fix or what. But it appears to be there.

[jjzepplin]

How hard was it to remove the shifter? It could have just come loose and raised up enough to come out of the slots. Could just need some work to the shifter.

[ratman90]

For some reason is telling me the security token will not let me upload a picture of the shifter. It has the little T on the end that I see on new shifter. Shifter came right out once I took off the lock ring with channel locks.

[jjzepplin]

Sound like it could be ok. Is the piece that goes into the slots at the end loose?

[ratman90]

Now it seems fine looks like it's Walden Honor made part of the rod itself if memory serves correct. I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to crawl up underneath there with enough light and enough space for a screwdriver and my face to see down inside there to line up those shifting rails

[jjzepplin]

It's not too hard. Go for it.

[ratman90]

So when I get these shift rails all aligned my transmission will go back to shifting normally?

[mongocanfly]

can't say for sure but its one step in the process....

[Tom]

This is a great chance to swap in an actual M20 like I did when my sm465 went out. The sm sucks anyways.

[Macdaddy1]

I have an M20 for sale if you are interested.

Pat

[ratman90]

After many attempts to try and use my phone to take video with the flash on so i could see, i got those things aligned an am running again!

Sorry for the delays between post trying to coordinate between jobs and 4H and everything else. I now need a chiropractor appointment for crawling up underneath there at the same time.

My question is why does it do that? How does he jump out like that?

[mongocanfly]

glad that was your problem and its fixed....its just one of those things that happens sometimes....

[jjzepplin]

My guess is wear on the shifter. It is held in by spring loaded force. We know how to fix your problem because we have been there and done that. The first time I pulled a SM420 I got 7 stitches. A good chiropractor is nice to have. Push down real hard on your shifter in neutral and see if it moves down any . This "play" can be the issue. You may have a worn out ball and socket on the pivot of your shifter. Good to hear you did not have to pull it! Happy motoring!