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Manual Transmission won’t shift after fluid change

2K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  misfitAK 
#1 ·
Took it out for a drive to get a feel for driving manual since this is my first and i just got the engine running a couple nights ago. checked the fluid and it was dark dark black and went to change it, change complete but now it’s stuck in 3rd and 5th. It wont shift into anything else and I need to reverse ASAP. changing the fluid wouldn’t have killed it so i’ve got no clue. cant push it or anything like it’s stuck in one of the gears but i can hear it moving in the transmission from 3rd and 5th.
Trying to go anywhere else it’s like it’s hit a wall. Clutch engages 3rd and 5th fine cause it’ll stall when i release the clutch and idles in neutral.
 
#6 ·
Figured it out, turns out if you cross thread the drain plug, it interferes with something else and makes it so you can’t shift at all? tested it a couple times with the plug in and out and it was the issue, fixed that and were good to go.
 
#7 ·
On my 2nd gens, the shifting amounts to sliding the short piece of shaft that sticks out of the transmission to select 1st or 3rd or 5th, and slightly turning she shaft to select whether I would be getting 1-2 or 3-4 or 5th-reverse. But to do that I would have to be under the car.. The same motions would have to occur if I were using s screwdriver stuck down into the shifter socket in the console from inside the car.
 
#8 ·
Problem was likely the drain plug, it has a locating pin that prevents you from shifting through all gears if removed while in gear or changed gears while removed. Problem is that's a hard fix without disassembly of the transmission and if you cross-threaded it that's probably because the part it locks into isn't in the place it should be anymore - you'll probably have to open up your MTX
 
#12 ·
Neutral while doing it all, never change gears with that bolt out
Need to rely on the hand brake

Select motorcycle transmissions are the same way, remove a bolt and the forks' shaft moves as it pleases resulting in the forks dropping out of the gears lol
And 99% of gearcases in marine units are like that, remove the wrong plug and the shifter rod falls to the bottom and you get to disassemble the whole lower gear unit to reinstall that as it can't be done blind.

The Ford MTX-75 has a pin that bolts in from the outside and should the case or that steel pin rust (which makes them crack straight-through the pin plate) and when that pin is removed I believe it's the idle gear for reverse that becomes free to move about the cabin lol So this isn't specifically an Escort/EXP/Tempo/Taurus feature by any means, friendly reminder to stay well-informed before taking on tasks you've never attempted :)
 
#13 ·
Wow, thanks for that advice. It never occurred to me that it could be a concern. I've overhauled many transmissions, mostly rear wheel drive though, and recently (ugh) a VW Vanagon unit.
And I've removed and reinstalled many front wheel drive units when changing clutch disks and / or fluid, while being blissfully ignorant of the misery that was so close at hand.
 
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