4spd trans linkage help needed

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ijg4503

ijg4503

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Hello,

I am having problems with the A833 transmisison adjustment on my 70 Duster 340. The previous owner fabricated a fork rod since no one was making new ones at the time. However, I have purchased a new repopped part from B/E & A. The existing rod has a bend to it and the new part is straight. So, I am confused as to which rod style is correct.

The problem that I am having with the transmisison is that I cannot seem to get the fork rod adjusted correctly. Either it is too loose and the clutch won't engage all the way, or it is too tight and something starts making a banging noise that appears to be coming from inside the tranny. I have messed with it quite a bit and am now throughly frustrated.

I have attached a few pics for you to see the different rod styles.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason
[email protected]
614-946-3333

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The bracket piece coming down from your Z bar must be bent,cause that arm that you originally had on there has been extended to work.The one on bottom right is the proper one.It looks like they bent it to make room for your exhaust.That,s my guess.
 
I would give Brewers Performance a call. On their website it shows two
different lengths for two clutch forks.One is 12.5 in and the other is 10 in
in length. The clutch rod should be straight. If your clutch fork were 2 in
longer,it looks like it would come close to lining up correctly.If by chance
that is not the answer,you will be talking to the people who can help.Great
people to deal with.www.brewersperformance.com 937-698-4259.
 
I would give Brewers Performance a call at 937-698-4259.They show two
clutch forks with two different lengths on their web-site. The clutch rod
should be straight.One is 12.5 in long the other is 10 in in length.If your
clutch fork was two in longer it appears it would be close to lining up.Some
exhaust mods may be necessary. If that is not the answer, they are the
people to help you out. Good luck.
 
I think you might have the wrong clutch fork in the car (too short). I will crawl under my car tonight and look, I am sure mine sticks further out of the boot than yours.
 
I had a look at my car. The end of the clutch fork is approx. 1" from the torsion bar. Looking at your pictures your fork is nowhere near the torsion bar. So you must have the wrong fork. The small block A-body has a long fork and the Small block B&E body has a short fork. You must have the short one. Mopar performance sells the correct one for you application. If you are searching the junkyards, look for an late 70's to mid 80's dodge truck, I think these have the long fork (but I am not 100% sure).
 
340duster said:
I had a look at my car. The end of the clutch fork is approx. 1" from the torsion bar. Looking at your pictures your fork is nowhere near the torsion bar. So you must have the wrong fork. The small block A-body has a long fork and the Small block B&E body has a short fork. You must have the short one. Mopar performance sells the correct one for you application. If you are searching the junkyards, look for an late 70's to mid 80's dodge truck, I think these have the long fork (but I am not 100% sure).
Click to expand...
340duster,I think you are right.If the fork was longer(correct for a-bodie)the proper arm(bottom right)would connect properly.The fork on there does look to short.
 
My rod is straight and the fork is the long one. I believe all you need is the longer fork. I know that compared to your fork mine is longer.
 
Clutch linkage is a funny thing. The shorter the fork, the less leverage you have (harder pedal). Also, the shorter the fork the less distance the pedal has to travel to disengage the clutch. That might be why you're having trouble adjusting it to where it "feels" right. My guess is that it's real touchy right now ;)

Make sure you double check your clutch engagement before starting up...be a shame to smoke a clutch
 
Thank you guys for the advice. I was wondering if the clutch fork was too short. If I get the correct one then the new rod from Mike might work. I will check with Brewers as well.

Thanks again,

ijg4503
 
What they said, judging by the pics and how much of that fork sticks out of the boot (it looks like the short).

pettybludart said:
340duster,I think you are right.If the fork was longer(correct for a-bodie)the proper arm(bottom right)would connect properly.The fork on there does look to short.
Click to expand...
 
Well gents, I collected all the correct parts that you suggested (A-body clutch fork, pivot arm, z-bar to fork rod) and had a local transmisison shop that everyone recommended install them. They called and said that they got all the new part installed and adjusted so that the 4 spd shifts well thru the gears, but the car is still have the knocking nosie when you are not accelerating and are in gear. As soon as you push in the clutch the noise stops. The tranny shop isn't sure what the problem might be. When the car is not in gear and is free wheeling there isn't any knocking noise. There isn't any knocking noise when it is up in the air without weight on the driveline and it is in gear. They said that the RAM clutch is worn a little and the flywheel appears to be fine (not cut down). Perplexing to them and I. They thought maybe it could be something in the rearend. I hope not because I just installed a 3:55 posi that was taken apart and said to be good. To me, the knocking noise sounds like it's coming from the transmission tunnel. Any suggestions would very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Jason
[email protected]
614-946-3333
 
Is it a "tinney" type knocking or deeper sound? Its hard to diagnose without seeing/hearing it. I would check for things hitting the frame t-bars etc. Remember if it occurs under acceleration your engine and trans or moving around. The drivers side engine mount will try and stretch/lift. and the passengers side will compress. Check for a broken driver's side mount or the trans mount could be bad too.

Other things to do would be to remove the tin plates on the bellhousing to see if the problem goes away.

Another thing to check would be the end play in your crankshaft. You can probably use a dial indicator on the flywhell and move the crankshaft back and forth with a screw driver. I can remember the spec but I think if you have more than .010" this may be your problem. I had a BrandX truck that the center thrust bearing (on the enigne) had worn so bad that when you pushed the clutch in the counterweight would rub the inside web of the block making a knocking sound (opposite to your problem).

I am glad I was able to help with the linkage issue.
 
Jason,

Work backwards............Did you notice the knocking sound prior to changing/repairing you rear? Have you made any other changes in the car? Put the car on jack stands and give it a try. Go and read "Need 4 speed help" by matsuco06, he went through a whole big load of crap only to find out that he had rear gear problems.

Good Luck!!
 
Well Gents, I am still chasing the loud knocking sound. I just had the rear diff. rechecked by the guy that I bought it from and its OK. He knows his stuff so I trust him. We didnt think that it was the rear diff to begin with, but better to be safe than sorry. That was the last thing that I worked on before the knocking sound started. I checked the front and rear u-joints and they seem to be tight. I had the car in the trans shop and they couldnt figure out what could be causing the noise. But, now I am thinking that they didnt really know how to work on a 39yr old 4spd. So just to re-cap the on-going problem, the car is making a knocking noise in the transmission tunnel when I have the car in any gear and it is coasting (not under gas). When I engage the clutch pedal the noise stops. Could this be the gears in the front of the transmission that are not active when the clutch is locked up? I am not a tranny guy so I dont know what the heck I am supposed to be looking for.

Any additional advice would be appreciated. I will fix this thing whether it wants to be fixed or not!

Thanks again,

Jason
614-946-3333
 
Pull the side cover and look at the cluster gear and input gear real close, you're looking for chipped teeth.
If the cluster gear has lost it's roller bearings, it will also cause this noise and would also cause chipped gears, due to increasing distance on the thin part of the teeth.

The noise goes away because there is no load on the components, and it's not chipped (or the rollers mangled), too badly.

Mark.
 
With a too short of a clutch fork you will wind up with too much travel in the throughout bearing for a full pedal stroke. Your noise is likely the fingers on the pressure plate coming in contact with the disk.
 
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