shifting problem

The fact it is 1st, 3rd & 5th (i.e. all on one side of the shift gate) it sounds a lot like a shift linkage issue, requiring adjustment. I just went through that same thing, but with 2nd and 4th, turned out one clamp was actually a little loose, just enough that the linkage was moving up and down the spline rather than moving the shift linkage at the ZF.

Actually, I purchased #7024 late last year with a '2nd gear synchro' problem and last week after adjusting up all the shifter linkage mechanism I seem to have resoilved any problem it may have had previously Although I haven't driven far yet, it seems to be shifting through all gears just fine, so I'm gonna be real happy if I don't have the expense of ZF repair just yet. Only thing now is I'm toying with still stripping out the transmission, just to check that it has been safety wired.

Julian

I was looking through the manual to adjust the linkage but i got stuck where it says"set the gearshift lever in Neutral and loosen the two locknuts on either side of the turnbuckle in the rear gearshift rod"
Where is the rear gearshift rod under the car?under the console?What is "turnbuckle"?

If it's not in the actual shifter linkage from the gate back to the shifter box.....

It could be one of bolts inside the shitfer box, rear of gerbox, upper left has worked it's way loose and out and is stopping the selector arm from moving. This would be one of the first things I would check if it's not the linkage since it is a problem with all lower gears.

I had the same problem with all upper gears and it tuned out to be the allen head bolt inside the box worked it's way out and was blocking the selector from moving.

You can check it without removing the gearbox.

The crub screws under the cover plate on the ZF inside the box are for side to side selector adjustment. I doubt this is your problem.

There are 3 turn buckles. They small U-joints in a since. Remove the interior center console to get to one of them. The 2nd is just in front of your Truniun bearing just aff of the firewall and the 3rd is just in front of the shifter box. They are used for slight adjustments forward or back.

The lock nuts/turn buckle is on the rod itself rearward of the firewall Truniun Bearing. This is for side to side adjustment of the shift lever in the interior gate.

QUOTE]Originally posted by panhe:
my trans wont shift into 1st,3rd or 5th gear.What could be wrong?[/QUOTE]

thanks! is this the u-joint i should adjust ?the gears are not stuck because when the car is off i can get into all gears but when running i cant get the lower gears.

Coz, Correct me it I'm wrong ...but the adjustment can also be made here. Keep the splines in line and just loosen a little. The splines slide in the shafts and then you lock them down with the clamps. This joint is esier to get to.

Pardon my ignorance but what are the splines? and do i loosen the nuts seen in each side of the shaft and turn the bar counterclockwise or clockwise to adjust?thanks for your help

The splines are the serated ends of the bar (male end) and the serated interior of the turnbuckle (female). The turnbuckle should not slip around on the shaft, because it has splines. If you need to turn the assembly you can separate the two and move it around one spline at a time and slip it back on, alhthough there is a limited amount you can do this because the lock bolt has to go through the flat spot on the shaft. If it was working OK previously, I would suggest initially just sliding the turnbuckle in or out a little on the shaft, this woudl help to recenter your gear shift. That is all mine came down to, although it was a bit of trial and error to get the exact right spot.

I wasn't gonna say anything but I did spend four months trying to get my linkage adjusted so I do feel like I know a little something about it. The adjusting the u-joint thing, just plain doesn't work very well. It throws off the geometry and no matter how tight you get the bolt, if the shaft end isn't fully seated, it will slip. The turnbuckle is key to the length adjustment, but coz is right. If those little set screws on the shaft inside the box are loose, you can wind up dinking with it for four months and feel like a total moron when you find out how much time and money you wasted when you buy a new trunion bearing for sevety bucks. I follow the little red book to the letter. If that doesn't work, it will be the little allan head set screws.

...some of you are confusing 'Turnbuckles' with 'U-Joints'. The pictures that are posted are of the U-Joints, and NO adjustment for Length should be made there as the cross-bolt must pass through a flat amoung the splines that were mention previously. The 'Turnbuckle' is on the shifter rod at the point BETWEEN THE HALFSHAFT AND THE BELLHOUSING!! It is a threaded Bar aprox. 3" long with a 'hex' in its' center 1" long. On each side is a Jam-nut, the one closest towards the Bellhousing has a 'Right hand thread'; the jam nut farthest from the B. Housing Has Little 'Nicks' on the 'Sharps' of this nut, this is the univeral signiture of a 'Left-Handed thread'. THIS TurnBuckel IS where the adjustment for lenthening and shortening the shift-rod IS made. You simply loosen both jam-nuts and turn the central 'Hex' with a wrench CLOCKWISE (as observed from the rear of the car) To SHORTEN the Rod and turn it COUNTERCLOCKWISE

...to LENGTHEN The Rod, then tighten Both jam-nuts!! That is all. Good-Luck with it!

Yes, you are correct Larry. This is the 3rd
u-joint I was talking about at the shifter box. This is where I adjust the forward movement back and forth to center the shifter in the gate if it's just a little bit. I found that you can move this u-joint a little here and there and get the shifter centered in the gate without any problems and still have total engagement in upper and lower gears. When I am in any upper gears or lower gears, I have the same distance and positive engagement and it is totally centered.

Marlin is total right as to lengthing or shorting the rod.

quote:

Originally posted by lastpushbutton:
Coz, Correct me it I'm wrong ...but the adjustment can also be made here. Keep the splines in line and just loosen a little. The splines slide in the shafts and then you lock them down with the clamps. This joint is esier to get to.

There doesn't seem to be much clearance in this picture. You have to remember that the u-joint at this location moves side to side, forward and back. First thing I would do is invest in updated Truniun bearing. I got mine from Dennis at Pantera Performance. Came with the shifter rod and is really a great piece of work.

quote:

Originally posted by panhe:
thanks! is this the u-joint i should adjust ?the gears are not stuck because when the car is off i can get into all gears but when running i cant get the lower gears.

Ok. Marlin is exactly right. The turn buckle, which is where he said it was and is like a long nut with two shorter nuts on either side of it, not only adjusts the length. But depending on how you thighten it back up, center from side to side. After you get the length exactly right, you gotta make sure the shifeter in the car is exactly centered and stays that way while you tighten the turnbuckle. If you do that and it still has trouble getting into reverse or say fith, it means that the allan screws inside the ZF housing are loose. That means you have to tighten them and then readjust your turnbuckle again. If you are relying on your ujoints for cenetering or length adjustments, I garuntee you you will be very unhappy. My linkage right now is so smooth you can not tell if it went into gear, in other words, you feel no "clunk", hear absolutly no noise, feel no resistance. It is fluid, smooth and efortless. Having dinked with the stupid thing for so long, I may now be the worlds leading expert on how to adjust a Pantera shifter linkage. And I will tell everyone, if I was designing the thing it would come out a hell of a lot better. I came this close to designing and building a remote shifter jusst to get away from this pain in the ass proceedure.

Well hush my puppies Thanks Marlin, Dethom. I think I learned somthing on the thread. universal sign of left hand threads is good to know!

i asked two different mechanics and they both say it shouldnt be an adjusting problem but probably the "synchronizers" are the problem because i can engage the gears while its not running but not when its not.Might this be right?

bad synchronizer rings will cause the gears to grind when trying to engage them, is that what is happening?

A clutch that is not disengaging all the way will also make the transmission difficult or impossible to shift.

If grinding is not an issue, but the lever just can't be shoved home into certain gears, I would suspect it's an adjustment problem, or the trunion bearing.

Your friend on the DTBB, George

the gears wont grind they just dont go all the way into the 1,3, or 5th slot so the car wont go forward. I tried to adjust the rod in the u-joint under the ashtray in the center console,loosened the bolts and pushed the spline backwards but this didnt work. Where is the trunion bearing?

does anyone know where i can get a photo of the turnbuckle and how to exactly adjust it.Im having trouble with this !thanks

panhe, e-mail me mgreen15 at adelphia.net and I'll shoot some pictures for you.

i found the turnbuckle but i cant loosen the jam-nuts. do they have a special trick?to which way will they loosen?thanks

One is a left hand thread, one a right hand. Would have to look to see which is which. They may be pretty tight since they may not have moved for 30 some odd years.

quote:

Originally posted by panhe:
i found the turnbuckle but i cant loosen the jam-nuts. do they have a special trick?to which way will they loosen?thanks

To loosen, you grab the big nut with a ,I think it is 22mm open end?? Either 20 or 22, can't remember now, anyway grab it with one wrench and one of the others with another the same size, and turn the small nut toward the engine to loosen and away from to tighten. Both nuts loosen and tighten in the same direction.

Finally fixed it! it was an adjusment problem at the infamous turnbuckle. Thanks to all. Now to the next project!!!

Another satisfied customer! Congratulations!

BITCHEN!