I have shifting woes too

Since I started this thread in December my body has rejected my gall bladder with some complications so just around to staraightening out my shifting woes.
My mechanic and I pulled the vacuum canister. Disasembly was trickly, hard to get the end off. Once the end was off we found the piston almost glued to the inside of the canister. The previous owner had used white (lithium?) grease to lube the the neoprene seal. The grease had turned to stone. After many tries to pull the piston out we pumped the canister with high pressure air and blew the piston cross the shop with a requisite loud BANG.
Cleaned and polished the canister interior, lubed the neoprene seal w/ silicone grease reassembled and everything works as new. Ok, a little grinding getting into first and reverse but not badat all.

wcoye wrote: Don, Pat and Tom,
Thanks for your council! Will let you know how it all plays out.
Bill

Any news Bill?

Don, Pat and Tom,
Thanks for your council! Will let you know how it all plays out.
Bill

All good points!

Bill, I've found that the most common points of problems are:

--cross-shaft interlock switch (rebuild or replace)
--rubber valve seals in the solenoid pack (replace)
--corrosion and poor connections in the housings of the solenoid pack (clean up, solder ground jumpers in, etc)
--vacuum leaks in the cross shaft diaphragm housing (replace seal, diaphragm)
--clutch switch condition and wiring connections(replace, rebuild)
--clutch pedal operated mechanical interlock on the side of the trans (make sure it's even there!!)

I'd address all of these right off the get-go. If they aren't problems now, they probably will be soon!

Just my exp.

Have fun with it- they are a mechanical marvel! (I love this stuff)

Don

I find that with the transmission cover off and front wheels off the ground you can do a lot of troubleshooting just as the car is driven. Get your wife or someone who doesn't mind shifting the car while running with wheels off the ground, and shift the gears in all different patterns and watch what happens with the main cylinder and the cross shift cylinders. When you see a problem making a complete shift wiggle the wires at the cross shift switch, solenoid bank, main shift cylinder swith, and the firewall plug. Many times this causes a completed shift, and tells you where to find the problem. My wife gets bored quickly, so I usually call my son. As Tim and Tom have mentioned, do a thorough wiring check. Other mechanical issues may be main cylinder arm on cross shaft or dogbone loose, main cylinder rod rubbing on transmission cover, misadjusted interlock, vacuum leaks, etc. It takes time to get these car right, but once your there, they are great. I have had a lot of trouble with original cross shift switches and replace them with a modern unit I make with limit switches.
Good luck....

Good luck and if these don't work ask again

Thanks Tim and Tom. She decided not to start at all this weekend. Sigh. So once I get her started I'll give your suggestions a try.
Bill

Tim's suggestions are very good. Before doing his suggestions you should first make sure that the vacuum cylinder is tight on it's triangular mount. There should be no movement back and forth at that location. The rubber grommets need to be compressed with no slack. If need be, install washers to make it very tight. If it is not tight then all the rest of the adjustments will not work.

Hi Bill: start with the easy stuff first. I'd remove the transmission cover, then start the engine (with the clutch stick depressing the clutch). Go to the front of the car (selector in neutral), and try pulling/pushing the main shift lever. If you have good vacuun, you should get substantial pushback from the shift lever. Remember, in neutral, you should have vacuum on both sides of the piston. If that checks out ok, go to the published electrical checks. I'd do the solenoid check first, as that is quite easy and straight forward. Have a strong charged battery; disconnect startix; disconnect electric fuel pump(if used); clutch in; ignition on; place both the cockpit selector switch and the transmission (manually) in the gear you are testing. That should keep you occupied for awhile. Let us know how it turns out.
CORDially, Tim.

Hi all!
I've been following the forum shifting discussions hoping to learn the meaning of life....oops, I mean how to sort out my situation: Backing out of the garage is ok. If I put her in N and go close the garage door it's a hassle getting back into reverse. Once out in the street 1st is usually a piece of cake but shifting to 2nd I have to hold the clutch in forever and it's a crapshoot if second will take. Often I have to try putting her in first and/or third, sometimes reving the engine helps. Once I do get into second, 3rd and 4th are usually(but not always) reliable.
I'm working up the nerve to in there and try to figure all this out. Josh Malks had offered to help walk me through the shifting. Sadly, that won't happen.
So, all you out in Cord-land, what do you suggest I do that won't be disastrous? Does anyone know somebody in the Silicon Valley area or surrounds who might be willing to mentor me?
Always happy to provide beer and pizza!
Thanks in advance, Bill