i've recently bought a bravo 1.8hlx 98 S reg.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4630348704&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT

the gearbox crunches when changing into 2nd gear, it happens when changing up or down into 2nd. the car recently had a new clutch and slave cylinder. i don't know if the problem existed before or only after this work.

i have bled the hydraulic clutch, that made no difference.
i have tried to adjust the gearbox linkage but that isn't possible on the 1.8 as far as i can tell??
i have replaced the gearbox fluid, this made no difference either.

i usually assume a problem like this in only a one gear is due to gearbox damage. especially because all the other gears are perfect. can anyone think of anything else i can try before i get a new gearbox? can you actually adjust the gearbox linkage in any way?

Congrats on your new purchase, gorgeous car and the color is awesome.
Very nice

I think it isn't in the gearbox because I had a similar thing on my Brava when I changed the clutch and slave cylinder just that I couldn't change to 1st gear easily and to reverse but I got it ot garage and mechanic just did something and now it is great. I don't know what he did but he fixed it in no time. I think the gearbox isn't easy to break and if it is gone it would go totally, all the gears would go wrong.

i'm going to give the gearbox linkage a good inspection this weekend, and i'll use my 1.6 linkage as a reference so i can compare them and see if there's any difference. here's hoping....

hey jug i have the same problem but it happens when i change into 3rd gear and apply slight pressure on the gear stick. My gears also feel loose and wobbly. How did yours go? was it a simple problem? Many thanks

the gearbox linkage on these cars isnt adjustable so all that can be wrong is the rubber bushes on the linkages, or the gearbox. i had to change the gearbox in the end, syncromesh on 2nd had gone. after a few weeks of searching i found a good box with warranty but it cost me £75 i got quoted up to £200 so it wasnt a bad deal, but thats the most i've ever paid for a gearbox and i've bought a few in my time. its sorted now tho and drives perfect

a few years ago i found a punto GT gearbox online for a mate and it cost over £700, that included delviery and 3 months warranty but even so i tohught it was a carazy price!!! i would have said no but my mate was desperate. when it arrived it still had the reciept from the place it came from at less than half the price, he got ripped off by partsgateway who simply bought the gearbox from a breakers down south and arranged delivery to my house, they never even touched it and doubled their money. i won't go looking for parts online again, but with something like a GT gearbox limited supply pushes the price up.

hopefully you'll find a gearbox near you for cheap. get that yellow pages out and start ringing around. if you havent got the right tools and equipment i dont suggest you do this job at home. the near side drive shaft is a pig to get off with 8 or 12 (cant remember how many?) bolts holding it on and each one is hard to get off. then there's the gear linkages, one of them just pops off but the other 2 are tricky to loosen even with the right tools and the b attery taken out. plus its massive and weights a ton. in the past i've had a gearbox fall on my chest so i'm overly careful these days. in the end i had it fitted at my local garage, something i very rarely do but this was an unusually difficult box to change. i could do 2 escorts in the time it takes. even the garage said it was one of the most difficult gearboxes they've ever removed. i think if i persisted it would have taken 2 days

by the way the recommended gear oil is very hard to find, but any synthetic api-gl5 will do. i used castrol and i recommended it to anyone, much smoother, im not scared of the winter mornings now