Lost 5th gear in my truck a while back and started down this long head smashing road that seems to have lasted for months...New clutch installed with my rebuilt NV4500 and now doesn't want to go into gear at all. I've done a ton of research and I'll try to summarize briefly...
-New fully splined NV4500 upgraded input shaft, tail housing and top cover.
-New OE hydraulics
-New SB clutch, pp, and 13'' flywheel single disk rated for 475 hp.
Transmission went in smoothly, everything on the clutch is torqued to spec, clutch fork is oriented properly. When I tried to test drive it I couldn't get it in or out of gear with the truck running. Goes through all gears smoothly when truck isn't running. Dropped the tranny again today to inspect clutch etc and nothing seems to be off to my knowledge. It seems like the OE hydraulics shouldn't have a problem pushing a single disk. Only thing I can think of is that I put too much grease on the input shaft and the disk is sticking. I've since discovered old threads about only using graphite on the clutch side of the input. If anyone has any advice or ideas I'd love to hear them, SB is closed till monday and I'd really like to not have to drop this trans again. Thanks!

 

By OE hydraulics do you mean the sealed complete master and slave from Mopar or just OE replacement from a store? To not be able to shift out of gear means there is some heavy drag I'd guess. I wouldn't think a greased input would cause enough. Just to be sure double check master cylinder mounts and clutch pedal bushings.

 

Not from Mopar. I mean just from a store. Pre-bled, braided-stainless line, master, and slave...I suppose I could have bought faulty parts. I bought a dorman master and slave, pre-bled. The guys at southbound basically said that most hydraulics should be able to push that pressure plate enough given that it's a single disk...Please let me know if anyone has had other experiences and/or thinks otherwise. Clutch pedal bushings? I'm not sure that I'm familiar with what you're talking about..Where the master connects to the clutch pedal? Excuse my ignorance, this is my first clutch install on this truck. I did not see any bushings when I installed the new hydraulics.

 

I was referring to your clutch pedal itself. Where it pivots under the dash it rides on some bushings, some have said it can affect clutch engagement. Check the pedal for slop, and that the master cylinder is mounted securely.

I would also not be surprised if the dorman was either bad or not bled properly.

 

I can verify this............... Here is my saga.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...pedals-326323/

 

Okay, Still waiting to hear from SB. Guess I'm going to have to leave her all torn apart for another week, upon inspection my new and old pressure plates look more or less the same and have the same number stamped on the inside of the fingers, now just playing the waiting game..

 

Still waiting to hear from SB....Does anyone have any recommendations on whether or not I try to re-install and hope that its either a hydraulic/pedal issue? Is it common to get a defective pressure plate. Gotta get this done before the snows flyin!

 

Pat, I can still get my safety switch to engage relatively easily, but there is a bit of lateral play in the pedal, I'll probably end up replacing the bushings to just get if off my list of culprits, but it sounds like yours were wasted! could my small amount of play still prevent me from getting into gear?

 

Nope, you should be good, I could still shift, was just more difficult.