Toploader pops out of third

[msinc]

Originally Posted by FatBoy

I'm pretty sure the linkage adjustment is fine. It changes gear easily and smoothly, which I'm sure it wouldn't do if the linkages were badly adjusted.

Thanks,
Paul

The fact that it changes gears "easily and smoothly" tells me there is nothing wrong with the blocker rings. It's job is to bring the gear up to the same rpm so it can shift easily, and it sounds like it's doing that. Also, once the shift is made the blocker ring has nothing to do with staying in whatever gear you just shifted to. Very simply, worn brass blocker rings cannot cause a transmission to pop out of gear.
Typically, if a toploader {and it doesn't matter if it's close ratio or wide} gets into the gear, but then pops back out it is one of two things...either the dog teeth on the actual gear itself are worn and rounded, the splines in the outer syncronizer assembly, which engage the dog teeth on the gear are worn or rounded. Which is really the same issue, or, and this one is rare but it happens, the 3/4 shifter fork is worn or the groove in the 3/4 synchronizer is worn. The last issue can and will happen as a result in someone driving with their hand resting on the shifter while in 4th gear.
While the later issue, a worn fork groove in the outer syncronizer assembly is kind of rare, along those same lines the so called "shift gates" in the shifter itself can also be worn out of spec and that can also cause a trans to pop out of gear. Third is normally the one gear you don't have a lot of problems with in top loaders. Popping out of gear is generally a 2nd gear issue because of worn dog teeth on the gear itself. It is pretty rare to see the outer sync ring {not talking about the brass blocker} bad to the point of being unusable, even on a 2nd gear.
Been there...done that when it comes to top loaders....been a few years, but I have had, rebuilt and destroyed my share.

Edit: Well, I just noticed this is an old resurrected post, guess it pays to check that......