Autoshift annoyance

Jefferson3000 · Jun 13, 2008

Do any of you autoshifters have issues with the computer not putting the truck in gear unless the clutch is completely slammed tight into the floor board? Just bought an FLD with a 10 speed auto and occasionally it won't go into drive or reverse from neutral. If I put it back in neutral and slam the clutch into the floor, I can usually get it to shift. Just doesn't seen quite normal. Could it be a bad sensor?

jaminjim · Jun 13, 2008

Is there an adjustment for it like there is for a neutral safety switch?

D Team Brothers · Jun 13, 2008

Just had one of my Frt's develope the same problem. Put it in the shop, dropped the tranny and found the pressure plate/clutch assy. needed replacing. Springs built into the pressure plate had broken and when shifting these broken parts would jam and would not allow shifting. Repeated attempts at shifting would move the parts around until eventual shifting would be allowed. Working fine now - with a new pressure plate.

piper1 · Jun 13, 2008

Auto shifts (the three pedal trucks) will not shift from neutral to a gear unless the transmission speed is almost stopped. To get the transmission to stop turning you have to engage the clutch brake, which is done by putting the clutch pedal to the floor. If you don't use the clutch brake it can take a while for the transmission to slow down on it's own thus delaying the shift.

Jefferson3000 · Jun 14, 2008

jaminjim said:
Is there an adjustment for it like there is for a neutral safety switch?

Someone else mentioned that to me, but I don't know where that adjustment would be.

Clutch works fine for taking it out of drive or reverse.

Jefferson3000 · Jun 14, 2008

piper1 said:
Auto shifts (the three pedal trucks) will not shift from neutral to a gear unless the transmission speed is almost stopped. To get the transmission to stop turning you have to engage the clutch brake, which is done by putting the clutch pedal to the floor. If you don't use the clutch brake it can take a while for the transmission to slow down on it's own thus delaying the shift.

Of course. It just doesn't seem normal that suddenly my foot must be bruised black and blue in order to put her into gear, when starting or shifting out of drive doesn't.

piper1 · Jun 14, 2008

Jefferson3000 said:
Of course. It just doesn't seem normal that suddenly my foot must be bruised black and blue in order to put her into gear, when starting or shifting out of drive doesn't.

Starting the truck or shifting out of drive don't require the gears in the transmission to be almost stopped. The neutral safety switch is not the culprit if the truck starts OK. The transmission is simply waiting for the gears to slow down enough to make the change from neutral into a gear. I would maybe get your clutch brake adjusted. It should engage with the clutch pedal about a half to an inch from the floor.
if this happened suddenly, did you just had your truck greased? If they put too much grease in the clutch bearing it may be causing the clutch brake to slip requiring more effort from your foot to get the trans slowed down.

Jefferson3000 · Jun 14, 2008

I had thought about having the clutch adjusted to engage a bit higher. I had wondered if it was mechanical, or just some little sensor thing.

No, I haven't had the truck greased.

Tennesseahawk · Jun 15, 2008

I see you made it home in one piece. Congrats!

kwexpress · Jun 15, 2008

I once had a kw t 2000 sametype of problem it was a 2000 model.it seemed to work fine for me but everytime I put a driver in it I would end up paying tow bills for some reason kept it for about 4 months then went back to volvos

Jefferson3000 · Jun 15, 2008

Sometimes this occurs on the initial shift out of neutral, not necessarily the changing of forward to reverse. In any event, the adjusting of the clutch pedal to acitvate a bit sooner would probably do it.

roadeyes · Feb 16, 2009

If this is the ZF transmission they are well known for either not going into gear or even popping out of gear at the most inopportune times (like when you need traction).

I don't know the reason, it could really very well be the clutch brake as you say,
but it is a pain.
Other than that it's not a bad tranny for shifting.