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ok you don't need the tool, and in fact often the tool won't fit.
since you have already taken it apart this will add two extra steps, but really not a bad deal.
First you should have the car up on jackstands, securely please, and high enough that you can get under the car to where the shift shaft coupler is, and the pinch bolt on the shaft you are talking about.
If your transmission used to self center the shifter in the 3/4 slot (spring loaded) then we will start there to get back to a place to actually do the adjustment.
- put the clamp back on the transmission shaft and snug the bolt from underneath.
- see if you can shift into 3rd, do not do alot of forcing. You want to see where the alignment hole is, it is either setup for doing this in 3rd or reverse. Procedure is the same, just different gear selection during the prodecure.
- so figure out if 3rd gear gets the alignment holes to approximately line up, if it doesn't gently shift into reverse (you may not be able to get there) and see if there are holes there. This information is for later.
- most likely you will not be able to cleanly engage all of the gears. not sweat. You may have to do the adjustment step below a couple of times to get *approximate* adjustment, again just some time.
- shift into third, and have a helper hold the shifter there, it may not be exactly where you rememeber the shifter, this is one of the 2 extra steps where we are trying to get close so we can do the fine adjustments next.
- get under the car while watching the shifter have the help VERY SLOWLY move the shifter towards neutral so that you can see the direction of movement. Have them go back to third. loosen the pinch bolt, using your fingers, a screw driver or whatever move the shift shaft at the transmission in the direction that engages third, do it ALL THE WAY. To the end of the through, this is important. then clamp the pinch bolt. This is getting you ready to actually do the adjusment.
- back in the drivers seat, rememeber before we were looking for the alignment hole, was it third or reverse? Engage whichever gear it is. Here is one of the tricks, I have "swiss army torx" that's the set of torx that you can fold out to pick the correct size. The fit of a dowel or drill bit or whatever you use into the alignment hole is *very* important, the tighter the fit the better, so I use my swiss army torx (or hex have that too) to find the largest that will fit. So do that, whatever you use it must be snug. Think about the fit for the radio removal tools, snug snug snug. So do the dowel thing.
- back under the car, if third it's easier to do, again loosen the pinch clamp, if the alignment was off some the transmission shaft will rotate back to left right center with the spring, your job it to again make sure it is completetly moved into the direction of travel that shifting into third gets. have your helper pull the alignment pin and push towards third, you should be able to tell which direction it's going, have the pin replaced, as before hands screw driver what ever move the transmission shifter all the way and then do the pinch bolt, tightly. I like to use a 13 mm deep reach socket on a stubby ratchet that has pretty small has micro stops for the action, you push the 3/8 pin through the body to reverse direction. cheap at the counter at Auto Zone or somewhere, very manuverable.
- if the alignment pit is reverse everything as above is the same, but you have to be careful when moving the shift shaft back or forth that you don't go the wrong direction too far as it will pop back to the 3/4 center, remember how you had to pickup the collar and push the shifter over? It wants to come back... so keep adjustment movements very small or you will have to start back about three steps. If you do screw up it's just some more time.
After you get this all working you can lay under the car and have the helper put the clutch to the floor and shift, slowly 1-2-3-4-5 and then 5-4-3-2-1 Note that I skipped reverse. reverse is not syncro. we do it next. Then shift from 2 or 3 to reverse, it may not want to go, *you* move one of the tires a couple of inches and have helper retry. bet it works
Remember that if you didn't tighten the pinch bolt well... it may change positions and that's bad... lol
Also, this entire procedure assumes you have the rotten tapered pin in place. The reason for the tapered pin is that you can, presumably, remove the pin and disconnect the shift shaft from the transmission, and later put it back together, all without having to do this adjustment.
Let me know how you do?
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