Dodge Truck manual shift problem

[Eric]

Shift Problem:
I’ve a 1999 Dodge 2500 with a 5.9l Cummins and a 5 Speed manual transmission.

Without warning (was shifting fine moments before), I can’t shift into ANY gear. It’s in neutral and won’t engage any gear. I’ve tried it with the engine running, and with it off. I’ve also rolled the truck to see if I could change position of the flywheel (uncertain if I actually moved it).

I’m by myself so I can’t see if the clutch is moving, but pedal feels fine and the reservoir is full.

Any ideas where to look next? Damn thing is stuck in the middle of my drive, blocking in my other car.

Topic

[transman304]

if it is 4WD, might ck to see if transfer case is not in neutral.

[Eric]

Well, the shifter had somehow jumped out of the fork. 5/R was halfway between detents. I took the shifter off, set the rods back to neutral, and tightened everything else back down. Seems to be working fine now. I still don’t know why it happened or if it’s going to continue to do it.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Nice find. FYI if you can’t shift with the engine off, the problem is in the transmission. More info here.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-transmission-problems

If it happens again, you might have an issue with too much clearance. You may be able to shim something to correct the problem.

I happen to know an expert on manual transmissions who would likely know exactly what to shim if you continue to have issues.

http://www.5speeds.com

BTW Paul Cangialosi is the guy that helped me rebuild the T-5 transmission that’s going into my Fairmont.

Good luck and keep us updated if it happens again.

[Author]

Replies