Diagnosing shifting issues

[Al Schober]

Having shifting issues? If you don't know whether you have a transmission issue or a problem with the linkage, I recommend the following:
With the engine off, remove the reversing gear cover. As you (or a helper) move your shift lever, you'll see the shifter cone around the main shaft move fwd (towards the engine block) and aft.
With the shifter in fwd gear, you should see the cone move AFT and engage the three fingers that engage the fwd clutch pack. The fingers should go over the hump in the cone and kinda snap into place. If this doesn't happen, you can try loosening the adjustment for the fwd clutch pack and try again. If it still doesn't go, your shift linkage is faulty or out of adjustment. Once you get it to shift fully into fwd, you can re-tighten the clutch pack.
Move the shifter to the reverse position - you'll see the cone move fwd. It should almost come into contact with the notched ring for adjusting the fwd clutch pack. 1/32 or 1/16 of clearance is fine. If the cone contacts the notched ring, you should tighten the reverse adjusting nut. If your clearance is more than 1/16", try backing off the reverse adjusting nut a few flats and try again. If you can't get the cone to move this far fwd, your shifter is likely faulty/out of adjustment. You can alway tighten up the reverse adjustment.
Making adjustments to the reversing gear to compensate for a faulty shifter is futile and likely to damage the reversing gear. At best, you'll have little/no neutral band.