shifter won't shift

[todd_f]

Ok here it goes. I have a B&M shifter in my 70 dodge dart with a 727 auto. Everything was working fine untill the cable melted. So I replaced the cable. Things worked good. I went to the gas station and back, everything working. Then when I went to go drive it later that day, the shifter jas jamed. I was able to get it into "D" but it made a grinding sound like a nut was being ripped off of a small bolt. It did't sound like the shifter but like it was coming from under the car. I had a friend shift it while I looked at the conection at the bracket and at the shiftingg lever on the tranny. Nothing was stripping and the lever was moving. I don't think that it was going into 1st though. I checked the cable to see if it had moved or been kinked anywhere, it was the same as when I put it in. I am not sure what is wrong and I definetly don't know what that noise is!

[dwc43]

First off pray there is no b&m crap in your tranny to start with. NExt remove the shifter cable and try the shifter. AS usual you may find that the pin and gate plates are severly worn out and it will no longer work. Pretty typical problem with the b&m junk shifters. Also check the cable adjustment.

If you don't see a problem there (yet, cause you will sooner or later) drop the tranny pan and do a visual inspection. If you used b&m junk inside your tranny, it's gonna have to come out. Sorry.

[todd_f]

Well i got a new shifting wire and put it in. I looked at thew old one and it was melted in one spot wich was causing the clicking noise. This time I put a heat shield around the axhaust to keep it from melting the wire and got a 1 foot longer cable to help in the slack and rerouting. So far it's working great. Have to check and make sure the heat shield is doing it's job.

[John Kunkel]

Looks like that "junk" shifter is still serving you well, as it has many others.

[rumblefish360]

Good job. Glad you searched out the problem yourself instead of just swaping parts around wasteing money.

[ehostler]

Glad to see that you actually troubleshot the problem instead of paying attention to someones rhetoric.

[dwc43]

Originally Posted by todd_f

Well i got a new shifting wire and put it in. I looked at thew old one and it was melted in one spot wich was causing the clicking noise. This time I put a heat shield around the axhaust to keep it from melting the wire and got a 1 foot longer cable to help in the slack and rerouting. So far it's working great. Have to check and make sure the heat shield is doing it's job.

Congrats on the cable, you got lucky. Make sure to grease the cable and the gates and pins cause they do wear quickly. Consider using a Hurst shifter when it needs replacing. They last much longer.