Trouble after steering column repair.

[derek7871]

1968 F-100, manual steering, 3 on the tree.

After replacing a severely worn steering shaft (from steering wheel down to rag joint), I'm having some issues with the column shifter. Most of the time I can not get it to drop into reverse or first. Sometimes the shifter feels like it is bound up and I cannot pull it back toward me to get reverse or 1st......and sometimes it feels like it shifted good but I'll still be in 2nd or 3rd. The first time I drove it after the repair it shifted good several times the all of the sudden....from a dead stop....no 1st gear.

Something is not put back together correctly on the steering wheel end of the column. The steering wheel, turn signal piece and the shift collar are not fitting back together properly. With the shift collar in the correct spot, there is about 1/2 inch gap between wheel, turn signal piece, and collar.

Any ideas? This is the first time I've been mad enough at the truck to want rid of it....

Cooter

[no_treble]

I had a similar problem with my 69 3 on the tree with manual steering. The first issue was the shifter tube wasn't fully engaged all the way down at the bottom. Got that seated but it still would get stuck in first all the time. Here's the thread to that issue and how it got resolved, but it's not exactly the issue you describe... maybe some suggestions from there might help though: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... &sk=t&sd=a

[papabug71]

Check the drivers side cab mount for rot. All the hard shifting 3 speeds I've ever seen, including mine, have had bad cab mounts causing the shifter & the linkage to bind.

[fordman]

here are some things to think about and look at. as already said a worn or rusted out cab mount can and will affect shifting. as well as worn shift bushing in the shift arms both ends of the shift rods. also a incorrect shift arm positioning when putting the column back together could made it shift wrong. as well as a worn tag on the shift tube. the gap between the steering wheel and ts collar is an adjustment of the lower bearign retainer and column out tube. you loosen the tube up from the cab. and pull it to the steering wheel. then you move the lower column bearing retainer up to hold the lower column bearing into place. my bet is the cab mount is bad or the shift tube is worn. or possibly the shift arm bushings.

[derek7871]

The bushings on the shift arm (where the shift rod connects) are in good shape. The other suggestions I will have to investigate. It was shifting fine before I took it apart, but I will have a real good look at all cab mounts. I like the suggestion of the shift tube not going all the way down and engaging the R-1 shift arm. Say the transmission was in second gear and I wanted to shift down into 1st but the shift tube would not go all the way down to engage 1st gear. Would the transmission go into 3rd gear since I move the shift arm down?

Cooter