240 1988 240 m47 no gears.

I've got an 88 240 dl I manual swapped about 4-5 months ago. Never really gave me any issues until this morning. I'm driving to work and I go to shift from 2cnd-3rd when I notice the shifter feels really loose while it felt fine all morning. I still felt sort of a click into third so I took my foot of the clutch and the car just revved. I pulled over to the side of the on ramp and I have no gears at all, feels like it hits the detents for 1st-4th but the car won't move. And the shifter is super loose, like I can grab it and move it in a full 360 and it hits parts of the floor because it moves so far. I pulled the shift boot up to see if maybe the linkage just came loose and it's all attached with no missing parts but I noticed that without the boot attached the shifter won't return to the center on it's own, it'd rather just flop to the right. So I got the car towed home and I put it up in the air, the clutch fork and cable moves ok, the shift linkage is all together and the parts are all there. Where the shifter meets the transmission and there's that ball and socket with the pin and the retaining collar over the pin all moves with the shifter in and out, side to side. I've got all new brass bushings in the car and the only other issues I've had is sometimes the transmission wouldn't downshift into 4th when I would rev match, no grinding it just felt like it was blocked from going into 4th which could just be me missing the gear because if I tried it again it would work fine. I think it's an internal problem but I'm not a transmission guy and I couldn't find any problems like this on google so I just wanted to see if I could pick your brains and see how screwed I am.

It sounds like the roll pin (#71) for the selector pin (#70) either broke or fell out.

That's kind of what I was thinking damn

Or that little allen bolt that holds the pin in at the bottom of the shifter. If that falls out, same thing no get in any gear. That is probably more common and easier to get to. But seems you say you check that, dam.

It's buried in a wall of text but he did say:

SenseiRice said:

I pulled the shift boot up to see if maybe the linkage just came loose and it's all attached with no missing parts but I noticed that without the boot attached the shifter won't return to the center on it's own, it'd rather just flop to the right.

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SenseiRice said:

Where the shifter meets the transmission and there's that ball and socket with the pin and the retaining collar over the pin all moves with the shifter in and out, side to side.

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It's definitely something internal.

Pulled the trans today and got the top cover off, that roll pin is nowhere to be found.

I should have one laying around. If you need it.

SenseiRice said:

Pulled the trans today and got the top cover off, that roll pin is nowhere to be found.

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Your trans got rick rolled by a roll pin. Hopefully it behaves after that. Should feel a lot better.

hiperfauto said:

It sounds like the roll pin (#71) for the selector pin (#70) either broke or fell out.

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Well **** my life, bought another m47 and the guy broke down on his way to meet up with me so I ended up buying the trans on the side of the highway, did my best to check it out but considering the circumstances I wasn't that thorough. Anyways I get it home and I drain the fluid when these two big rectangular things are stuck to the magnet. The transmission makes awful grinding noises spinning by hand in 5th and completely locks up in reverse. I looked over the exploded parts diagram and I think the little clips are #26 and #17. Guess I'm on the hunt for another m47 around southern NH, 4th m47 I've had in 3 years and 4th m47 that's let me down lol.

SenseiRice said:

Well **** my life, bought another m47 and the guy broke down on his way to meet up with me so I ended up buying the trans on the side of the highway, did my best to check it out but considering the circumstances I wasn't that thorough. Anyways I get it home and I drain the fluid when these two big rectangular things are stuck to the magnet. The transmission makes awful grinding noises spinning by hand in 5th and completely locks up in reverse. I looked over the exploded parts diagram and I think the little clips are #26 and #17. Guess I'm on the hunt for another m47 around southern NH, 4th m47 I've had in 3 years and 4th m47 that's let me down lol.

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That was the universe telling you to walk away, find a good M46 and call it a day.

carver said:

That was the universe telling you to walk away, find a good M46 and call it a day.

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I did just buy a T5 from a t bird turbo coupe, I just can't be waiting around for all the conversion parts right now. Thinking that I'll give myself a crash course on how to rebuild an m47 tomorrow and I'll see if I can make one good m47.

Can't you just replace the missing pin in your old trans?

2cnd and 3rd have bad synchros on the m47 that was in my car but worst case scenario that's what I'll do. Anything I can do to prevent that roll pin from falling out?

SenseiRice said:

2. Anything I can do to prevent that roll pin from falling out?

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Put a bit of Loctite on the threads of the Allen head bolt that holds it into place.

SenseiRice said:

Well **** my life, bought another m47 and the guy broke down on his way to meet up with me so I ended up buying the trans on the side of the highway, did my best to check it out but considering the circumstances I wasn't that thorough. Anyways I get it home and I drain the fluid when these two big rectangular things are stuck to the magnet. The transmission makes awful grinding noises spinning by hand in 5th and completely locks up in reverse. I looked over the exploded parts diagram and I think the little clips are #26 and #17. Guess I'm on the hunt for another m47 around southern NH, 4th m47 I've had in 3 years and 4th m47 that's let me down lol.

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Was he also in a Volvo?

Mr. V said:

Put a bit of Loctite on the threads of the Allen head bolt that holds it into place.

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You must be thinking of something else.

A roll pin is called that because it is a rolled-up piece of spring steel. The springy nature should generate tension when it is in place. (at my local store they call them "tension pins") If you don't have to drive it in with a hammer or don't feel the tension as it goes in, then you may have the wrong pin or something else may be wrong. If the tension is there, I don't see what else you could do to make it stay in there.

iHateVolvoPeople said:

Was he also in a Volvo?

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How'd you know? He was in a 240 and his wheel fell off on the highway, completely demolished the driver's rear quarter panel.

Harry Tuttle said:

You must be thinking of something else.

A roll pin is called that because it is a rolled-up piece of spring steel. The springy nature should generate tension when it is in place. (at my local store they call them "tension pins") If you don't have to drive it in with a hammer or don't feel the tension as it goes in, then you may have the wrong pin or something else may be wrong. If the tension is there, I don't see what else you could do to make it stay in there.

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I tried to stick the roll pin in and it went about halfway in by hand so I put it in the rest of the way with a hammer. I can still move it side to a little bit but after I move it a tiny but it tightens up and I can't take it out by hand. Guess I'll have to try and find a place to buy a new one

There are a couple of those same pins in the trans (#77 & #79) that aren't stressed as much as the one that fell out. Take one out of the bad trans and put it in the good one. Either that or refer to post #7.