Jumping out of 2nd Gear

rserpas

New member
I just purchased a 79 cj7. Did not get to drive before I bought it. Just up and down a driveway. When I got it home and drove it noticed that when shifting into 2nd gear it jumps out of gear. No other problems with any other gear. It goes into 2nd smoothly but jumps out after about a second. Also sterring is very slow to react. have to overcomensate while steering. I am not very experienced with working on vehicles but want to learn. Any ideas please share? Thanks
 

If stock, you should have either a T150 or T18. The T150 is a 3 speed, T18 4 speed with 1st as a granny gear. Jumping out of gear could be a host of things; the gear set up on the main shaft could have too much end play, the torque stud (at the transmission mount) is missing or loose, or the motor mounts are sloppy or the transmission may just have some gear or bearing wear from age. There are other reasons too but none of these issues are terminal.

Let's start with the easy ones; torque stud, do you have one? What is the condition of your motor mounts?
 
Last edited:
The 2nd gear popping out could be a bad syncro or synchro sleeve thats not letting the 2nd gear collar slide in all the way.
Edit: There's also a possibility that the fork is also bent.
 
Last edited:
Motor mounts are ok. What and where exactly is a torque stud? Sorry learning as I go here. Also I have a t150
 

The torque stud attaches to a metal plate at the side of the transmission mount above the skid plate. It goes up and down and limits the amount of play (twist) in the transmission mount from the” torque” of the engine. It is a metal stud with two rubber bushings about the size of a fat quarter or so. I’m not on my computer at the moment so I don’t have a picture to send you. Will try later.
 
I know you checked the motor mounts and they probably looked good but motor mounts, if of the stock rubber variety, have studs molded into the rubber and with time the inside of the mount gets "mushy", for lack of a better term, allowing more movement of the studs in the mount. The transmission mount acts much in the same way and all mounts will eventually wear out and can be shot even though they still "look" good on the exterior. (At some point is time the studs in the mounts canl even pull out of the rubber.)

Now I can't know for sure without seeing your jeep but it is logical that if the mounts are going bad and the torque stud is missing the whole motor/transmission/transfer case assemble is slapping back and forth as you shift, more of course if you have your foot in it. This rocking can, but not always, move the shifter out of gear.

I would replace the all of the mounts unless you know they are new. Some polyurethane mounts produced a couple of years ago had problems also so even if they are polyurethane you still might not be in the clear. Changing the mounts may not solve the jumping out of gear issue, but it should solve the jumping around problem when you shift.

If changing the mounts and adding the torque stud doesn't solve the jumping out of gear issue, it may be time to pull the transmission. As said before, this could be a problem inside the box or even with the clutch not being lined up properly.

Try this:

http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?partID=14981

I know it says for CJs up to 1975 but it gives you the idea; you may need to buy the parts individually in order to get the right ones but I think most of this is generic when it comes to the AMC V8s. (Notice the stud and the two round rubber bushings in the picture. The rubber bushings allow for some flex at the transmission.)
 
Back
Top