Hello all, now that the weather has finally dropped under 100 degrees I am tinkering with the Montero again and I am in need of more advice.

My 5 speed used to run through all the gears just fine (not running), I changed the gear oil in the transmission and "lost" 3rd and 4th. Unfortunately I changed the oil prior to the engine running, so I do not know if it would have been an issue prior to the oil change or not.
Now that I finally have the engine going (yay!), I cannot get the transmission to go into 3rd or 4th even when not running. I pulled the shifter assembly and the little plastic piece is intact on the end of the shaft.

Oh, one side note. I started in 4H to test the front hubs, and I thought I put it in reverse, but I almost stalled it because it was in 4th. Why would it go into gear in 4 wheel drive and not 2? 3rd just seems not to exist at all - but I know I ran the shifter through it prior to the fluid change/engine install.

I did search and the closest thing I could find was "popping out of 4th" a few years back. Everyone said the synchros, and I think whoever it was lost everything but fourth a couple months later.

Is it time to find a transmission or did I put the wrong fluid (80w-90), or not enough/too much fluid in? Also, the stuff I drained out was not gear oil, it was much thinner, I would say 10w-30.

Thank you once again for your time,
Ryan

My Mitchell program shows 75w-85 show what you put in should be fine. Were there any metal flakes in the old oil? Could be the syncro's or something more. The bushings on the shift rods could have worn out or bearing could be shot. I'm sure there is more and other's will chime in.

I lost almost all shift ability shortly after I finished the conversion to turbo.

I ended up having my tranny rebuilt. It wasn't cheap, but it's just fine still.

I might recommend that route as opposed to a used 5-speed. Best of all worlds would be to convert it to an A/T.

Thank you for the replies. Sounds like the transmission is just going out and it was probably like this prior to changing the oil.

There is a guy around here that rebuilds them and I hear he does a really good job, so I may just look into that eventually. In the meantime 1st, 2nd and 5th isn't too bad. If you red line in 2nd it is possible to go straight to 5th and achieve highway speeds in about 2 minutes. :-)

On the other hand redlining in 2nd produces somewhat of a smoke screen. I don't think my valve guide seals exist any more... I probably should have looked into rebuilding the top end while I had the engine out. Oh well, I will figure that out later as well.

As far as converting to an automatic, I really like the feel of a manual. I had to give up my standard vehicles when I got married (my wife just could not get it), so I think this one will remain a standard - although I have read that the automatics were much better.

Thanks again,
Ryan

Oh sorry, forgot to answer the question - yes, I pulled the pan and there was a ton of metal shavings on the plug and pan. I was trying to pretend I didn't see it and everything would be okay... Apparently not though. ;-)

Pennzoil Syncromesh - do not deviate...

Phooey!

But......., I guess autos are okay if you can't plan ahead. I like to make my own decisions when it comes to RPM and gear I need.

Plan ahead for huge piles of rocks if you ever come wheel with us in AZ. I'll show you some trails where you wished you'd planned ahead for having grown an extra leg for that third pedal down there.

I loved my Raider with the five speed...for almost everything. Until I found those trails mentioned above. Most of the wheeling I was doing was fine with the manual, but then came graduation time (into harder trails, that is). I found I was just beating my truck a bit too hard to make it work. An auto is so much smoother in the rough stuff.

John B.

My turbo truck's a 5-speed too, so I reckon I can make a decision (be it good or bad) with the best of them. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/mrt.gif" alt="" />

I only toss the option out there because the auto trannies are pretty bullet-proof - especially the ones originally mated to a 3.0.

I agree that an auto is better under certain conditions (drag racing maybe), but overall I way prefer a manual.

The first auto 4X4 I had was a Dodge Power Wagon - bought it based on Consumer Reports recommendation for auto transmission over a manual. Driving down from Star Mountain Ranch to Juntura (Eastern Oregon), pulling a trailer, proved it was a bad choice.

I have a 4X4 to have insurance while going places too risky for 2WD. I don't have a need to prove that I can go where no one has gone before.