Technical > Transmission Forum
Cannot move shifter knob into 3rd or 4th positions when bus is moving
kinggeorge13:
--- Quote from: pittwagen on March 30, 2019, 08:29:43 AM ---Are you absolutely sure you have a 73 Bus. If I am not mistaken and from the pictures you posted I see a round external gas cap on the rear right and no flapper door for access to the 73 gas cap. Further, the ECU and air box mounts look awfully original and not something cut in or welded to the rear inner area above the battery tray area. Do all 4 VIN numbers on the body match? Might help to resolve the issue of mismatched parts or worn originals.
--- End quote ---
Ok........well that is something I never considered. Forest and trees: yeah I never twigged to that air box mount and ECU hole looking very original and not something cobbled in? I'll be out working on the bus later this morning and check. That is a super-head-scratcher now. I will report back!
kinggeorge13:
Oh man, my mind reels at what/how exactly some PO got this bus registered. It's now looking like the dash is a replacement and they decided to go with using the VIN number on the dash for registration. Which means, I suppose, that even though this bus is now registered with a 1973 bus VIN (and who knows where the rest of that bus is, probably squished into soup cans long ago) but it lives on via the VIN number on this dash. They removed the VIN number on the door jamb. I'm learning but not yet successful at finding the VIN number in the engine compartment but I'm already betting that based on the engine code and layout of the camper cabinets that this actually is a 1976 bus. I guess someone really sneaky could have just changed the VIN number on the dash but that would be rather unscrupulous and not very nice. Yesterday was not the perfect work on the bus day for me as it turned out so I did not get the time on it I'd hoped for so today is a new day and we shall see how it goes. On the other hand my 88 year old mom got all her furniture moved around that she wanted.....
So the good news so far though (kinda) is that I think this VIN situation would mean the mounts/etc for the transmission would be correct for the bus/transmission combination as it's looking very much like everything is 1976(ish). So I'm still back to my problem of shifting into 3rd or 4th when the bus is moving. Works like a charm engine off or on while standing still. My front-most nylon/plastic bushing for the shift rod is little more than a thin sliver of it's former self and the slop of the shaft in that bushing is dramatic so I'm going to order one of those just because it (should) make the shifting "feel" nicer and more exact but I have serious doubts that's going to fix my problem.
How come no one else is on the forum at 4:50am this morning? ha ha
Thanks,
-George
pittwagen:
Here is a note from the Samba authored by BUSDADDY:
"The VIN is stamped into the body in the left rear of the engine compartment on the lip that surrounds the engine, sounds like you've already found it. It's also on the LH end of the dash top at the windshield, on a sticker in the door jamb and on the M plate (either behind the LH front seat on the bulkhead or on top of the LH fresh air duct just inside of the LH signal)."
Dashes do get replaced and door posts do get painted. Hopefully the M code plate is still intact. The top number on the plate should start out with a 62 if it is a 76 followed by 6 digits which hopefully will agree with the numbers in the engine compartment. Sorry I could not find a current working M code decoder app. Too early at 7:30am.
With respect to the shifting, are you absolutely sure the shifter is actually engaging the trans or are the bushing too worn. I would replace all the bushings and possibly the coupler. I would also consider jacking the vehicle up on 4 jacks and put it into gear to see if the wheels will actually turn in 3/4. And do not lay under the van when doing this. If the wheels do not turn, you will need to get into the nose cone area to see what is going on and perhaps further - broken shift fork. The transmission folks will chime in hopefully with some better qualified help.
BUSDADDY:
Oh boy!, things are getting messy.
There's a VIN stamped into the engine surround as mentioned, if it's been filled you should still be able to see a trace of it from the back side of the panel (depending on how rusty it is), the pic of an earlier bus below also shows one behind the RF seat, a 76 may not have that, especially if it's a swivel seat camper.
Hopefully the M plate is still on top of the LF fresh air duct just inboard of the signal light. Sadly all the automated M decoder sites are broken now, but it still has a VIN on it so at least you can date what you have.
Fix all the external things you can on the shift linkage, that front bushing makes quite a difference as well as the rear one. After that it's time to get into the nose cone for a look at the plastic donut on the end of the hockey stick, and while you are in there you'll likely want to add the bearing support plate mod that all 091's need.
kinggeorge13:
"And do not lay under the van when doing this."
My wife keeps upping our life insurance policy. Is this why?
;D
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