4 - speed problems

I'm having a problem with the transmission in my '71 Charger. It's been driving fine since it was restored three years ago but today I took it out for a drive and the transmission is stuck in 3rd gear. I disconnected the linkage from the shifter assembly and it moves freely with no problems. I suspect the side cover assembly may be the problem because the levers won't budge at all. Has anyone had any experience with a 71 or later transmission having a similar issue? I am not a transmission specialist at all, but I would like to try and tackle this issue if I could. Can the side cover assembly be R/R with the transmission in the car or does the whole thing have to come out?

Had a similar issue with an 833; I don't recall the model year for certain but it was likely a '69.
The combs inside the side cover are pretty tight to each other.
What I did was loosen the side cover (in the car), tap the side cover upwards, and re-tighten the bolts.
Double-checked the neutral alignment with a 1/4" dowel (it was fine).
Problem went away.
IIRC, one of the side cover bolts is shouldered, presumably to locate the cover, but it wasn't an issue in my case (no pun intended).

Would that work for a 71 style side cover?

I'd try it.

I'll certainly give it a try.

If loosening and repositioning the cover doesn't work, you will probably have to remove the trans. Getting the cover back on is a little difficult on the bench and a real bear in the car if you have room.

At least one time I removed the side cover in my old '66 Barracuda and was able to get it back in without any problems. I think your trans has the later side cover which can be more of a problem, but can still be done.

NP made the 1971 and later side NP833 trannys covers and shifter forks and rooster combs different from 1964 to 1970. Early covers are steel or iron with brass shift forks and the 1971 and later covers are aluminum with steel shift forks that have tapered nipples that are a real bear to get into the spring loaded scissor shifter mechanisms
Make sure there is no preload on the drive shaft when trying to move the shifter levers on the side covers, NONE
Good luck, let us know what you find and do to correct it

I removed the side cover and it appears to be working normally. Internally, the 3-4 clutch sleeve is stuck and wont budge. I'm not sure how I can free this up, and I am not educated enough to rebuild a 4 speed. This is really frustrating since I bought the transmission 10 years ago at the Nationals(1200 miles from where I live) from a "reputable" re-builder, but never used it until a couple years ago when the car was restored. It has only around 500 miles on it. Anyone aware of a 4 speed re-builder in Texas?

Not sure where you live but I’m in Abilene. I rebuild them. May be something simple. Send me a pm and your phone number and a good time to call.