85 ranger stuck in gear, won't shift

Hi. New here, hope you all can help. I recently purchased a 1985 ford ranger, manual V6 2.9L.

It's a manual 5-speed and sometimes when i would shift into reverse (far lower right), the shifter would come loose and roll around in a circle without engaging any gears. This happened a few times, and i was always able to get it back into gear by either luck or sometimes i could take my foot off the clutch (if it was in neutral) and find reverse by moving the shifter around until it caught the reverse gear and made a quick grinding sound, and then i could let the clutch back in and slip it back into reverse.

When that happened a week ago, however, it would not go back into any gear. I tried much shifting around, but the shifter only moved around in a circle like it was out of place. What's weird, also, is that sometimes i could get it to go into neutral and then force it back into a gear. I don't remember how i did that exactly, but eventually it got stuck in a gear. I don't know what gear it's in, because the shifter was just kind of knocking around and not really firm when it engaged whatever gear it's stuck in. It's not in first because when i let out the clutch and give it gas it just dies.

I had it towed to a mechanic who checked it out and took the shifter apart but couldn't find the problem there. His diagnosis was that something in the transmission was either stuck or broken, and that's what kept it from shifting gears. He put the shifter in neutral position now so it doesn't roll around, but it won't shift into any gear with the clutch in. So, if the shifter is in neutral, and it's obviously in another gear, what does that mean? Is the problem outside of the transmission or something internal?

I know this much: the engine runs and starts just fine. The clutch seems to work fine, lets up when i pull out and has normal pressure in it. It's sitting in my garage now and since i lack the funds to pay someone to take it apart, it will probably be there awhile. I have a basic tool set and a good socket wrench set, but no jacks or great mechanical knowledge to speak of. Is there anything i can do to try and solve this without pulling the transmission out and trying to fix it myself?

I am eager to learn about auto repair, and figured I'd have to learn fast if i wanted to keep a $500 truck running, but unfortunately don't have much experience to draw from. If it does come to pulling the transmission, does it seem plausible that i could fix it if i invest enough personal time and money?

your trans is in two gears at the same time.
if this is a tk, (it sounds like it) there are
two oval plates on the drivers side of the
trans, each held on with two bolts. you
can get at the forks and pop it out of both
gears with a screwdriver or a visegrip,
mine has a body lift so i may have had
more room than you will have.
check the ball on the end of the shifter-
it should be on the end of the shaft.
mine wouldn't stay there, so i cut a
30-06 case to 1" and drilled out the
base and used it to hold the ball down.

my 89 got stuck in gear but the shifter would still move, so i popped the cover/shifter off and put it back on with the forks in the right spot and it worked fine after that.

86 ranger trans

my 86 4X4 did the same thing right after i bought it i got it out of gear to find out the shifter was worn out, 100.00 from ford fixed it for awhile but it locked up again this time for good it skipped over 2nd and locked up solid..shift forks bent and stretched from prevoius owners neglect/abuse... this required a used trans from a JY luckily i found a rebuilt one (tagged from a trnny shop) from under a 85 in the yard for 100.00 core. i put new 80/90w gear oil and lucas in it was working great until pulled for 4.0/ auto swap up for sale if anyone needs it... lots of luck either way..

thanks

thank you schmoo for your advice, i got it up on ramps and found those oval plates and was able to pop it out of gear with an allen wrench. this made me really happy cuz i thought the truck was cashed, so i'm happy it runs again.


however, it seems to be repeating the same problem whenever i come out of reverse. it happened yesterday (fortunately in the alley near my garage) and i had to get under it again and do the same. considering that i really, really don't want to have to open my transmission and jam a wrench in there every time it jams up, what can i do to prevent this?

the shifter is extremely loose, but i'm not sure if thats the problem. i do have a 30-06 casing around the house, but no drill or saw to cut it down with. i'm thinking that since it always happens coming out of reverse that something must be worn in the reverse gear. when i am taking it out of reverse it sometimes works and sometimes it comes loose and the shifter just kind of rolls around, like it has come out of place. and it usually jams up the gears too, meaning i have to get under there and fix it thru the oval plates.


any idea why this keeps occurring? i plan to change the tran fluid, since it feels dry down there and i figure a good lube job might be the best place to start with this problem. does anyone have any good material on how to change a manual trans fluid?


thank you for saving my truck from the graveyard (for now, anyway),
mark

mine did that, too. the ball i mentioned
is at the very end of the shifter. it is
white, about 3/4 inch dia. when it is
loose, it slides up the shaft. when that
happens, you are trying to shift with the
shaft instead of the ball, and the shifter
gets very very sloppy.
the 30-06 case is to hold the ball down
to the end of the shifter.

actually the ball is 17 mm and the hole is (i think) 11 mm or 3/8" dia. I used a pre 66 VW heater knob ball drilled and sanded, but someone said they could be had at toyota for $17.00

no balls!

my shifter doesn't even have a ball at the end of it! so yeah, i'm just shifting with the shaft and that is extremely sloppy. where can one find these balls? can i get just the ball, or does the whole shifter need replacing?

i have a lathe and a rod of delrin. if you don't find
one, yell. i suggested turning a chunk of deer antler
on the old forum, but got called a hillbilly. the nearest
deer is about 50 yards, the nearest parts store 25 miles.

went to a tranny shop today and talked to a mechanic who gave me a plastic cap to put inside the bottom hole that holds the shaft in place (whats that called anyway?). this reduced play a little bit but not completely. he recommended taking it to a welder and have them weld me a new ball on the end, b/c the plastic one that should be there must have disappeared with a previous owner. he said it'd be really hard to source a part that old. i tried all the junk yards and they said they had nothing, thinking about just driving up and down alleyways til i see an old dead truck on blocks and asking the owner if i can take some parts. i swear i see a ranger on every block in town, you'd think there'd be some spare parts sitting in a junk yard somewhere....