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MTX Popped? Diff or Shift bolt?

J

Jorgen

CEG'er
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Messages
87
Location
Rochester, Michigan
This seems like maybe the shift tower bolt to me not sure where to go from here, thoughts/ideas?

"Alright here is the info, I leave work to drive home. Shifts into first fine, push in the clutch and am putting my hand on the shifter when it pops really hard out of first. Kinda odd so I pull it into second per normal and nadda damn thing happens. Try other gears same ****. Coast into the parking lot and shift it around and such the thing won't move. What the **** did I break this time?"

This is a quote from my original post on NECO where I haven't gotten a ton of help. Ideas?
 
Does the shifter feel normal, or is there some play (cable end), or does it act like a joystick (broken shift tower bolt)?
If the shifter *felt* somewhat normal, were you just having a hard time getting it into gear (maybe cable end)?
Did the car have any problems going straight, or did it pull from side to side (broken diff)?
 
Mostly feels normal, there may be slightly more play than normal but i didn't notice it when I was fuming mad and at the car. The linkage inside the car was all still good I am about to go with a jack and jack stand and crawl under the thing to see if it is the linkage on the back of the trans.

The shifter could go into each "gate" fine and felt mostly normal with no excess pressure needed to get into the gates (but dind't go into that gear).
Drove straight just fine, turned fine to get into the lot and all.

Thanx for the help, I got one response one Neco from DanG who was leaning toward cable ends too which is what I am reall hoping it is at this point because I should be able to take care of that for a reasonable price.
 
Well I went and moved the car to my fiances parents house. it isn't a connector at all. If I move the block on the trans that the cables connect to it does dick ****. So am I pretty much able to assume this is a popped bolt head?
 
It just flops? You said the shifter still feels gated, and you cannot do circles with it?

If the counter-weight is flopping, it's a good chance you sheered the tower bolt (better chance if the shifter does circles).. and you should NOT be driving it until you fix it.
 
....if the lever with the counterweight is loose and sloppy with the cable disconnected then it's the bolt.If it's not and the shifter will move it into any gear but there is no drive but the SPEEDO MOVES...it's the diff! TH
 
Well I am going to have to check these things out this afternoon after work. I will just pop the cables off the counterweight and move it around then, see if it is loose or anythinng then. If not I don't even want to think about having to pull the trans for a diff replacement.

Also when I was being towed to my fiances parents house there was a very faint whirling sound almost like the sound of a bad wheel bearing or something but it could always be that my wheel bearing is bad too.
 
Do what Seabass in Ann Arbor did. Have the core MTX75 I have rebuilt w/ an LSD and bring the car to me in Grand Rapids for R&R plus a new Spec 1. ;)
 
I had a similar (and interesting) problem not too long after I got my SVT.

I was doing one of those 24/25hr non stop drives. Stopped at a Culver's in South Dakota and noticed a jingling sound when the clutch was engaged, but went away when it was released. Since I was still 700 or so miles from home either direction, I decided to move on.

Made it into Wyoming and it was popping itself out of 5th gear (having the cruise on at this time is pretty scary; my Sentra cuts the CC if you pull it out of gear without the clutch).

Managed to drive it about 600 miles home in 4th gear. Since I purchased a warranty for the car, I called to get it checked out. Driving to the shop, it died 2 blocks away with positive gear engagement and the speedometer climbing to 20mph or so in 1st (mind you, it has a Quaife).

Got it to the shop, they deny warranty coverage since it's been pulled apart before. Got my $$ back from the dealer and sent the tranny to Terry. He gets it and says it had a botched bolt fix before using a random Home Depot-like bolt. That was my popping out of 5th gear issue. He put a Focus tower on for me to solve it.

He also said some bearings were completely shot, which I assume must have been not allowing something to engage... kinda weird how the speedo still went up a bit, though.

Drove it for about 1 month and it had the same no-movement issues, but this time the speedometer climbed normally like if the tires were on ice. Took it to the auto skills center on base and noticed the dude that installed it didn't seat the axle properly, so it came out and leaked ALL the fluid out of the tranny. Checkers replaced the axle under warranty since they assumed the circlip failed, changed that plus $45 worth of Ford Honey and I was back on the road again just in time for a 3,000 mile cross country drive! :crazy:

Suprised it still works!
 
Big Daddy Kane said:
Took it to the auto skills center on base and noticed the dude that installed it didn't seat the axle properly,
Click to expand...


Ok this one interests me, I just pulled my drivers side axle to replace an inner CV boot that he a hole in it from when I reinstalled the engine and trans in teh car a few months back. Does anyone think (for my sake) that is it possible that somehow this axle isn't seated properly or something? Or should I still look at this as a bad diff problem.
 
Todras does great work...plus if you are in michigan go to Liberty's Gears for trans work....they do a good job cheap and FAST less than 2 week turnaround (i got mine done in a little over a week)...rebuilt tranny plus new clutch equals new car shifter feel :)
 
Ya, when i redo this trans I will be putting it into a car with an engine with 3000 miles on it, struts and brakes with about 5k on them, alternator with about 500 on it. This thing should run for the next 3 years without a fuss.
 
ya, when i put it all back together the c clip on the axle was tossed per the ford manuel instructions so now I have a new clip I am pulling the half shaft again tomorrow to put the clip in there, seat it in with teh clip and that should solve it. Also ordered another load of fluid since I don't know how much fluid was lost and I don't want any contamination in my fluid.
 
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