Input shaft "play"

Alex "Berkowitz";1970602470 said

Got a little lost on the language barrier here.

So, if I understood, it is "ok" to move...to the sides, but not in/out?
Is that it?

Didn't understand that part about the tail moving.
It should move the same way I move the input shaft?

Click to expand...

You have two what amounts to levers. You have the end of the input you see, a fulcrum at the front ball bearing, and then the input shaft and main shaft are connected by the tail / main shaft in the end of the input shaft.

The main / tail shaft then has a fulcrum at the main bearing where the case / tail housing splits

So you have two levers there, connected at the rear of one and the front of the other

If you "look" at the side of the gearbox, and you force the input shaft tip DOWN, this makes the rear of the input go up.

Since the front of the main shaft is up, the rear bearing "teeters" the rear of that shaft DOWN

So yeah. You can either wiggle the rear of the tail shaft, or the front of the input shaft, and the oppisite shaft should "follow along."

I should mention this won't happen with the old 65/ earlier "flange drive" gearbox, because the rear of the main is supported by yet another bearing.

Frankly, ANY unknown box, I'd tear it down. You can download shop manuals. It's possible with no special tools. I used to put the needle bearings back in the cluster with grease and no arbor. Just normal hand tools and a shop manual.

You want to inspect the cluster shaft and needles, the interior of the rear of the input shaft and those needles, and the front of the main shaft. And, of course, inspect the two ball bearings.

All of the journals where the gears run, and of course wear on the shift dogs and stop rings.


I've been into older Chev 3 speed, a couple of old BW truck 4 speeds, and into T-10 and Muncie, along with at least a dozen excursions into A833 boxes. Neve used anything special, except maybe snap ring pliers for the mid bearing.