Technical > Transmission Forum
Cannot move shifter knob into 3rd or 4th positions when bus is moving
pittwagen:
And how may busses do you have on your property? That would be the real issue in our household. And it would not be an insurance issue but rather "do you really want to stay here". Keep us posted on your findings.
kinggeorge13:
--- Quote from: pittwagen on March 31, 2019, 09:37:43 AM ---And how may busses do you have on your property? That would be the real issue in our household. And it would not be an insurance issue but rather "do you really want to stay here". Keep us posted on your findings.
--- End quote ---
I'm keeping the number under 11 so I can count them on my fingers. I think that is pretty reasonable.
The reality is some are at my house in the garage and some on the driveway (which goes into the back yard) and the rest are stashed around at various places hoping their welcome does not run out. Sadly I have discovered that I cannot fix them up all at once even though some days it seems I am trying to do exactly that.
gsun:
You must be retired to have that much time!
kinggeorge13:
--- Quote from: gsun on March 31, 2019, 06:03:43 PM ---You must be retired to have that much time!
--- End quote ---
Well supposedly I'm retired but I sure seem as busy or busier than I was when I was working. I guess that's good.
Meanwhile.......here is an update. So yeah...the PO managed to remove all traces of the VIN number and various plates. The best part was the left side metal behind the engine that helps hold the engine foam in place that would have the VIN stamped into it as per Bus Daddy is............gone. This vehicle was hit some time ago from behind (before me) and the damage was simply all cut away and while they were at it, they cut away that piece too. I have a theory now why all this was done and it makes sense but I'm going to keep it to myself. Anyways, at the end of the day I have what is surely a 1976 bus with a 1973 VIN and that's the way it appears to have been for a number of years and that's the way it's going to stay.
Meanwhile, as I try to get the 3rd and 4th gear problem resolved I've learned another reason I love living in Fort Langley. It's because you can easily get to anywhere in town with just 1st and 2nd gear and keep up with the traffic. So we took Bart the Bus down to the Marina Park yesterday for a picnic. I even washed him first but I'll be the first to admit: it didn't help. By the time we are done though, he will be a good-looking bus and all fixed up inside and out. Some day.
kinggeorge13:
--- Quote from: pittwagen on March 31, 2019, 07:42:04 AM ---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.
--- End quote ---
So I've completed the testing of the 3rd and 4th gears to see if while motionless (up on jack stands) if going into those two gears is actually engaging the transmission or not. Except I did it a slightly different way. My driveway is on a bit of an incline (down towards the house). And it's not a bad length. But there is my camper trailer and my truck parked at the end nearest the house. The length of the driveway from the road to the front of my truck is about 4 bus lengths. But I have space beside the truck so lets say 5 bus lengths. So I figure I can get going at the top of my driveway using the incline and a gentle yet ambitious amount of slipping the clutch and start the bus going in 3rd gear...... and it worked! A little punishing to the old heart as I swerve around the truck and hit the brakes just short of crashing into the front corner post that holds up my balcony. It was so successful that I figured "May as well try 4th too". So I backed up to the top of the driveway and put it into 4th and oh-so-carefully started liberally slipping the clutch and he moved and started down the driveway. There was a moment when the back of my mind wondered absently if I was absolutely sure that the brake warning light on my dash was truly a wiring/switch problem as I'd summized a week earlier..... Anyways, it clearly was in 4th and got power as I gave it gas and then I shoved the clutch pedal down and did the swerve around my truck and hitting the brakes and stopped plenty safely nearly two whole feet short of the supporting corner post again. See? Much safer than putting it up on 4 jack stands. ha ha. Later that day my 88 year old mom who was inside the house asked me "Did I hear you had the bus running, dear?". Yep!
So one more wrinkly twist to the testing. I did not stop there. I did one more run that was trickier by a mile than the previous two and when I stopped all I could see was post almost up to my windshield as I stopped within inches.... So I was so positive that I'm withing hairs-breadth of these two gears working, I do one more run with a plan to test trying once again shifting from 2nd to 3rd that has not worked ever during any of my road tests. Except my 3 day ICBC permit was expired. So I was not venturing out onto busy Glover Road to try anything. It was driveway or bust! Back I go to the top of the driveway. To gain a little more space, I back up right across the sidewalk. I start in 2nd gear down the incline easily. At the halfway point (2.5 bus lengths) I'm going snail speed and I shift successfully from 2nd to 3rd for the first time ever and give it a little gas just to make sure I feel the transmission being powered by the engine and then clutch in, swerve and brakes all at the same time and stop. Weird how sweaty I was. Driving a manual shift vehicle is a lot of work.
So anyways, that was rather interesting and unexpected. On the road at regularish road speeds in 2nd gear, there was no way it was allowing me to shift into 3rd (or 4th) from 2nd gear. It was like the shifter knob would not even go to the position it needed to get to for those gears. But at super slow speed on my driveway, it did. Again, never any grinding at all. Shifts beautifully into any gear when the bus is running but stationary. Apparently shifts (at least into 3rd, I never tried 4th) when going super-dead-slow on the driveway from 2nd to 3rd.
I'm waiting for my new bushings to arrive for the shifter linkage, especially the front one that is clearly ground up to almost nothing. I am going to do a clutch cable length/tension adjustment when the rain stops. If none of those work, I'll be doing BD's suggestion of into the nose cone which for me will be a first so that will be a trepidatious adventure assuming I get that far.
Thanks all!
-George
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