I have a 1982 Pickup with the 22R engine and W50 (steel case) 5-speed transmission. Some time back, the transmission started popping out of 5th gear. My research suggested it was most likely caused by a worn shifter seat/bushing. Inspection confirmed that the original shifter seat was badly worn and the bushing was completely disintegrated.

I could not find the replacement parts for the W50 transmission. I bought a new shifter seat/bushing for the W56 from Marlin Crawler; they said it would fit, but I had to shave it some to get the right thickness. I shaved (sanded) it until the fit seemed right, but it didn't fix the problem.

I've just got the truck running again after being torn down for two years for some extensive restoration work. During that time, I disassembled and inspected the transmission. There was virtually no wear internally - gears and synchros all looked very good and the fluid was very clean. I checked the shifter and wasn't very happy with the engagement, so I shaved the seat bushing a little more and tested the shifter again. Everything seemed to engage well at that time. (The front case was still off the transmission.) I replaced all the gaskets and reassembled the transmission.

I test drove the truck for the first time yesterday and it's still popping out of 5th gear. Also, there is a lot of fore-to-aft slop in the shifter, especially in 5th gear. I am having no trouble with any other gear.0

At this point, I'm thinking there are a few different possibilities, namely:
1.) I need to shave more material off the shifter seat and make it thinner.
2.) I've shaved too much off and it's too thin.
3.) The problem is elsewhere.

Any input that I can consider in my troubleshooting process would be much appreciated.

 

Hockey stick welds sometimes break in W40/W50 transmissions, but that should affect ALL gears, not just 5th. Still should be double checked.

A missing/worn detent could also be a culprit. Ditto with 5th/Reverse shift rail. Likewise synchro teeth wear on either/both synchro slider/5th gear. Synchro teeth should be pointed with no unusual side wear.

Even though it has nothing to do with 5th, when you reopen your box, check reverse gear on the cluster. The splines tend to wear badly both inside the reverse gear and on the cluster. Eventually means no reverse and/or broken cluster.

Finally, even though your rig came with a W50 it could have been replaced in the past with a W52. No easy way to determine this externally. Three ways internally: 1) W52 hockey stick is NOT welded, W50 hockey stick is welded, 2) W52 cluster has 14-tooth 1st gear, W50 cluster has 15-tooth 1st gear, and 3) W52 cluster has 18 splines, W50 cluster has 20 splines. A W52 box is much better (and rarer) than a W50 box, so if you need to replace yours sometime, try to find a W52.