TheSamba.com :: View topic - ? about Bentley Stop Plate Adjustment Picture

Mon May 17, 2010 10:18 am

In section 6, Page 11 of the Bentley manual there is a picture of the stop plate adjustment noted in Figure 3-18. My question is it says to have the transmission engaged into 2nd gear and then it looks like you have to push the stop plate towards the drivers door which would put the gear shift lever up against the area where 3rd and 4th would be. The problem is probably more with the picture. Is the view they are showing as if you were in the seat looking down or if you were facing the gear shift from the windshield side of the shifter?

Mon May 17, 2010 10:20 am

DBM, you out there bro?

Mon May 17, 2010 11:00 am

seems strange to me too but that instruction comes up over and over. I spent 2 hours last night trying to get mine to feel right. Colin speaks in one thread about trying to get the side to side in the middle of the travel, and the book shows 90 degrees. Well, on mine the side to side is only about .080 side to side so there isn't a lot to work with. And when it is in reverse there is so much slop in the shifter it is always wanting to pop out - not the actual gear but the shifter. Maybe someone who has done this successfully can take photos. Even BusDaddy had to change his answer on one thread when someone asked which way the plate went. I too would really like so guidance here.

Mon May 17, 2010 11:12 am

What I don't understand is that based on the picture, how are you supposed to shift into 3rd and 4th if the gear shift lever is up against the stop plate based on the picture in the Bentley?

Mon May 17, 2010 11:19 am

OK... I'll wade in :P

Fig. 3-18 is a view from the rear, the position the shifter is depicted in is the 1-2 location. Remember it pivots at the top of the spring so moving the lever to the right would move the lower flange on the lever to the left away from the reverse lockout ramp (arrow).

Mon May 17, 2010 11:26 am

Oh crap, that makes sense now. Forgot about where it actually pivots! ARGH!

By the way, got the bus on the road this weekend. Only drove it for about 3 miles but it sure was fun. Went up through the gears pretty well but downshifting was non-existent. Hoping a clutch pedal adjustment and then a stop plate adjustment may help with this problem.

Mon May 17, 2010 11:31 am

Good to hear! Keep poking at the stop plate, move it little to one side and make a note of the direction you moved it, then test drive it, worse? better? if it's worse go the other way. A couple MM at the plate = a couple inches at the knob, a little tap can make a big difference.

Mon May 17, 2010 11:32 am

Sounds good. I'm going to mess with it tonight when I get home from work.

Mon May 17, 2010 12:18 pm

I take a common large screwdriver and a 13mm socket on an extension and drive, stop, adjust, drive. I know how frustrating it is for it to shift but not downshift. That was just after replacing the transmission nosecone parts and all bushings.

Mon May 17, 2010 12:32 pm

Have you checked the forward bushing on the shift rod for condition? You have to drop the splash pan and look up just under the gear shift. It makes a big difference as well as the condition of the shift coupler.

Mon May 17, 2010 12:37 pm

I will check it out.

Mon May 17, 2010 1:16 pm

Glad you have it up and running and BD's info helped. Bentley is correct (again) and real straightforward. I think you added your own thinking into Bentley's instructions making it more complex and confusing. It didn't say anything about 3rd and 4th, you did. It said 1. get the trans into second and with the shifter loose 2. position the bottom portion of the shift lever straight vertical. Then 3. move the stop plate left into contact. Then 4. lock it down. It's alway worked for me and never had to do any more side to side adjustment. People that don't refer to Bentley usually ignor the vertical part and possibly get in trouble.
As far as the fore and aft adjustment it seems like it has worked well no matter where it's at but I adjust it for convenience and away from the brake handle. And I use the wonderful little $5 quick shift kit.
But you quys just got me in trouble. Went out to look at the lever neutral position in the fore and aft direction and it flopped around all over. Then remembered the engine and trans are sitting on the ground right now :shock: .

Yes, that little front bushing needs to be in good shape.

Mon May 17, 2010 3:37 pm

my 1-2 and 3-4 shift fine. Reverse has to go down, over and back to engage. But when reverse is engaged if I tap the shifter just a tad the shifter will pop out from under the lockout. There is just a tiny bit of rotation to the shifter that encourages this to happen. All new bushings are new and so is the donut in the nosecone. Any ideas what I am doing wrong or where to look for the problem? I don't recall my 1971 doing this. I had to push it forwards before the shifter would pop back up.

Mon May 17, 2010 3:53 pm

Desertbusman wrote: Glad you have it up and running and BD's info helped. Bentley is correct (again) and real straightforward. I think you added your own thinking into Bentley's instructions making it more complex and confusing. It didn't say anything about 3rd and 4th, you did. It said 1. get the trans into second and with the shifter loose 2. position the bottom portion of the shift lever straight vertical. Then 3. move the stop plate left into contact. Then 4. lock it down. It's alway worked for me and never had to do any more side to side adjustment. People that don't refer to Bentley usually ignor the vertical part and possibly get in trouble.
As far as the fore and aft adjustment it seems like it has worked well no matter where it's at but I adjust it for convenience and away from the brake handle. And I use the wonderful little $5 quick shift kit.
But you quys just got me in trouble. Went out to look at the lever neutral position in the fore and aft direction and it flopped around all over. Then remembered the engine and trans are sitting on the ground right now :shock: .

Yes, that little front bushing needs to be in good shape.

Spent the day with Colin on Saturday going over my bus. My shifter had a lot of play and rattle. We (Colin) removed the shifter and loosened the pin at the bottom of the shift lever that was stuck, greased it up really well. It took quite a few tries to get the lever back into position and the pin back into the slot. Then we pretty much followed the directions as stated above.
I'm not so sure how critical that 90 adjustment is. We just put it into 2nd gear and pushed on the right side of the stop plate snug with a large screw driver. Shifts great, goes into reverse well and no more rattle. The only thing is that the PO had installed a cheap after market stop plate that was pretty chewed up, but I did not have a replacement. My front bushing was fine.

Mon May 17, 2010 4:00 pm

SGKent wrote: my 1-2 and 3-4 shift fine. Reverse has to go down, over and back to engage. But when reverse is engaged if I tap the shifter just a tad the shifter will pop out from under the lockout. There is just a tiny bit of rotation to the shifter that encourages this to happen. All new bushings are new and so is the donut in the nosecone. Any ideas what I am doing wrong or where to look for the problem? I don't recall my 1971 doing this. I had to push it forwards before the shifter would pop back up.
Sure you don't have the stop plate on upside down? (I'm not sure if that could cause that but the way the back of the ramp is shaped it might). Better check a few sources on the correct orientation, I'm doubting myself now :wink: Gotta think upside down and mirror image.

Mon May 17, 2010 6:29 pm

I am still trying to get mine right. I took it to a shop and they said the ball is worn and I should get a new gearshifter.

Also need to do the rear coupler and will take pics of the ball.

Mon May 17, 2010 6:40 pm

pkrboo wrote: I am still trying to get mine right. I took it to a shop and they said the ball is worn and I should get a new gearshifter.

Also need to do the rear coupler and will take pics of the ball.

I wouldn't trust the shop because in my experience I've never seen that before.

Mon May 17, 2010 6:46 pm

I hate say but I agree. I need to check what he did to the timing as well. He said it was way out and had re done it. However he did t fill me with confidence. At least it isn't running rich now tho.

Mon May 17, 2010 8:31 pm

SGKent wrote: someone asked which way the plate went. I too would really like so guidance here. Robert B. has the excellent drawing in fig. 3-18. Remember it is looking forward (the only way you can really look at it) just like the photo above it. Be sure and remember which way it goes so that you can remind me if I forget in the future. A friend was all excited about his $100 Berg used shifter he found. Problem was it didn't work. We turned the shift plate around to fix it. He had put the R ramp on the left side.

Mon May 17, 2010 8:53 pm

facing forward the tall long ramp is on the right like photos. The pin in the ball is free to move in but the peens hold it from popping out. The top piece is reasonably centered with the stop plate pushed all the way towards the driver. The stop plate is genuine nos with tabs, I took the used one out because I thought that might be it. When the bus is put in reverse with the motor off, I hear the selector in back drop into reverse gear. I can at that time flip the shifter like you were whacking a fly on the desk with your finger and it will pop into neutral altough the selector is still in R. I know there is something wrong somewhere. I spoke with Richard Long about it being in the trans and he said no. As long as the selector puts it into R then it is in R. The looseness is in the shifter or adjustment. Al the bushings along the way are new and everything tight. There was a little wear under the driver where the bushing had fallen out on the po but everyone said that wasn't bad enough to cause problems. WTF am I doing wrong?