My 83 diesel 4 spd continues to pop out of reverse in spite of replacing all shifter bushings and front motor mount. Improved, but it still does it about 50% of the time. So I've resigned myself to taking a chance on a used replacement. Aside from spinning the input shaft and listening for expensive noises, is there any way to field test a tranny as a disaster check? Thanks!
Make sure the rear transmission mount is good, and did you replace the Linkages, as they do wear out.
What do Divorces, Great Coffee and Cars all have in common?
They all Start with good GROUNDS.
Replace all of them that you can, 99 percent of flakiness will disappear.
92, 93 Cabriolet.... 89, and 90 are Deceased.
Did the linkage rods at the firewall but not the rear mount - sounds a lot easier that trans R&R so I'll give that a shot first. Thanks!
There is an adjustment to the bottom of the gearshift lever under the vehicle while the transmission is in neutral that should be checked. If this adjustment is off, the tranny can pop out of reverse because there is not enough clearance to the side when the transmission is in the reverse position. I had this problem with a 5-speed until I got it right. I believe the end of the gearshift lever that attaches to the long horizontal rod under the vehicle is called a "gate" in the manual. You'll need to loosen the clamp at the tranny end of the horizontal rod (about 3 feet long) and at the gearshift lever before making the adjustment while the shifter is in the neutral position. The clamp at the tranny end needs a 13mm wrench or socket. The bolt at the gearshift lever end will require a couple of 10mm wrenches.
The gearshift lever under the vehicle is usually covered by a boot and cap. The cap should be removed to provide access the the connecting bolt the holds the long horizontal shift rod to the gearshift lever. I believe the Haynes manual says the clearance to the passenger side of the gate (right side) should be about 3/4 of an inch. Loosening the bolt at the tranny end of the horizontal rod allows you to adjust the clearance. I might be wrong about needing to loosen the bolt at the end of the gearshift lever. I think you might be able to get the adjustment by just loosening the clamp at the tranny end of the long rod. When I did it I had the gearshift lever out of the vehicle and had to reattach it.
The adjustment I referred to should probably be checked any time linkage parts, especially bushings, are replaced.
Thank you for that - any adjustment that works beats a transmission R&R. The frustrating thing is that when it does engage, its rock solid and I can back up any distance. More often, it immediately pops out. At those times, lightly popping the clutch to gently "bump" it will often do the trick. I'll check this out thoroughly. Thanks!
New bushings throughout and all adjustments check. If anything, it is worse. Can anyone tell me the correct trans code for the 83 diesel? The one in the car is GC. I can get one with a GP code but the ratios are different (GP has a wider spread and lower numeric 4th gear). I suspect the GP code is actually correct but want to be sure. Thanks!
There is a little difference but not much, the final drive is the same but 4th is a tad different, I don't think you will notice..
http://www.zelek.com/diagram_charts/diagramlist.htm
What do Divorces, Great Coffee and Cars all have in common?
They all Start with good GROUNDS.
Replace all of them that you can, 99 percent of flakiness will disappear.
92, 93 Cabriolet.... 89, and 90 are Deceased.
Cool - I know what I'll be doing this weekend! Thanks
Got the new (old) transaxle in and it works great - it's nice to have a working reverse. I took out a GP code (.70 4th gear) and replaced it with a GC 23058 code. That makes it a '78 4 speed with a .91 4th gear and believe me, you notice! RPMs at 65 went from about 2700 to 3500 now. It's still not clear to me which is the correct transmission for the diesel and there seems to be nothing on the web. I'm guessing the .70 ratio is more in keeping with the diesel tuning and will look for another one - the buzzing at 70 mph gets old really quick. In the meantime I'll enjoy the greater responsiveness in 3rd & 4th and stay in the right hand lane!
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