column shifter stuck in first

Jed · Post by **Jed** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:06 pm

I just bought a 65 D100; and, as I was driving it around yesterday, the column shifter got stuck in first. I can wiggle it up or down a little bit but it won't budge in or out. The hinged bit at the end of the handle doesn't move anymore. The truck still runs as long as I don't want to go more than 10 or 15 mph.

I'm quite ignorant when it comes to working on anything mechanical, but I got the truck hoping it would help me to learn a bit (among other reasons), and now I have my first opportunity.

So, where should I start, and does this sound like something I might be able to fix myself?

Jeffc · Post by **Jeffc** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:56 pm

Most of the time if you wiggle the linkage
from under the truck it will free up.
Helps to have a helper to depress the
clutch peddle when your doing it
(of course as safely as possable, i.e.
block the wheels, set the park brake, ect.
when under).
There is a zerk grease fitting right in
the middle part of the linkage near
the bottem of the stearing col.
under the hood.
You should be able to find it right
between the two arms that the linkage
from the trans meets the column.
You will have to
clean off the area as it often has
35+ years of crude built up;
however, sometimes you can see
it without a problem.

Keeping it full of grease will keep it
from locking up- unless the thing is
flat worn out.

Jed · Post by **Jed** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:59 pm

Thanks. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow to give that a shot. I'll let you know how it goes.

Post by **HellBelly** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:55 am

Hi,

My '65 D100 3 speed used to lock up all the time. I used to pop the hood and pull the linkages up and down until they broke free. I greased the fitting Jeff is referring too also, but still had the problem occasionally.

Turned out to be the rubber grommets on the linkage rods. There were no grommets left, just the two end washer. You should have a washer / grommet / washer at the end of each rod. Two on the column side and two on the tranny side.

Hope this helps.

Jeffc · Post by **Jeffc** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:43 pm

As Hellbelly "said"---- those are the main
parts that do flat wear out, very little
else goes wrong with these truck 3 speed column
shifters (unlike the car shifters!!)...

2bluesweptlines · Post by **2bluesweptlines** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:03 am

If greasing and replacing washers and grommets doesn't help (which it should), or you just have not done it yet, try downshifting into 2nd before stopping. I found that mine locked up when I would come to a stop with the shifter still in 3rd and would try to shift into 1st from 3rd at a stop. Once I started downshifting to 2nd, it didn't do it as much. Also, try just putting it in neutral as you roll up to the stop. Just my

-it worked for me.

Jed · Post by **Jed** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:46 am

It was raining cats and dogs yesterday, so I didn't get to try any of it out. I'm hoping it stays dry enough this afternoon that I can take a look at it when I get off work.

If I remember correctly, I did downshift into second before coming to a stop. I can't downshift into first until I'm at a complete stop. But I did probably try to go straight into second at a diagonal rather than making the proper "Z" motion with the shifter. I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not.

Post by **oneowner71** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:14 am

look on the bright side, at least you haven't broken 3 separate shift collars on the column... subsequently, mine is now a floor shift, since I ran out of scrapped column shift trucks.

Jeffc · Post by **Jeffc** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 8:04 pm

68 and earlier trucks did not have the
collers in the shifter on the column.
They use a shaft with a pin under the
stearing wheel that the shaft fits
into. That shaft runs on the outside
of the column to were the shift arms
are.

69 and later are more like the cars under
the stearing wheel (have a tube that
runs down the stearing shaft to the shifter
arms) and are more prone to
have problems....... so I do not
blame your changing to the floor shift
one little bit......

Jed · Post by **Jed** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:55 pm

I finally got a chance to work on it this afternoon. I had someone press the clutch in and I was able to get the rods in the right position with hardly any effort at all. That got the shifter un-stuck. It looks to be greased up pretty well, but one of the rods was missing all of its washers and was held in place with wire, so I fixed that. It nows shift much more smoothly; and, should it get stuck again, I now know how to fix it.

Thanks for all your help!