Gear lever issue

[zebrarover]

The other night I got in my series iia and went to put it in reverse but the gear lever just kept moving towards the drivers floor. After that, I couldn't get it to engage any of the gears. However, the truck wasn't in neutral either as I couldn't roll the truck at all. When I got it to the shop (towed on a flatbed as all of the wheels were locked), the mechanic said the gear lever wasn't broken but had come completely out of the selector forks.

Of note, the same shop had just finished rebuilding the engine and resealing the transmission one week before this happened. After the rebuild, it had been difficult getting the truck into second (hard to engage the gate) but this seemed to correct itself after driving the truck for a few days.

Has this happened to anyone else before? Any ideas on how to prevent this from happening again?

Thanks
Seth

[bkreutz]

Get the shop to put it together correctly this time.

[antichrist]

It's not that uncommon. It can happen if the ball on the end has excessive wear, or the forks aren't adjusted properly.

[SafeAirOne]

Yup--I'd have a look at the end of the shift lever--It might be time for a new one. A non-worn one shouldn't fit diagonally through the gap in the selectors when it is in gear.

[tmckeon88]

There's a small set screw on the right side of the gearshift base that keeps the level oriented the right way and keeps the ball engaging the selectors - has that backed out or fallen out? I sometimes need to tighten mine and even hold it in place with tape. When it backs out the lever flops all over and won't engage anything. It would be nice if that were the only problem!