88 744t m46 w/254k.

This car is definitely MY car as no one else seems to be able to drive it for two reasons. First gear. And second gear. They can't find them. For me it is just a mild irritation but I would like to know if there is a way to obtain a more precise feel from the shifter/linkage. Right now if feels like a notchless labyrinth with mysteriously positioned gateways that lead to successively faster rates of locomotion.

If i blip the throttle ever so slightly from a stop it will go into first or if I think of the shift pattern as a X instead of a H I have better luck pushing towards the corners (1st and 2nd only). I've changed the fluid twice within the past 10k although I have not used synthetic. I'd add synthetic now but the top bolt is frozen into the case so I'll have to take it to the shop to get it out. The car would be much more enjoyable to drive if the trans/shifter worked properly. Fluid, cables, linkage, bushings, syncros?

Has anyone swapped a T-5 from a mustang into a 740?

3rd 4th and the OD work great.

Manual bricksters let me know what you have done.

JS

Re. the seized upper trans. bolt, I was sure I would have to have mine taken out at the shop but was able to do it even after completely rounding off the bolt in my initial attempts.

Over the course of a few days, sprayed it with gunk penetrating oil, followed by about 5 min of tapping with a hammer on the bolt to allow even a little gunk to seep in. I also heated the trans case around the bolt a couple of times for the expansion effect.

On the 3rd day I used a pipe wrench and it sudden came loose.

Give it a try.

I will. I forgot about ye olde pipe wrench.

my vovlo guru swears you just wont shift he plugs on a cold box it HAS to be done HOT. he says hot they are a bear, cold they are a complete nightmare..

I have the same problem w/ mine. First to second always feels rougher than any other gear change. Going into first is also difficult at times and needs a little double clutch once in a while. New master and slave cylinders did not help. First time I changed tranny fluid though was a little surprising as one of the detent balls also came out. I suspect you also may have the same problem. The detent ball spring is probably rubbing on the first-second shift rod in stead of the ball. I don't know if this is a design problem or a mistake that was made during a previous tranny removal. My fill plug is also frozen like yours and I have worn it down to almost nothing in my attempts to get it loose. I made the mistake of draining the fluid before loosening the fill plug. Won't do that again!!! I'll have to look into the detents when I replace the clutch.

This sounds like the cable is not adjusted to take out the end play or the clutch is worn to where the syncros are preventing the gears to engage.
The gate slop is a different story. The shifter rail detents are probably worn, and when you drop the tranny to do the clutch, you can pop the top cover of the tranny off to replace the detents. Then you can also fill the tranny up with syn ATF from the top instead of the fill plug and get the additional 1/2 qt in there which will make the tranny run much better.
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'89 245 Sportwagon, '04 V70 2.5T Sportwagon