Out here in the four wheeler world, that's called a bugger weld.
Yeah, it was a "bugger" alright! LOL.
Good news to report and a little lesson/info to share.
She is shifting securely and firmly, just as well or better than in a long time!
I had also disassembled the shifting fork and detent spring and ball looking for any flat spots. Boy is that HARD to move manually with your fingers! I did notice a little wear on the edge of the shaft, so I flipped it over so the non-worn section would contact the detent ball instead. Not sure it made a difference, but just being extra vigilant.
When I reassembled the linkage, the shuttle lever was far to the rear, in the way of my knee. I used the bottom adjustment to get the trans shift lever where I wanted it and then adjusted the top, too.
Here's something I learned and want to share:
The trans lever ha 3 positions, Forward, Neutral, Reverse. Well, the lever's range of motion is NOT evenly dispersed. When the lever is tilted forward, it is just about 11 o'clock. 12 o'clock is neutral. 1 o'clock to about 2:30 is the rear position. This allows you to control your top shuttle lever position.
How, you ask? Well, as the trans lever moves farther from being in a straight line with the shift cable, it takes more cable to move it. More cable means more travel for the top shuttle lever, allowing me to adjust it farther forward- away from my knee.
Then just adjust the cable so each detent position is securely engaged.
I think I'll weld stops back on the top shuttle lever travel area in the column. I ground them down and the rear completely off trying to get the shuttle clutch to shift properly.
Another tip: The machined alignment holes and pins must be COMPLETELY CLEAN to reassemble. Tapping over the machined areas lightly with a wooden hammer handle to make sure it goes in STRAIGHT and the fork is properly engaged with it's slot over the ring helps
Don't forget to check your suction filter inside the bottom of the transmission area while you have it drained
