1986 Bronco 2 M145 shift problem

[gthorsen]

My shift tower went south and I was able to shift - for a while... Now I have 2nd, 5th amd reverse. I replaced the shift assembly tower but it still won't go into 1st, 3rd or 4th. My question is, can the shift carrige be repaired by taking the top plate off the transmission without pulling the transmission? My thought is to peel back the carpet and cut a larger hole in the floorboard to access and remove the cover to access the carriage. It should be a relatively simple job to tack weld the removed sheet metal and lay the carpet back down, easier than removing the trans. Has anyone fixed a similar issue in this manner?

 

[franklin2]

I was able to take #45 off by only cutting the carpet back a little bit. But that only shows where the shifter goes. If you really want to get into the shifter mechanism, you have to pull the trans and take #44 off. That is where the shift forks slide back and forth.

I would definitely try taking #45 off first, just to see what is going on. I am in the middle of replacing bearing #28 right now and had to pull the tranny out.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So, I’m gonna move this to the transmission section…

 

[bcschief]

Did you lose the plastic ball on the end of the shifter down in the transmission if so, this might be your problem. My son had this happen on his 86 Bronco 2 and we pulled the transmission out and it fell out of it. Problem solved. If you need to disassemble the transmission here are 2 YouTube videos to watch.
Ford Ranger Transmission Rebuild - It's Easier to Get into Fort Knox - Part 1 - YouTube
Ford Ranger Transmission Rebuild - the Complete Guide No One Asked for - Part 2

 

[gthorsen]

Did you lose the plastic ball on the end of the shifter down in the transmission if so, this might be your problem. My son had this happen on his 86 Bronco 2 and we pulled the transmission out and it fell out of it. Problem solved. If you need to disassemble the transmission here are 2 YouTube videos to watch.
Ford Ranger Transmission Rebuild - It's Easier to Get into Fort Knox - Part 1 - YouTube
Ford Ranger Transmission Rebuild - the Complete Guide No One Asked for - Part 2

Thanks, the ball was not broken on my shifter assembly, it was the plastic cup that serves as a spacer and alignment for the gears that broke. The shift lever would spin all the way around. It shifted for a while but then something caused a misalignment with the shift carriage. I think I might be able to get 3rd and 4th gear working again if I take off the plate the shift lever assembly mounts too and that is the answer I was looking for. I already replaced the SL assembly but that did not cure my problem. I did find a used SLA at a wrecking yard.

 

[bcschief]

Thanks, the ball was not broken on my shifter assembly, it was the plastic cup that serves as a spacer and alignment for the gears that broke. The shift lever would spin all the way around. It shifted for a while but then something caused a misalignment with the shift carriage. I think I might be able to get 3rd and 4th gear working again if I take off the plate the shift lever assembly mounts too and that is the answer I was looking for. I already replaced the SL assembly but that did not cure my problem. I did find a used SLA at a wrecking yard.

Those shift levers are getting hard to find and are not available new, I even tried Green sales and the guy I talked to said they haven't had one in over 5 years.

 

[gthorsen]

There's one on Ebay for $83. The parts yards aren't real keen on selling the shift assemblies on a good transmission, which would be the FM 145 in my 1986.