Thanks to those who replied to my question about od not disengaging. I have a spare solenoid and will try a simple switch of parts.

I also have two other problems with the tranny.

1. I have an oil leak in the area of the attachment of the solenoid. I have replaced the special seal btween the body of the od and the solenoid but I have still have oil loss.

2. There is some difficulty in shifting from 1st to 2nd, esp when cold. I suspect the synchro and wonder if it recommended to use synthetic 80-90 to improve this in this tranny.

Thanks again for any comments

Gary

I would check for leaks above the solenoid. Sometimes oil will follow a joint between the housings and end up near the solenoid since that is a low point. You really have to spend some time and effort under the car to give the OD a good cleaning - messy work.

Of the half dozen gearboxes I've rebuilt, syncro wear was not the cause of hard shifting. Worn layshaft bearings were the culprit. The worn bearings make the layshaft fall out of alignment which results in ruining the pitch on all the gears. If it is just starting to give you trouble, it may be early enough to salvage the layshaft which are no longer available. The spindle and bearings are still available.

What I'm getting at is consider a rebuild now. It is only going to get worse and thicker oil or synthetic is only going to mask the problem. Since these gearboxes are becoming harder to find, you may want to do the proper repair before it is too late.
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'60 544, '68 220S, '70 145S, '72 144E, '86 745T