TH350 Won't engage park

[74 Shortbed]

If you grind one side you have to weld up the other side or it'll go back where it's supposed to be, not a safe thing to do anyhow need to fix the problem.

 

[da_raabi]

If you grind one side you have to weld up the other side or it'll go back where it's supposed to be, not a safe thing to do anyhow need to fix the problem.

Rather than try to "shift" the alignment slot of the bracket, my thought was to cut it right off and add a second home made bracket on top, maybe with slightly longer bolts. I could just use some bent steel and call it good. I need to maintain most of the original bracket as it also aligns the park rod, so that's why I'm thinking I can just add to it.

It sounds like the correct fix for this issue is to pull and rebuild the trans. Unfortunately that means that the car is going to sit for a long, long time. I don't have ANY of the tools needed to rebuild myself and cannot afford $1000 to get it done by someone else. If everything else works fine, I see no reason why I can't bandaid the parking function. Its a non-critical low-wear system. I just need to it to keep the wheels from turning while I chock them.

 

[74 Shortbed]

Rather than try to "shift" the alignment slot of the bracket, my thought was to cut it right off and add a second home made bracket on top, maybe with slightly longer bolts. I could just use some bent steel and call it good. I need to maintain most of the original bracket as it also aligns the park rod, so that's why I'm thinking I can just add to it.

It sounds like the correct fix for this issue is to pull and rebuild the trans. Unfortunately that means that the car is going to sit for a long, long time. I don't have ANY of the tools needed to rebuild myself and cannot afford $1000 to get it done by someone else. If everything else works fine, I see no reason why I can't bandaid the parking function. Its a non-critical low-wear system. I just need to it to keep the wheels from turning while I chock them.

Well, good luck..

 

[James D Merryman]

This isn't a square, but its still a th350. I just put this transmission in my 80 Camaro behind a 454 (I know... don't ask). I got it off of craigslist and it seemed like it would be a good trans. The problem is, I can't get it to engage park.

I disconnected the shifter cable and manually shifted the trans into park with the shaft braket. With the rear up in the air, I turned the driveshaft, and could hear what sounded like a clicking. Sounded like the pawl was trying to engage, but wasn't.

Does it need hydraulic pressure to engage, or is there something else going on? Time to pull the pan?

 

[James D Merryman]

Built like mabe couple hundred these 350,s theY will break the pawl that engages the notches on the output shaft ring gear but sometimes the actuator rod that wedges it will bend or disconnect pull pan you can see if thst,s it

 

[da_raabi]

Built like mabe couple hundred these 350,s theY will break the pawl that engages the notches on the output shaft ring gear but sometimes the actuator rod that wedges it will bend or disconnect pull pan you can see if thst,s it

The rod is normal. It's the guide plate that is pushing it into the wrong gear. With the guide plate installed there is absolutely no way the pawl can engage the correct gear. It keeps it too far forward. Ref. the diagram I posted on the first page.

It seems the most likely that there is play in the gears in the trans itself, which has allowed the correct gear to move rearward enough that the pawl won't engage. Case in point: I was able to push the next gear (the one the pawl tries to engage) forward in the trans with a flat screwdriver. Not a lot, but I did not want to further damage anything.

 

[crazy4offroad]

The bracket does look a little pigeon-toed. I say do it. Shim it, wedge it, tweak it, cut/reweld it whatever it takes to keep from having to tear the trans down. Get your money's worth out of it before it goes. I'll dig one out tomorrow and see if it looks any different.

 

[Honky Kong jr]

The bracket does look a little pigeon-toed. I say do it. Shim it, wedge it, tweak it, cut/reweld it whatever it takes to keep from having to tear the trans down. Get your money's worth out of it before it goes. I'll dig one out tomorrow and see if it looks any different.

What I was thinking......that's what I'd do the whole life and lemonade thing lol

 

[74 Shortbed]

There is nothing wrong with that guide, that is the way they are made...

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[Honky Kong jr]

There is nothing wrong with that guide, that is the way they are made...

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But he could tweek it to work for him.....

 

[74 Shortbed]

How you gonna tweak that piece to work, butchering that piece is not gonna help anything, but whatever, lol..

 

[Honky Kong jr]

How you gonna tweak that piece to work, butchering that piece is not gonna help anything, but whatever, lol..

It's metal it can be reshape to engage, all be it it's a bandaide and the trans should be gone over, but maybe he is waiting for a TH400 and don't want to sink a bunch of TH400 money into a TH350....

 

[crazy4offroad]

I was thinking shim the pawl over on the pin it rides on, and massage the guide a little to hold it more rearward. It's a pretty big slot the pawl reaches through to grab the gear so shimming it back wouldn't hurt anything.

 

[74 Shortbed]

It's metal it can be reshape to engage, all be it it's a bandaide and the trans should be gone over, but maybe he is waiting for a TH400 and don't want to sink a bunch of TH400 money into a TH350....

And if it destroys itself before that..

 

[da_raabi]

And if it destroys itself before that..

Then it is what it is. This is a $150 craigslist transmission in a project car that does not even have windshield.

I do not have even CLOSE to enough $$ to rebuild this trans. If I had the tools I could probably muddle my way through doing it myself, especially with books/youtube etc. I could probably put together the cash to get a rebuild kit, but a professional rebuild or replacement??? NO FRIGGEN WAY.

Either I figure out a work-around or the car sits for another year. That's where I'm at.