Shifter Problems...

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Three60Demon

Three60Demon

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Hello all, I just picked up a ‘71 demon. It was originally a slant 6 / column auto car, but one of the previous owners swapped a 360 and a four speed into it. After I got it home and off the trailer, I test drove it up and down my street but was unable to shift into 2nd gear, because when I let off the clutch, the trans started grinding so I limped back home in 1st. It has an odd shifter, nothing I’ve ever seen in a Chrysler, which made me question whether it’s even an 833. (I am yet to put the car in the air and look.) It has a reverse lockout on it and you must pull down on the shifter instead of up to engage reverse. Do any of you think changing out the shifter would help? If not, I’m wondering if there’s slop in the linkage and it needs to be adjusted, or if it’s a syncro issue. What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading.
 
Welcome three60.....without more info on exactly what you have most won’t be able to figure it out. I’d say the first thing to look at would be linkage adjustment. A few questions though. Sounds like it’s new to you. Can you contact the previous owner for any info? Sure it’s a four speed? Clutch adjustment good? Good luck with your new ride. Love to see some pics.
 
Might need to adjust he shifter linkage and/or the stops and the clutch. Hurst had some shifters like you describe, you'll need to get it in the air and get the part number and do all the other things I stated. If that doesn't help then you'll need to get into the box.
 
top picture is a 833 4 spd. second picture is an overdrive. sound to me like its not installed correctly

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there have been several threads on adjusting the Hurst linkage, you might want to search for them.
those are good pics to reference the levers on the trans side cover. Look at them. there are a lot of different ways to mistakenly mount those levers. I've seen them mixed up, upside down, etc.. Then there's the adjusting the length of the rods to line up the adjusting pin hole in the shifter levers.
 
Thank you all for the replies. Upon further research, it seems that I have an Inland shifter, so I know for a fact that it is a four speed. The image below is not of my car, but that is the same shifter with the reverse lockout and the shift pattern indicating that reverse is up. I'm still confused as to why I need to move the shifter down to engage reverse.

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yeah, I don't get that you have to push down on the shifter either. yeah I've had a 66? dart with the inland shifter. They look kinda cool, but they don't work that well, kinda vague and nebulous. Certainly not as well as a Hurst shifter.
 
rustycowll69 said:
yeah, I don't get that you have to push down on the shifter either. yeah I've had a 66? dart with the inland shifter. They look kinda cool, but they don't work that well, kinda vague and nebulous. Certainly not as well as a Hurst shifter.
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I have a brand new Competition Plus thats gonna replace the Inland, I'm hoping a shifter replacement/ improvement and linkage adjustment will give me much crisper shifts and eliminate the grinding.
 
Grinding is not generally caused by the shifter, unless the "gate" is aiming you towards reverse or some such. If the clutch is releasing properly and the synchronizors are in OK shape it should not grind.
 
The lower linkage rod is for reverse. The linkage plate is probably upside down on your trans . It is facing down instead of up. Probably due to the wrong rod with no bend. They put it facing down to clear the cross member. Note all the plates on the 4spd. trans face upward on the trans. The 3rd-4th rod on the overdrive is facing down. Because on overdrive 4th is 3rd and 3rd is now overdrive. Yes 3rd gear on overdrive uses 4th which is direct.

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Three60Demon said:
Hello all, I just picked up a ‘71 demon. It was originally a slant 6 / column auto car, but one of the previous owners swapped a 360 and a four speed into it. After I got it home and off the trailer, I test drove it up and down my street but was unable to shift into 2nd gear, because when I let off the clutch, the trans started grinding so I limped back home in 1st. It has an odd shifter, nothing I’ve ever seen in a Chrysler, which made me question whether it’s even an 833. (I am yet to put the car in the air and look.) It has a reverse lockout on it and you must pull down on the shifter instead of up to engage reverse. Do any of you think changing out the shifter would help? If not, I’m wondering if there’s slop in the linkage and it needs to be adjusted, or if it’s a syncro issue. What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading.
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Am I correct in understanding from your description that when you let out the clutch after shifting into second gear it grinds?
Or does it grind when moving the shifter towards second gear.
If it grinds after it's supposedly in second gear you have a torn up gear set and not a shifter problem.
 
It may not be going in second all the way. If they have the reverse lever upside down. It don't sound like they are familiar with the linkage and adjustment. My first move would be correct the shifter linkage after you get a hurst shifter
 
Three60Demon said:
Hello all, I just picked up a ‘71 demon. It was originally a slant 6 / column auto car, but one of the previous owners swapped a 360 and a four speed into it. After I got it home and off the trailer, I test drove it up and down my street but was unable to shift into 2nd gear, because when I let off the clutch, the trans started grinding so I limped back home in 1st. It has an odd shifter, nothing I’ve ever seen in a Chrysler, which made me question whether it’s even an 833. (I am yet to put the car in the air and look.) It has a reverse lockout on it and you must pull down on the shifter instead of up to engage reverse. Do any of you think changing out the shifter would help? If not, I’m wondering if there’s slop in the linkage and it needs to be adjusted, or if it’s a syncro issue. What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading.
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From the description, it sorta sounds like it jumped out of second.
That could be because it wasn't in all the way, or the clutch teeth need working on, Or the back bearing is loose..
 
TrailBeast said:
Am I correct in understanding from your description that when you let out the clutch after shifting into second gear it grinds?
Or does it grind when moving the shifter towards second gear.
If it grinds after it's supposedly in second gear you have a torn up gear set and not a shifter problem.
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it grinds once I shift into second and let off the clutch, however, Oldmanmopar said the whole linkage could be messed up because they mounted the reverse lever upside down, which would prevent it from shifting into 2nd.
 
Daves69 said:
Did it work before you put it on the trailer?
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yes, they backed it off of their trailer. I had to back up the car before loading it into my trailer and reverse was finicky to begin with. Yesterday I was able to get under the car and do some work, and found this. I’m willing to bet this is my issue.

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That's the reverse rod; funny you didn't mention reverse doesn't work.
If you have forward motion in first gear, then it just fell off and has nothing to do with second.

However, if I understand you correctly, that you can actually put the trans into second, and it stays in second; and then when you let the clutch out taking your foot off the pedal, then gassing it produces no forward motion, only grinding ; if I got that right, and first gear is fine... then the trans has to come down because second gear is fubarred.
>But if it grinds while you are trying to put it into second, but not yet in; that's a different problem; the brass ring is wore out or the synchronizer is defective; but the box still needs to come down.
<But if gassing it in second produces forward motion, but it likes to kick out the shifter and thats when it grinds; that's a different problem;Second-gear clutch teeth need reparing; but the box still needs to come down.
>But if gassing it , while second is fully in-shifted, produces smooth forward motion PLUS grinding, and it didn't do that in first, IDK, could be a couple of things none good, so the box still needs to come down,lol........ unless the reverse gear is no longer synced to the lever and is just floating around in there; but to fix it the box still needs to come down,lol.

That A833 transmission is about as simple as they get, so don't be afraid to open it up.
I tried to think how the upside down lever could affect the 1-2 gate, and I'm stumped. If you get first, then you should get second. If it locks up in second; then you have two gears at once, and Ima thinking that can only happen if the reverse idler gear is no longer synced to the reverse lever.
 
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