Manual Shifter Centering Springs Bad

[TallPaul]

My son just got a 2001 Chevy S10 with a 4 cylinder and 5-speed manual transmission. The shift lever does not center on 3rd/4th gear location as have all my ford manual transmissions. There is some spring action from the left and right but not in the middle. Consequently, it is more difficult to find/get third gear. Are these springs easy to replace? Or is this just the way Chevy transmission are?

 

[Dakota1820]

I've never had any problems like that. I've always thought Chevy manuals were easier than fords. Something ain't right with that one.

 

[TallPaul]

It drives just fine. I drove it 30 miles last night and shifting is nice and easy, but you do have to get used to the location of 3rd gear. All other shifts work fine. I would think there must be some springs in there. Actually my Ranger has a weak spring on the left, but then typically the side for Reverse is more resistant.

 

[mechtech2]

Those 'springs' are in the synchro assemblies, in the tranny.
Sorry.

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Those 'springs' are in the synchro assemblies, in the tranny.
Sorry.


Well, like I said, it drives fine, so we'll just live with it in that case. Thanks.

 

[George7941]

This centering you are referring to - is that centering left to right in the middle between the 1st/2nd gear plane and 5th/rev gear plane or is it centering front to back between the (front)3rd gear pasition and (rear) 4th gear psition?

If the first (left to right) then there should be springs in the shift mechanism of your NV3500 tranny that are weak now and should be replaced. I have the same NV3500 in my truck except mine is a wide ratio box.

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: George7941
This centering you are referring to - is that centering left to right in the middle between the 1st/2nd gear plane and 5th/rev gear plane or is it centering front to back between the (front)3rd gear pasition and (rear) 4th gear psition?

If the first (left to right) then there should be springs in the shift mechanism of your NV3500 tranny that are weak now and should be replaced. I have the same NV3500 in my truck except mine is a wide ratio box.


Yes it is the centering left to right in the middle between the 1st/2nd gear plane and 5th/rev gear plane. Oh and ours is the NV1500 which comes with the 2.2L. The 4.3L V6 gets the NV3500.

So, where are these springs? Can we get to them by pulling the lever out the top with the tranny still in the vehicle?

 

[George7941]

On the NV3500 the tranny has to be removed from the vehicle and the the shift housing disassembled to access these springs. Just removing the shift tower does not give you enough access.

 

[TallPaul]

Yep, I pulled an exploded view with parts list and its on a shaft inside the housing. We'll just live with it. Not a big deal once you get the feel for it. Thanks

 

[George7941]

Too bad we are not talking about larger trucks here. With the Freightliners, Internationals etc they provide a removable panel on the floor of the cab, above the tranny. This panel is over a foot wide and about 15in long. With this panel removed, the shift housing can be disassembled and parts replaced without removing the tranny from the vehicle.

I definitely prefer working on large trucks.

 

[TallPaul]

We finally got the registration and plates so drove it today. It actually shifts quite nicely. From 2nd to 3rd is pretty much straight up and to get from 2nd to 1st you have to push left against a spring. It may be that I am not used to the Chevy shifter having always driven a Ford (but for my 63 Biscayne 3-on-the-tree when I was a kid).

 

[George7941]

Weak centering springs are something you will probably learn to compensate for once you become familiar with the truck. So if it is just your son and yourself driving the truck then it is probably not much of a problem.

OTOH if it was a work vehicle driven by different drivers, some who won't care how they treat the truck, the tranny won't last long if there is a shifting issue.

 

[TallPaul]

In reading old copies of Hot Rod Magazine I saw an article on performance shifters that included springs you could adjust to stiffen the centering tendencey, so we could fix this without opening the tranny. But, it shifts just fine for me and my son, and for the mechanic who drove it today.

Interesting thing and what made it easier for him to learn the clutch is that the S-10 has a feather light pedal, whereas the one on my Ranger is rather stiff in comparison. It also helped that the S10 is geared about 8% lower in 1st and 2nd.