How to fix the wire connection at the stick shift?

[BillyPilgrim]

1. I went to back out of the garage and the autostick would not engage, so I wiggled the wire on the stick shift and the car worked fine-until the next time I had to practice shift/wiggle/zoom.
2. Is there some place I can find a wiring diagram and description of how to fix this? It looks like I need to unscrew 1 or 2 nuts (or bolts) on the stick shift, but I would love to have someone tell me the correct procedure.

I know this is one of the most common problems people have with the auto stick, and it looks like a weak point in the system that breaks down from vibration and shifting action.

Anybody have a neat fix for this?

Billy Pilgrim

[bookwus]

Hiya Billy,

Taking apart the shift lever to do corrective work is a snap.  However, before you begin know this.........inside the shift lever is a set of points.  These points must be set rather precisely to function as designed.  Setting the gap on these points is unlike anything else - certainly it is not in any way like setting ignition points.  Once learned this is also a piece of cake.
So, here we go.............(this assumes you have the shift boot off already)

Disconnect the blue wire (leading away from the shifter) under the rear seat. Undo the two bolts holding the shifter in place on the tunnel.  Pay close attention to the orientation of the shift plate under the shifter housing.  Make sure it goes back in the very same way.  You should now be able to lift the shifter out of the car.

Time to take the shifter apart.  Once you have it in your hands the procedure for disassembling will be intuitive (really, it's very straightforward - not tricky at all).  Once you have it apart closely examine the points.  They should be clean and shiny.  Emery cloth is a good choice for cleaning and polishing the points.  A hint:  Push up on the blue wire where it comes out of the shifter.  This, in turn, will push the bottom points up.  Carefully look over the wire there for possible worn spots and repair if needed.  While you are at it, check over the entire wire for such wear.

Reassemble the shifter.  Screw the sleeve down until it goes no further.  You don't have to (and shouldn't) force it.  Just till it stops.  Then back the sleeve off one half a turn.  Tighten up the lower retaining nut and you have just set your points.

Reinstall and you should be on your way.  By the way, do yourself a big favor and invest in a Bentley Shop manual.  This procedure  (and many more) will be found there.

[68AutoBug]

Thanks Mike,
I'll do that in the near future...

Lee -- 68AutoBug --

[BillyPilgrim]

Mike, my new best friend! Thank you!

I will get the book ASAP, but please let me know what you think of my shifter situation.
My autostick has been owned by several people, reworked, and may have been modified a lot.

1. My wire (happens to be yellow) come out of the stick lever  through a hole that is under threads, just below the second of the two nuts on the shift lever.
2. Now, first thing, I'll disconnect that wire somewhere on its way to the clutch, probably disconnect the battery, too.
3. From your description, I guess that the original design had a blue wire that came up under the shift plate on the shifter housing, right? Anyway, I'll check it and probably just fix a worn wire- then everything will work
4. But. I have previously written about my car having more torque/power if I start off in 1st Range (as opposed to Low Range). Please let me re-state that: Starting in Low Range feels like I'm starting in a 2nd gear range; moving from Low Range to 1st Range feels like I'm down shifting.  When I wrote about this before, I could not seem to get my description understood. Other posts suggested I didn't understand Low vs. 1st Range.  But now, you have told me there are some points to be set –AND THAT THE DIRECTION OF THE SHIFT PLATE IS CRUCIAL!! So my question is: "Is there anyway you can imagine that my shift points have been mis-installed so that "Low Range" and "1st Range" could have their wiring reversed?

Thank you very much for your thoughts.

Billy Pilgrim
Grass Valley, California

[68AutoBug]

Hi Billy Pilgram,
Apoligies for thinking You had the gears mis-interpreted..
I don't think that You can get the gears misaligned at the gearlever...
but It may be possible inside the gearbox.. major changes... You would really have to know what You're doing.. but not impossible.. for someone to change the gear ratios of low & first....
So maybe You have a car that IS really different..

What do others think??

Lee - 68AutoBug -

[bookwus]

Hiya Billy,

First off, you cannot "rearrange" your shift pattern by servicing the  contact points.  All the points do is (when closed by pressure on the shift lever) to activate the solenoid on your Control Valve which in turn activates the clutch servo.  Bottom line.......the contact points have nothing to do with the gear selection.

On the other hand, the shift plate (under the shifter housing mounted to the tunnel) does have a lot to with gear selection.  It's position is very important to selecting the proper gear (range) and shifting cleanly into that gear.

But, to be honest, it sounds as if there is more going on than just the position of the shift plate.  I have never heard of gears being "rearranged" as you describe.  Here's part of the problem, the way I look at it........  when you shift into Low Range you pull the lever back which forces the shift rod forward.  The exact opposite action is required to shift into First.  For the life of me, I cannot see how these two gears can be "rearranged" by any problems in the shifting linkage.

Which leaves one with the other alternative, something is screwed up inside the transmission case itself.  Read that last sentence as, "Lots of bucks to fix."  But, by all means, do the simple and cheap procedures (try moving the shift plate around - change out your front shifter bushing - replace the shift rod coupler under the oval plate on the tunnel) on the linkage first.  You might get lucky!

By the way, the fact that you have a yellow wire coming out of the bottom of your shift lever is telling.  I'll bet the PO affixed a new wire to the points in an attempt to do a fix.  I'll also wager that the "fix" may well be your engagement problem.  That wire should lead (probably through a connnector) to the nuetral safety switch and then to the solenoid on the Control Valve.

Let us know how it goes.