NV4500 hard shifting

[JThomas]

94 Dodge 3/4 ton



NV4500 is hard to get into gear from neutral when standing still at a stop, with the engine running. Also, when parked, the trans is hard to shift into neutral from any gear with the engine not running. have to yank on the shifter. Feels like the gears have locked. Running Castrol Syntorc in the trans. Problem started after installing South Bend 13" clutch and flywheel kit. Replaced the master and slave clutch cylinders recently. Clutch releases fine. Any ideas? Looking at getting rebuilt trans. :{:{



Thanks

John Thomas

 

[bighammer]

It sounds to me like the clutch is not releasing all the way. Either the master/slave cylinder(s) or clutch fork is not seated right? Is it engaging pretty close to the floor?

 

[JThomas]

Hard Shifting

Bighammer, thanks. The clutch engages about half way out on the clutch pedal. If I am parked on an incline, about half pedal travel lets the vehicle start rolling. So seems the clutch is disengaging properly. If I rock the truck slightly in gear, I can easily get the trans into neutral. Am wondering from reading other threads if the shifter mechanism is bad. Got 125,000 on the trans.



Thanks



John Thomas

 

[bighammer]

Just for the fun of it, jack up a wheel (or both if you have a locker or something) and see if any gear with the clutch in gets it turning. Block the wheels and use a jackstand to be safe.

 

[JGK]

I had a somewhat similar problem after installing an SBC dual disc and larger input shaft about 2 years ago. Really fought getting into 2nd and reverse. Other gears were OK. Then last summer the clutch started slipping (!!) and I replaced it with new parts from SBC. At that time I decided to have the transmission rebuilt - new synchros and seals and so forth. When I removed the clutch I didn't find any problem with the pilot bearing that would contribute to the hard shifting so I was never sure why it was happening. That was at about 125K miles on the odometer.



After the new clutch and rebuilt transmission were installed it was a little stiff to shift for a while but has since loosened up and it now shifts like it did originally. I'm not sure the rebuild made the difference or the new clutch parts did, but either way, it's fixed. Not a cheap option, but its done and I'm happy with it.



-Jay

 

[tshort]

Did you make sure the clutch release fork was installed correctly. Only reason I ask is because I had a similar problem and didn't realize that there is a stamp in one side of the fork that is supposed to go on the bellhousing side. Just a thought.

Ryan

 

[corey Miller]

It sounds to me like the clutch is not releasing all the way. Either the master/slave cylinder(s) or clutch fork is not seated right? Is it engaging pretty close to the floor?

I just put in a new 13in clutch and flywheel kit from phenoix frictin. It is engaging close to the floor.

 

[TrueTurbo]

I just had a SB heavy duty clutch installed and have difficulty shifting into second or reverse if I'm stopped, push in clutch and shift right away. The SB clutch disc is much heavier than the worn out stock clutch disc, which causes it to spin a longer til it stops after you engage the clutch. If I wait about 5 seconds after pushing in the clutch and shift into second, no problems. If I shift too soon, it won't engage.

 

[K5IP]

94 Dodge 3/4 ton



NV4500 is hard to get into gear from neutral when standing still at a stop, with the engine running. Also, when parked, the trans is hard to shift into neutral from any gear with the engine not running. have to yank on the shifter. Feels like the gears have locked. Running Castrol Syntorc in the trans. Problem started after installing South Bend 13" clutch and flywheel kit. Replaced the master and slave clutch cylinders recently. Clutch releases fine. Any ideas? Looking at getting rebuilt trans. :{:{



Thanks

John Thomas

If the transmission does not shift properly with the engine not running, the clutch should not have anything to do with the problem.
Keep looking at a rebuild, I did my 4500 at Standard Transmission with OK results.

 

[Missouri Mule]

If you read your manual or purchased a repair manual. It could be just lubricating the cable... .
I was having trouble getting into reverse and 2nd. I was not pushing the clutch pedal far enough down.
Taking off first thing in morning or heading home I thought I had clutch problem. Experimenting I found out I needed to give Mule More fuel (as in pushing down on the go pedal more).
If I get a chance I will look up the symptoms and the solutions for clutch/shifting problems.