poppin out?

[tom hand]

I suggested the pilot bushing in my first post...If the pilot bushing is worn to allow the input shaft to move enough to cause problems, the bearing on the input shaft is toast. Replaceing the bushing may solve the problem for a while, but it will come back to haunt you.

[biglou55]

Jewels I would check the linkage for full throw put tranny in third gear get under the truck unhook that linkage rod and see if the tranny lever can be moved farther into third gear. If it can adjust it accordingly make sure second gear still catches too. If all is fine it couldbe the input bearing which stabilizes your cluster gears. a bent or worn out shifting fork. worn syncro.s. you could have lost a balance pad on your drive shaft. that is causing the vibes at a higher speed. these trannies are not hard to rebuild if you pay strict attention to the way you take them apart. good luck. I have seen all these problems cause the tranny to disengage.< kick out of gear.>

[ts71281]

Jewels this is the easiest way to put all your questions to rest. Simply crawl under your truck, shove your trans into 3rd gear and remove the linkage. If the linkage is hard to remove once your trans is in 3rd I would assume it's out of adjustment. Otherwise leave your trans in 3rd gear and REMOVE the linkage from the trans. Get back in your truck and go take it for a spin. If it drives fine with NO LINKAGE ATTACHED then it's the adjustment of the linkage rod. I'm going to bet you anything that driving your truck now at HWY speeds with no linkage attached is the smoothest your truck has been in a long time. Don't worry, your 350 should pull from a dead stop in direct drive just fine. I know my 454 does That 3spd Saginaw isn't an easy transmission to hurt. I am the only person on the board who has a 500 HP 454 sitting in front of a 3spd saginaw in my 70 shortbed. If you lived near or in MN I'd let you take it for a spin and then you'd know how a 3spd is supposed to shift. And those myth's about not being able to speed shift a 3spd? Keeping everything greased well and adjusted properly will have you shifting as fast as 99% of most other people on the road. Ever race someone on the street with a stick and hear that 2 second delay between gears as they're trying to "speed shift"? Anyways back to my reply. Yes Jewels, remove your linkage to your trans that goes to the 2/3 arm and manually put it in 3rd by hand and if you want find a big hill to assist you in getting your vehicle up to speed before you let the clutch out but go for a drive and see how it runs. Like I said, I'm willing to bet you it performs flawlessly. No sense in yanking the whole trans out to find there's no problem with it. Those Saginaw's aren't the lightest trans around. Try taking one out with no trans jack and using your chest as the trans jack . Good luck and let me know what you find out.


Joe Hirdler

Maple Grove, MN

[jewels.]

Originally posted by ts71281
Jewels this is the easiest way to put all your questions to rest. Simply crawl under your truck, shove your trans into 3rd gear and remove the linkage. ...... Otherwise leave your trans in 3rd gear and REMOVE the linkage from the trans. Get back in your truck and go take it for a spin. If it drives fine with NO LINKAGE ATTACHED then it's the adjustment of the linkage rod. I'm going to bet you anything that driving your truck now at HWY speeds with no linkage attached is the smoothest your truck has been in a long time. Don't worry, your 350 should pull from a dead stop in direct drive just fine.

hmm - this is an easy thing to do, and i will probably take a few minutes and try this.... interesting point....

i am having thoughts of taking up fine69 on his offer of a free tranny in the coming weekends (a free tranny is cool) - but thats only if i discover that the problem truely IS the tranny... first, i would like to eliminate the linkage problem...

don't worry - i am taking all of you suggestions to heart - there are all kinds of ideas here, and i will make sure to start with the easiest fixes and cheapest fixes first, and move on to the harder ones if the problem isnt remedied....

i think i'll try that linkage removed thing this afternoon if i get the chance... i'll let you know the results...

thanks!
jewels.

[ts71281]

Well I have to know. How did it go

[ddsmith]

Any updates on the popping out thing. I figured this was getting buried so I brought it back TTT.

[jewels.]

ok, well, i havent yet taken the time to pull the transmission apart and look inside.... but i am in the process of graduating, submitting a thesis, defending my thesis and packing and moving to kansas city....

i DID happen to drive it another 250 miles last weekend, but i drove it at 65 and under (thru lots of rain and wind), and there were no problems....

if i actually had the chance to drive 70-75, i'm sure it would have repeated itself.... but the weather would not allow that....

because of the moving and stuff, i wont get a chance to look at it in the next week.... perhaps i will have a chance to look at it once i arrive in kansas city.... i am almost certain that it is a transmission problem, and NOT the shifting linkage....

i have been focusing on getting prepared to tow my pretty truck behind the moving van.... so i have been preoccupied with other things... (towbar, lighting harness, etc)...

so, i suppose i will have to leave you hangin for another week or two until i am settled in my new place in KC....

sry!
jewels.

[gr8scott51]

Get al of those KC bowtie boys to help you move and provide the beer (and opinions) while you work on your truck.

Good luck in everything,
Scott