Postby Cooper » December 20th, 2012, 3:00 pm
^^ actually a manual transmission has multiple forks that hold & move a synchronizer collar between gears. In the Ranger/BT-50 there is one synchro for 1st & 2nd another for 3rd & 4th and another for 5th. In some transmissions, Reverse is engaged via an idler gear or may be on the opposite side of the synchro to 5th.
The syncro collar usually locks into place on a selected gear via three to four springs built into the collar or on a 'detent mechanism' that moves the forks. It could be that the springs are worn or broken.
ranger, when you move around the shifter (with the engine off) you would usually feel/hear a low click (sounds like a two solid bricks knocking together) when you engage the gears. That noise is the springs locking the collar in place on a gear. You would obviously have to apply a little extra force to move it out of the gear into neutral, because you have to overcome the force of the spring.
If you're not feeling this click for the 3rd gear, something may be wrong with the springs in the synchro collar/detent mechanism between the 3rd & 4th gear.
The springs don't generally break so there could be debris in the system from wear and tear on the gearbox
First replace the transmission fluid. The drain plug on the transmission usually has a magnet to catch filings but some synchros use brass dog teeth so it wouldn't catch all the metal.
IF that doesn't help, either find a transmission specialist to take the tranny apart and repair/replace the collar or detent spring or just replace the transmission altogether.
I know I may have gotten a little technical in that explanation but you can do a search on youtube on how manual transmissions work to understand exactly what I'm talking about.
Last edited by
Cooper on December 20th, 2012, 3:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
