Hi
My 2010 , 97,000 mile Panda recently developed a stiff gear change. Specifically the side to side movement was stiff. The stick should return to center readily.
I tried lots of things but eventually concluded that the cable was sticky, possibly due to water ingress & a small amount of corrosion between the inner & outer of the cable.
I've developed the following procedure to solve it. And its all inside the car!
First prise the gear leaver gaiter upwards and pull it up as far as it'll go. You can now see two silver Philips head screws holding the trim to the front of the dash, remove these. Carefully prise the trim backwards & up.
Now you'll see two large black screws holding the big piece of trim that covers the lower dash area. These are torqes T30 , you'll then need a T25 to remove one screw either side down by the heater foot vents, you may find it easier to also remove the foot rest by the clutch pedal too. The panel will now lift clear.
You can now see the gear lever assembly & top of the cables.
If you have a stiff side to side you are looking at the cable on the passenger side of the stick. If its back & forward its the one underneath / behind the stick.
Now pull the black rubber dust cover away a dribble some light oil like 3in1 or AFT down between the outer & metal end of the inner cable. Work the stick in the appropriate direction. Keep doing it a tiny bit of oil at a time until the action improves.
Take it for a spin & if all is well put it back together!
My 2010 , 97,000 mile Panda recently developed a stiff gear change. Specifically the side to side movement was stiff. The stick should return to center readily.
I tried lots of things but eventually concluded that the cable was sticky, possibly due to water ingress & a small amount of corrosion between the inner & outer of the cable.
I've developed the following procedure to solve it. And its all inside the car!
First prise the gear leaver gaiter upwards and pull it up as far as it'll go. You can now see two silver Philips head screws holding the trim to the front of the dash, remove these. Carefully prise the trim backwards & up.
Now you'll see two large black screws holding the big piece of trim that covers the lower dash area. These are torqes T30 , you'll then need a T25 to remove one screw either side down by the heater foot vents, you may find it easier to also remove the foot rest by the clutch pedal too. The panel will now lift clear.
You can now see the gear lever assembly & top of the cables.
If you have a stiff side to side you are looking at the cable on the passenger side of the stick. If its back & forward its the one underneath / behind the stick.
Now pull the black rubber dust cover away a dribble some light oil like 3in1 or AFT down between the outer & metal end of the inner cable. Work the stick in the appropriate direction. Keep doing it a tiny bit of oil at a time until the action improves.
Take it for a spin & if all is well put it back together!
