MF 231 Transmission stuck in reverse

[Mitchell3]

Hello Anyone and Everyone. I have a MF 231 that is stuck in reverse. I was shifting out of reverse one day and it seemed to fall into the neutral position without moving the gears out of reverse. Someone has said to me its a shifting rail problem. Has anyone encountered this problem with any tractor, and what was the fix? I would appreciated any help that anyone can provide. Thanks
Mitchell3

 

[TomSeller]

Yeah, I think I have heard of this. Seems you dislodge the stuck shifter through the transmission fill tube.

 

[TomSeller]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...age/144203-135-diesel-stuck-reverse-gear.html

Very similar Massey

 

[Stimw]

It can happen, I used to run into it with VW Bugs. When the shift paw gets worn it will let the rail jump back from the spring detent.
If you can, remove the shifter and manually put all the rails back in neutral.
With the VW's I learned to do it with a screwdriver through the oil (80-90W) fill hole pushing the gear moving the rail.

 

[Travis_R]

I have a 1998 MF 231 with 1,275 hours and it's never done this. Curious to know how you fix it so please keep us posted...

 

[dieselcrawler]

Happened to me on dad's mf135 a few years ago. Opened the oil fill cap, knocked the 2nd-4th shift rail into neutral and was good to go. If it had been the reverse -1st rail, I would've been into it alot deeper, as that rail was on the other side of the case.

Not sure how the 231 is layed out... might still work. Good luck.