HOW BAD IS IT!

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Valkman

Valkman

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I just bought a 73 Challenger with a 4 spd. When test drove it the trans made all kinds of racket, but it seems to go in gear ok and the noise went away when I put t he the clutch in so I assumed it probably had a bad bearing. I towed it home and and I would only move in and out of the garage to work on it. Today I drove it out and I couldn't find neutral and the car wouldn't move without burn up the clutch and making all kinds of popping noises. I put the car up on jack stands (wish I had a lift :() to take a look. I pulled the inspection cover and everything with the clutch looked fine all the shift linkage looked fine and the rear end turned freely. I started the car up (while on the stands) and put into gear to see if the tires would spin. Again I could never find neutral and the rear tires would spin erratically. All while making all kinds of noises! THIS IS NOT GOOD! :BangHead:

I have an A-body transmission that I can use for parts but it may be an Overdrive. Can anyone tell by looking at the gears? The case is aluminum but the tail shaft is cast iron and the side cover is and old style with the brass slider forks so I don't know what it is?

Here's a picture of the gear set toward the front is on the bottom
4spd.jpg
 
If the case is aluminum then it's an OD. If you want to run the OD, late 70's early 80's dodge trucks are a good source for a trany that has the shifter pad for the E body. The OD parts don't mix with non OD parts.
 
Maybe I'm looking at things wrong but it looks like some of those gears are chewed up? I'd pul lit and rebuild...
 
What you describe sounds like it may be a busted pressure plate, had this happen in my jeep thinking it was the trans
Valkman said:
I just bought a 73 Challenger with a 4 spd. When test drove it the trans made all kinds of racket, but it seems to go in gear ok and the noise went away when I put t he the clutch in so I assumed it probably had a bad bearing. I towed it home and and I would only move in and out of the garage to work on it. Today I drove it out and I couldn't find neutral and the car wouldn't move without burn up the clutch and making all kinds of popping noises. I put the car up on jack stands (wish I had a lift :() to take a look. I pulled the inspection cover and everything with the clutch looked fine all the shift linkage looked fine and the rear end turned freely. I started the car up (while on the stands) and put into gear to see if the tires would spin. Again I could never find neutral and the rear tires would spin erratically. All while making all kinds of noises! THIS IS NOT GOOD! :BangHead:

I have an A-body transmission that I can use for parts but it may be an Overdrive. Can anyone tell by looking at the gears? The case is aluminum but the tail shaft is cast iron and the side cover is and old style with the brass slider forks so I don't know what it is?

Here's a picture of the gear set toward the front is on the bottom
View attachment 1715033398
Click to expand...
 
j par said:
Maybe I'm looking at things wrong but it looks like some of those gears are chewed up? I'd pul lit and rebuild...
Click to expand...

That's my spare a body trans and it's actually in good shape, I believe the flash makes it look worse than it is.
 
dukeboy_318 said:
What you describe sounds like it may be a busted pressure plate, had this happen in my jeep thinking it was the trans
Click to expand...

I pulled the inspection cover and clutch looked almost new, all the release forks looked intact, is there to determine this is the case without removing everything?
 
Valkman said:
I pulled the inspection cover and clutch looked almost new, all the release forks looked intact, is there to determine this is the case without removing everything?
Click to expand...
Not unless you can see the diaphragm and see the fingers, mine were bent just slightly and the springs in the clutch disc themselves had busted. Guess you could try a bore camera but I don't think you'd be able to see it fully
 
Valkman said:
I just bought a 73 Challenger with a 4 spd. When test drove it the trans made all kinds of racket, but it seems to go in gear ok and the noise went away when I put t he the clutch in so I assumed it probably had a bad bearing. I towed it home and and I would only move in and out of the garage to work on it. Today I drove it out and I couldn't find neutral and the car wouldn't move without burn up the clutch and making all kinds of popping noises. I put the car up on jack stands (wish I had a lift :() to take a look. I pulled the inspection cover and everything with the clutch looked fine all the shift linkage looked fine and the rear end turned freely. I started the car up (while on the stands) and put into gear to see if the tires would spin. Again I could never find neutral and the rear tires would spin erratically. All while making all kinds of noises! THIS IS NOT GOOD! :BangHead:

I have an A-body transmission that I can use for parts but it may be an Overdrive. Can anyone tell by looking at the gears? The case is aluminum but the tail shaft is cast iron and the side cover is and old style with the brass slider forks so I don't know what it is?

Here's a picture of the gear set toward the front is on the bottom
View attachment 1715033398
Click to expand...
 
OK , this maybe two problems , does the side cove have interlocking levers or ball and detent ? if its ball and detent check to see if both detent balls and spring are there , if its interlocking levers check for broken levers . What you are explaining with the noise from the rear could be broken spider gears in the diff
 
mopar jimmie said:
OK , this maybe two problems , does the side cove have interlocking levers or ball and detent ? if its ball and detent check to see if both detent balls and spring are there , if its interlocking levers check for broken levers . What you are explaining with the noise from the rear could be broken spider gears in the diff
Click to expand...
It's the newer style with interlocks. If it's the diff. wouldn't I feel or hear some when I turn the rear wheel? Besides I can't get the trans in neutral so having just said that I'm thinking it's in the transmission itself. Looks like it's got to come out, again I wish I had a lift!

Thanks for all your help guys!
 
Would a misadjusted shifter cause such an issue, like if the shift rods were too long or too short trying to hit two gears at once and fighting the interlock?

Does it reach neutral with the engine off?
 
Well even if it was the throwout bearing the Transmissions coming out anyway LOL so there you have it take it out and then you can inspect everything and make sure everything works properly before you put it back in
 
By the way did I miss something here is there a picture of said car somewhere?
 
Valkman said:
I just bought a 73 Challenger with a 4 spd. When test drove it the trans made all kinds of racket, but it seems to go in gear ok and the noise went away when I put t he the clutch in so I assumed it probably had a bad bearing. I towed it home and and I would only move in and out of the garage to work on it. Today I drove it out and I couldn't find neutral and the car wouldn't move without burn up the clutch and making all kinds of popping noises. I put the car up on jack stands (wish I had a lift :() to take a look. I pulled the inspection cover and everything with the clutch looked fine all the shift linkage looked fine and the rear end turned freely. I started the car up (while on the stands) and put into gear to see if the tires would spin. Again I could never find neutral and the rear tires would spin erratically. All while making all kinds of noises! THIS IS NOT GOOD! :BangHead:

I have an A-body transmission that I can use for parts but it may be an Overdrive. Can anyone tell by looking at the gears? The case is aluminum but the tail shaft is cast iron and the side cover is and old style with the brass slider forks so I don't know what it is?

Here's a picture of the gear set toward the front is on the bottom
View attachment 1715033398
Click to expand...
I would remove all 3 linkage rods and set 3 levers at neutral position. Star the engine, while on jack stand, see if wheel spin; if it does apply brake see if it stop
 
dukeboy_318 said:
then im 95% sure its in the clutch system, either the throwout bearing or the pressure plate as I mentioned earlier.
Click to expand...
When you say you can't find neutral, do you mean the gears grind when trying to go into gear with the clutch depressed, if so I ran into that when I swapped in a crank that had the tranny pilot shaft hole drilled to depth, but as I found out later was not honed to size, the crank pilot bushing seized on to the tranny input shaft and kept it spinning even with the clutch pedal down.
 
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