jretzky

Good morning!~It is about -30 below zero in southeast Montana today.

I just had my 1989 Cherokee Laredo, 5 speed manual transmission (BA-10) rebuilt during the summer.

As of Wednesday (todays Friday) I pulled up in front of work and put the transmission in neutral, shut off the engine, and tried to put the trans in reverse. It wouldn't go into reverse or any other gear.
It feels like the shifter is in neutral, but the trans is really in 1st gear.

I rolled the car back and drove the car home in the evening in 1st gear.
Like I said the shifter moves back and forth from left to right, but the trans is in 1st gear.

Any one know what's going on?

My transmission guy says to pull the stick (shifter) out and see if it's broken. He also said something about a roll pin and shifter rail?
I don't know what he is talking about, so I might have to have the car towed 80 miles to town.

I would appreciate any help...I know someone must know what's going on.
Is this something that can be fixed with the trans in or does it need to come out again?

Thanks!~John

5-90

That gearbox is a problem - pity you didn't check here first. Replacing it with an AX-15 would have been cheaper than an overhaul.

The shifter "cane" (handle with the **** on the end) may have had the lower end of the lever broken off - that's easy enough to check. Remove the upper & lower shifter boots, you'll see where the cane enters the case. Three M6-1.0 screws later (10m/m socket) and you'll be able to remove the shifter cane. Inspect.

There should be a Nylon bushing on the lower tip - it should be nice & round, to look at it. This can usually be sourced for replacement if not, and it's fairly easy to do (lightweight press fit.)

While you've got the shifter cane out, you can look down into the entry port and see where the lower tip mates with the shift rails. (The rails are the bits that move the engagement collars back & forth to select gear ratios.) The hole for the lower shifter cane tip should also be round (no reason for it to have worn, with the Nylon collar) and you should be able to disengage the clutch and move it fairly freely with whatever you can stick thru the hole. Follow the H pattern of the shifter.

When you replace the shifter cane, make sure the lower tip engages with the hole in the shifter rails! Not doing so is a common error - and will cause a "no shift" condition - simply because you aren't engaging the shifter cane with the shift rails, so you're not stirring anything in the box.

(Dollars to donuts, this is why you're not shifting. But, while you've got the cane out, you may as well check that other stuff - it's easy enough.)

Suggest the use of light-duty LocTite (#222 or equivalent) or RTV on the screw threads to keep the screws from working loose. I don't recall the torque on those screws, but it should be on my site (www.kelleyswip.com/tech.html - start there.)

jretzky

5-90, I got the shifter handle out, but I can't figure out how to post the picture, so I put it in my profile pictures. Does it appear to be warn out at the bottom?
Also there is a hole in the bottom of the shifter...is that normal?
There is no bushing and it is all metal.
Can you tell by the picture if it's bad?

Thanks!-jretzky

freegdr

Gotta realign shifter fork very common occurance.....http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f12/b...hifter-885822/

jretzky

How do you realign the forks?
I went to that site you sent and still don't understand.
The shifter falls right in place, I know it is in 1st gear, but the shifter moves side to side, not up or down.

I took a long screw driver and tried to move things around and nothing seems to move.
If this has happened twice now, I wonder if the shifter handle (cane) is warn out?
What is the hole in the bottom of the shifter for?

Thanks!-jretzky

freegdr

You just move the rrails if jeep is resting in gear they will never move got be no tension on running gear . Kinda like when a automatic has to be yanked outa park because weight of vechicles resing on gears in tramsmission. Try pushing clutch in to take load off gears your gonna have to use a little force its not gonna slide over like butter.

jretzky

Well I got off work early yesterday while it was still light out and talked to a mechanic. He said that if the bottom of the shifter handle is warn it will move out of place and cause a no shift situation.

Can any one tell me if the shifter handle is perfectly flat on both side where it goes into the rail?
Mine is beveled on one side and then the opposite side, which might be causng it to go where it doesn't belong.

Used a tire iron to move things around in the trans and I felt like I didn't really do anything because I moved something in there and it moved right back.
I did that twice and when I stuck the shifter handle back in it worked perfectly again. Don't even know what I did to make it work.

Going to try and get another handle.
The junk yard has 4 Jeeps, but not one of them has the BA10/5.

Thanks again!~John

freegdr

Yes the shifter is made that way on the bottom so it slides in and out of the forks in tranny. What you did was what need to be done if it ever happens again .Pretty much all thakcan be done .

jretzky

Guess I am stumped now...I have a Cherokee that could (at any time) get stuck in one gear. My transmission guy can take it out again, but that will cost me.
If it's not the handle, something must be warn out.
Got so much time and money wrapped up into this Jeep now.
Well I did get the Jeep (to begin with) for free and it is fun to drive when it shifts.
Have another reason for pulling the trans, if he does.
It sounds like the pilot bearing is making noise. It starts to whine when I take off, but then quiets down after less than a minute.
Or do you think it is the throw out bearing/internal slave cylinder deal?
Thanks!~John

freegdr

Things are worn that's the issue theres no new stick ava I searched every time mine did it the bolts had worked loose the second time mine did it I applied a little silicone to the bolts as far as I remember it never did it again. I have since upgraded to a Nv3550 they were still tight when it was pulled.

Kris smith

I have a good shift handle for a ba10/5 if you need pm me I'll ship on your dime

jretzky

The bolts aren't coming loose for the stick shift and it appears that the bottom of the shifter (cane) is fine. Then I must have issues inside the transmission. Something is hanging up. I wonder if changing to a different gear oil could help?
Remember this BA10 takes GL-3 and they don't make it any more.
Some people (search) posted that 10w30 works great.

I wonder if a syntheic GL-5 would help since syntheic oil is better on friction?

Remember there are brass parts in this trans.
Let me know what you think?
Thanks!~John

5-90

The AX-15 requires GL-3, the BA-10/5 will run just fine on GL-5.

Why? The AX-15 uses bronze synchronizers, which are attacked by sulphur (EP additives in GL-4 and GL-5, except for "performance synthetics.) GL-3 has a far lower sulphur content. The BA-10/5 uses synchronzer rings made from aluminum, which doesn't care.

Various grades of engine oil can be used in manual transmissions to address friction issue - there's lower pumping losses with engine oil, and it's got a rather lower viscosity, which allows for greater perfusion (it's an old hot-rodder's trick. I used to use straight 20-vis oil in the Muncie SM420 behind fire-breathing GM engines, because it shaved time off of ETs...) Engine oil can be used in pretty much any manual gearbox without ill effect (little to no sulphur.)

But, I know the BA-10/5 uses aluminum synchronizer rings, because I've torn four of them down for scrap. The shafts ran mainly on bearings, or journal surfaces in the case (aluminum faces.) I don't think there was even a speck of bronze in the case, and surely not anywhere important...

jretzky

Thanks for all the help.
When I park my jeep I usually put it into reverse and now I am having a hard time trying to get it into reverse.
I looked at my receipt yesterday and I spent $750.00 getting that trans rebuilt and I took it out and installed it.
Could of got a new one for that price.
Going to take it back to the trans place today.
Something is warn out inside.if it gets stuck in 1st gear (2xnow) and having a difficult time getting it into reverse.
Wish it was something simple, but it must not be.
I let every one know what I find out in a week or so.
It least I can drive it to town (almost 90 mi).
Thought I might have to have it hauled over there when it was locked in 1st gear.
John

freegdr

Reverse does not have a syncro put in first then go into reverse.