Transmission stuck in reverse?? 88 4x4 Ram 50

[yergz]

I just picked up an 88 Ram 50 4x4 as a project. Had to tow it because the tranny seems to be stuck in reverse. Haven't had any time to dig in yet, but this is what I know after towing it home, and wanting to see if anyone has any thoughts. Haven't tried engaging 4x4.

-Feels like it goes into 1st, 2nd, reverse and neutral, but it won't roll, and the reverse lights stay on. Shifter is very loose.

-It just dies if the clutch is let out, so I had to hold the clutch in for the whole tow so that the thing would roll... (just used a tow strap tow so needed brakes and steering)

-At one point it did seem to want to go backwards, but this was where it was parked with a wall behind it so I couldn't really test it out there...but that cement wall was calling her name.

Anyone had similar things happen? Should I waste my time rebuilding things or just get a new tranny to throw in?

Hoping to spend some more time this weekend and maybe get the tranny dropped out and see what things look like.

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[geezer101]

There's a chance the shifter has disengaged from the selector forks. The forks can be manipulated back into position with the shifter lever removed (it is a fiddly job but you will physically feel the tension on the selector linkage when you have got it in the right location) If the shifter bush is missing you will need to replace it (it's a nylon cup that clips onto the ball socket on the end of the lever assembly - without it you will get a lot of shifter slack and it will more than likely try to pop out of the main selector linkage again)

[yergz]

Thanks! I am doing a little reading about that now. It'll be the first thing I fiddle with when I get the time. It would be pretty sweet if that's all it was...I have my doubts though, as the guy who had the thing before me said he's been driving without 3rd and 4th working for a couple of years. Will have to see what things look like in there.

There's a chance the shifter has disengaged from the selector forks. The forks can be manipulated back into position with the shifter lever removed (it is a fiddly job but you will physically feel the tension on the selector linkage when you have got it in the right location) If the shifter bush is missing you will need to replace it (it's a nylon cup that clips onto the ball socket on the end of the lever assembly - without it you will get a lot of shifter slack and it will more than likely try to pop out of the main selector linkage again)

[yergz]

So I finally had some time to mess around this past weekend, though not enough to do much. I can confirm that the tranny is stuck in reverse (essentially when it feels like it's in neutral it wants to go in reverse). Feels like it goes into 1st/2nd, but just sits there and does nothing as I give it gas.

Started to take apart the shifter assembly but only got as far as the shifters themselves, need to take off the main cover plate now and go a level deeper to mess with the linkage I think. The shifter lever bushing was blown the fuck out, so I need to fashion a new one or pull from my parts truck, though that's probably about to disintegrate as well.