No reverse on shifter

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74Dusted

74Dusted

Stock Piler of 340's
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went to bench test my A833 on the floor, I can row through all 4 gears with ease, but when I try to shift into reverse, there isn't one (on the shifter at least, i can engage it at the transmission by hand)

A Hurst Comp Plus shifter mechanism (for an A833), but it only has "2 rows" to the shift pattern, 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th. I can't slide it over any further (over and up/beside 1st gear) to grab reverse, it's just not there and it won't move past the 1st/2nd row. Shifter moves freely though, cleaned it up and sprayed it with white lithium grease thinking it was a lubrication issue. no luck

Tried pushing down on the shifter and sliding over, nope, still goes into the 1st/2nd row. Tried pulling up on it and sliding over, nope, still goes into the 1st/2nd row. The reverse arm hanging from the bottom just free floats if you disconnect the linkage.

I'm lost on this and it's got me pissed off like you wouldn't believe.
 
Sounds like to me you have a 3spd Shifter and not a 4spd, you've tried all corners on pushing down and to the left and up or down and then to the right up and down? sounds like a 3spd shifter. There would have to be three linkage throws under the shifter to be a 4spd. is there?
 
Could be in the adjustment. Did you use a pin through holes in the shifter to set it up ?
 
Yep, 3 throws/arms coming down out of the shifter.

It's a little hard to see in the picture, but it's a Hurst Competition Plus shifter mechanism with a cheby 4x4 transfer case handle bolted on it to test it out, a pistol grip shifter/handle will be taking its place.

EDIT : yeah, i used a pin through the little holes (and the slot on the reverse arm) to line up everything. it's not so much lining it up, but the fact that there just isn't a throw to move the the 1st/2nd row to the reverse row. Hell i ripped the knob off the shifter trying to get it to slide over further. nothing seems to be binding, very little play/slop, moves smoothly. I'm wondering if someone didn't have this mechanism apart and somehow disabled the reverse function

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This might not make sense and it doesn't to me either but instead of pushing down have you tried pulling up and over maybe you have to pull up instead of pushing down...just trying to help....it's been so long since I've had a 4spd shifter.
 
bkd said:
This might not make sense and it doesn't to me either but instead of pushing down have you tried pulling up and over maybe you have to pull up instead of pushing down...just trying to help....it's been so long since I've had a 4spd shifter.
Click to expand...

Turns out there actually is a reverse on it...

This usually doesn't turn out so well (we've all been there) I sat on top of the transmission, braced one arm around the crossmember/tailshaft housing and gave the shifter a massive "hulk it" slap/smash (hulk angry...hulk smash...) and the shifter slid over into the reverse row.

I dunno what it's problem was, maybe it just likes it rough :D (or maybe it was just jammed) But now reverse does work. The 'force it till it does work' method rarely works to my benefit, I just don't have that kind of luck, but it worked today :D
 
I had the same issue with my Comp Plus Shifter, I was testing with a push in shifter lever that I had drilled to work in my Comp PlUS Shifter and reverse was a SOB to get in but once I put the correct shifter in it works like it should. Maybe there is a difference in the way the base of the shifter lever is designed???????????????
 
From the looks of that shifter, it could be full of rust/ muck/ mud.
 
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