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Help!!!! Need Reputible Shop In Duluth!!!

M

MNstuckinMI

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
Oct 1, 2005
Messages
773
Location
shoreview, mn
So, I left Cub Foods Tonight and did a U turn to head back to my apartment. when accelerating, i went through 1st, second, and when i went to put it into third, NOTHING! now i can move the shifter fork back and forth into ANY gear and it wont engage the tranny. i am hoping it is just the cables!

anyways, i need to find a reputible shop up here that isnt going to hurt my SVT or take me for my life savings!

thanks

Joel
 
cnewton44 is the only one I know on here for sure that's in Duluth.

Otherwise if you have a buddy that can help you look down on the back side of the transmission and see if you can see the little white shifter cable ends moving while he's moving the shifter around.

Another known problem is the shift tower bolts have been known to break. If you can't get it in any gear it's likely one of those problems.

Good luck
 
Does the shifter feel like it is still connected to something or can you move it in any direction? If it still feels like the cables are connected it's more than likely the shift tower snapped a bolt and the car is stuck in gear. It is possible to remove the tower and fish out the bolt. Then drop in a new tower and your are good to go. Most shops won't know this and will remove the entire transmission charging you quite a bit more.
 
MNstuckinMI said:
So, I left Cub Foods Tonight and did a U turn to head back to my apartment. when accelerating, i went through 1st, second, and when i went to put it into third, NOTHING! now i can move the shifter fork back and forth into ANY gear and it wont engage the tranny. i am hoping it is just the cables!

anyways, i need to find a reputible shop up here that isnt going to hurt my SVT or take me for my life savings!

thanks

Joel
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I gotta make a call about what shop. But if you want help with seeing if its an easy fix just let me know... I have most of this week off. Only work Fri. and Sat. nights.

Edit: Well to be honest I dont know of anywhere that does tranny work, and I tried finding out but I dont know if theres even anyone around here that does work on manuals, other than a stealership obviously.... Hmmm Ill do some more looking....
 
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cnewton44 said:
Found one. I didnt know they did manual tranny work though. PM sent with their contact info. Hope its not a serious problem.
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Just make sure you have them look at the shift cables first... Then have them check into the bolt under the shift tower before they go tearing the transmission out. If they pull the transmission out they are going to charge you a whole lot more for labor then if it ends up being something they could've done with it in the car.
 
Redlineracer12 said:
Just make sure you have them look at the shift cables first... Then have them check into the bolt under the shift tower before they go tearing the transmission out. If they pull the transmission out they are going to charge you a whole lot more for labor then if it ends up being something they could've done with it in the car.
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Well honestly he should be able to check out the shift tower stuff himself. He could probably even replace it himself if need be. I would definately check those things out before bringing it ahywhere. All you gotta do is pop up the shifter boot and see if things are "normal" under there.:shrug:
 
yeah, i'd check it myself, but it is in the parking lot at my apartment complex, and i dont think the land lord would like it much. i may do it anyways though.

thanks for the tranny shop info, at work today i also did some checking, and "Automedics" has done work on a bunch of peoples cars at work, and for manual tranny's, "Dicks and "Moons" in Superior do work on manuals.

im signing up for AAA tommorrow so i can get it towed again.

btw, the shifter can move freely throughout the shift pattern. i popped the boot off right away to see if it was the cables there, and the cables are moving, so it still could be the cables, but not at the shifter. my bet is on the shift tower bolt being sheered off. and without a working parking brake, im lucky it is on level ground with the rear tire against a curb.

at least i have a scooby to drive right now till the weekend, then i'll have my fiero up here.

i hate apartment buildings, and i cant get a garage till september 1st!
 
MNstuckinMI said:
btw, the shifter can move freely throughout the shift pattern. i popped the boot off right away to see if it was the cables there, and the cables are moving, so it still could be the cables, but not at the shifter. my bet is on the shift tower bolt being sheered off.
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There is a bolt that comes off the tranny for the shifter... I cant remember what its called but from what ive heard its a common thing. I know you can see it from the driver side wheelwell. Theres a thread somewhere about it, I just cant remember what the bolt is called.
 
cnewton44 said:
There is a bolt that comes off the tranny for the shifter... I cant remember what its called but from what ive heard its a common thing. I know you can see it from the driver side wheelwell. Theres a thread somewhere about it, I just cant remember what the bolt is called.
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That's the shift tower bolt... It's really confusing because people interchange the "shift tower" in the car where your shifter is, and your "shift tower" on the transmission where your cables mount to. Its the one on your tranny that you need to take a look at. I know you can pull the shift tower off the transmission without too much work, I think i've heard it takes about an hour (depending how familiar you are with the car). Be careful taking off the shift cable ends as they are a major PITA to replace the cables :laugh:
 
well, worse case scenario. it is at Dicks Tranny in superior right now, and it is not the linkage, or the shift tower bolt. he said all that is working fine. so it is something internal. Im more familiar with the Getrag Tranny in FWD GM cars, so what are some of the other things that may go wrong with this tranny? and if anyone has a good used one, lmk.

thanks
 
MNstuckinMI said:
well, worse case scenario. it is at Dicks Tranny in superior right now, and it is not the linkage, or the shift tower bolt. he said all that is working fine. so it is something internal. Im more familiar with the Getrag Tranny in FWD GM cars, so what are some of the other things that may go wrong with this tranny? and if anyone has a good used one, lmk.

thanks
Click to expand...

contact terry haines at www.fordcontour.org THE man who knows all about the trannys in these cars. And he sells/remanufactures them. Get a LSD while you are in there
 
elraido said:
contact terry haines at www.fordcontour.org THE man who knows all about the trannys in these cars. And he sells/remanufactures them. Get a LSD while you are in there
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Ok so I tried to join FCO and they still havent approved my membership. That was like over a month ago. Ugh
Edit: That would also be my suggestion. Ive heard hes pretty knowlegabl about them
 
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cnewton44 said:
Ok so I tried to join FCO and they still havent approved my membership. That was like over a month ago. Ugh
Edit: That would also be my suggestion. Ive heard hes pretty knowlegabl about them
Click to expand...

He's about the only thing FCO has going for it :laugh: It's otherwise only good for the classifieds and even those aren't that great.
 
MNstuckinMI said:
well, worse case scenario. it is at Dicks Tranny in superior right now, and it is not the linkage, or the shift tower bolt. he said all that is working fine. so it is something internal. Im more familiar with the Getrag Tranny in FWD GM cars, so what are some of the other things that may go wrong with this tranny? and if anyone has a good used one, lmk.

thanks
Click to expand...
So have you found anything out yet?
 
cnewton44 said:
Ugh. I would hate to have to put in a new clutch.:nonono:
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Bah! Clutch installs add another 30 min to the job - I swapped a transmission and installed a clutch in an apartment complex garage - now that was tight!

0501071755.jpg


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