A brief intro post, I have a 1995 300ci 5-speed (M5r2) short bed. Only modifications are front 1.5” leveling pucks, new shocks all around, and 31” x 10.5” Tires. It’s in great shape for the year…only:
Took it in for an alignment and was told the U-joints are shot at the wheels, ***** joints need replacing…not a pressing issue for me because I mainly use it for dump runs and sparse use. The truck never shifted into gear very well, 1st and 3rd are the toughest, usually pop into 2nd and then into first and can shift slowly while driving. Then I drove it a good distance 50mi each way and upon return the vehicle would not shift into gear easily at all (worried I wouldn’t get home) I was able to rock it into second and get out of the city okay. Checked hydro fluid, was fine. Noticed some issues below while looking around: drive shaft U-joint is loose, steering knuckles are really rusty…

I figure the shifting issue may be solved by replacing the shift forks, I have new ones. The access to the top of the trans is through the floor from what I can gather. So I will try that first, inspect what I can and go from there.

I am seeking advice on what else I should replace or inspect while I am going through all of this. Any advice on where to find steering knuckles, would like to avoid replacing ball joints by themselves (prefer pressed in already), so control arms etc. Any other common issues with this model year/configuration I should look out for?

Thank you for your time, Tim

 

Hi Tim,
I gather you have never seen a Ford on the side of the road with a front wheel half way under the vehicle. Worn ball joints can become dangerous and should be replaced as soon as noticed.
I'm not too sure the problem is the shift forks.
There are synchronizers that if worn or damaged can cause some of the problems you are seeing.
There may be some bearing and clutch release problems that might be getting overlooked.
If for instance,,,,,,,,,,when you depress the clutch pedal and you have to go to second gear to stop the trans gears from moving so you can shift nto 1st gear tells us the clutch may not be fully releasing. This could be caused by a faulty clutch master cyl or slave cyl inside the bell housing. If there is trapped air in that system, the pedal may go all the way down , but the pressure from the master cyl may just be compressing the air trapped in the line to the slave cyl. The air can be difficult to get out completely , but still needs to be air free. Might not be a good move to open the trans, hope you get the forks lined up correctly and still have the same problem.

 

Hanky, Thanks for your advice.

The ball joints were noticed by the shop when I took it for and alignment, I could not replicate the movement they mentioned, but I do not have a lift, only put it on a jack, so it may be an issue of placement. I imagine the the joints are going, but will not leave me on the side of the road anytime soon. Either way, I have replacements ready to go, but am searching for pressed-in options in place of replacing just the ball joints.

The shifting seemed to me as synchronization issue at first, but the fact that it wouldn’t go into gear one time, then after sitting, drove like it used to, makes me think it could be the shift forks over just the synchros, bc when the problem occurred it affected all of the gears, while gears 1-3 were the only problems before. My plan is to open up the top and see what’s going on, replace the forks regardless, and go from there. If I need to pull the transmission, I will rebuild it (at least new synchronizers) and replace the clutch, and check the slave. I think there is a bleeder on the trans if there is any air in the line, as you suggested. The clutch behaves like it should as far as I can tell though.

Bronco graveyard appears to have the steering knuckles. Napa does not carry arms with ball joints, probably check rock auto for those.

 

There is a gasket between the shift tower and the trans body ;. Either be very careful not to let any grit get into the trans or if you see the problem with the clutch assy try to avoid opening the trans if not necessary Sometimes you can reuse the gasket , other times not. Might be a good idea to pick up a gasket if you are determined to go there.
Cleanliness is essential when opening any trans.

 

I will be careful. I will update once I find some time to work on the truck.