Quote:
Originally Posted by Pflugerman
That is correct, Ray, and thanks folks for responding. Well that is mostly correct that is. The relay lever isn't moving forward at all! So anyone know where to get a rebuild kit? Do these things break or do they sometime need re-assembly you know tighten things up? The shifter arm inside the cab wont pull forward while in neutral to complete the "H" pattern.
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Okay, if the relay lever isn't moving forward and the shifter lever won't pull back towards you in neutral then something is definitely stuck or jammed up inside the column. When in neutral and you pull the shifter up towards you, the shifter lever pivots on the pin, causing the inner end of the lever to push the shift tube forward. The relay lever is attached directly to the lower end of the shift tube.
I know you've already sprayed it with some lubricant, but it might still have some old gummed up dried out grease in there that's keeping it from moving freely. The column shifter in my 72 was really hard to pull the shift lever back towards you in neutral ... especially in colder weather.
I tried spraying it with some lube too but it didn't help much. I ended up pulling the column out of the truck and disassembling the lower end as much as possible without removing the shift tube. That allowed me to clean out the old dried grease and dirt that had accumulated in there and was gumming up the works. After re-assembly with a light coat of fresh grease on the moving parts it works a whole lot better.
Unfortunately, I don't think anyone makes any rebuild kits for these columns so if you tear it apart and find excessively worn or damaged parts you'll probably have to see what you can find for NOS (new old stock) parts or look for another column. Also, if you don't have one already, I'd recommend picking up a copy of the factory service/repair manual. They show how to disassemble the column and how to re-adjust everything when you put it back together.