97 K3500 manual shift T-case bushings

[Dave Aley]

I have a 97 K3500 with a 5.7, but it's a dually with a 10k GVWR, so either a BW 4401 or 4470 T-case. It's been having trouble going into low range, which I think is wear in the bushings on the manual shift linkage. I pulled the lever completely off this evening, and the adjustment threads are rusted solid. I'm confident I can make them turn if I put a little heat on the nut, but that's going to trash the plastic bushings that hold the shaft into the levers.

Does anyone know where I can get a new set of bushings? I'm reluctant to try to pull the old ones off because I think they'll break, and I think that wear in the bushings is most of the problem anyway.

This is my balloon truck, and not having low range sucks. My chase crew got it stuck Saturday whileI was flying, but fortunately there was another crew nearby who were able to help.

 

[454cid]

I have no idea on the bushing availability. How about using something besides heat to get that nut turning? I would use Evaporust. It's a non-acid rust remover... kind of expensive, but handy to have. If you have a lot of time, you could use molasses. It works on the same principle as Evaoprust, but slower. You could also try vinegar, which of course is an acid.

 

[Dave Aley]

I've heard in the past about using molasses, but I'd forgotten about it.

As it happens, I just finished getting it unstuck. I put it in a vise and gave it a tap with a brass hammer, which pushed the bushing out of the hole in the T-case shift lever. Then I pried the bushing off of the shaft - there's a deep groove in the shaft and a matching bit on the bushing to keep it in place. Once the bushing was off, I heated it very gently with an acetylene torch (can't find my propane torch right now) until I could unscrew the piece with a pair of pliers.

I think the bushing is still usable, at least for holding the linkage together, but I don't know if slop in the bushings is contributing to my problem. I wire brushed the various parts, lubed the threads, and put the linkage back together. I'll put it back in the truck tonight and see if I can get it shifting right - if not, I'll either have to try to find the bushings or redesign the linkage with rod ends.