(G) Uno won't go into Gear.

My wife has a 94 Uno 999cc. Last Friday at traffic lights a mile from home it wouldn't go into gear. She got it into third gear when it was off and drove home. She flew to America on Saturday for a week to visit her sister and has left me to fix this thing!. I had a look at it on Sunday. It will go into gear when the engine is off. When it is turn on it won't. I feel a lot of vibration when I press the clutch pedal. I had someone press the clutch a few times and I can see under the bonnet that the hydraulic clutch parts are working but it is not going into gear. Has anyone out there come across this problem before? and is this an expensive fix.

Thanks.

Sounds like a case of clutch drag: The clutch is not disengaging correctly, possibly clutch baring has gone, or just the clutch release mechanism may need adjusting. Check the clutch cable attachments, and see if there is any sign of ware/stretching or slipping, before you dismantle the gearbox and clutch!

Alex he has a hydraulic clutch so no cables.
I had the same problem with mine last month turned out to be the master cylinder which is located in the drivers footwell just ahead of the clutch pedal.
Really easy job to unblolt and replace then bleed through.
The part cost me £38 from Partco.
If you pump the clutch for a while and u notice it goes soft with no resistance odds on its the master cylinder.
The procedure is well documented in Haynes manual
Regards
Pete+

It's not the hydraulics as that is all working fine. I replaced the slave cylinder about three months back and bleed the system. There is good resistance on the pedal so there is no air in the system. If it is something in the gear box what would it be. Has anyone any ideas?

Thanks.

C514 Gear Box in late 1.0IE & 1.1IE

Have you changed the transmission oil? The plastic filler cap tends to leak and allow contaminants into the box.

My 1.0 IE is much better after flushing and changing for FIAT’s Tutela ZC 75 Synth (which is 5 dot and recommended by guy at FIAT garage). The old stuff was minging.

I had problems with 1st and 2nd, and still do when cold but ok without engine running.

Double D Clutching always gets it into gear though. If the stick will not glide into gear DON’T FORCE IT, let clutch out in neutral, then fully depress clutch and try easing the stick again. This can even get you back into first with Uno moving forward.

I notice the problem more so with lower octane fuel especially with less in tank.

If double D clutching doesn’t work, try revving the engine a little and SLIPPING into gear.

Something else the guy told me is the transmission bar across the top of box can seize, so I have worked a bit of grease in.

Louie Bee

Plastic filler cap? I think this is the "breather". There is a big hex-nut in front of the box to fill'er up. Same size as the hex-nut in the sump pan. Fill until oil pours out - then it's full. I've got the c513 box (with cables - non-hydraulic) on my 1993 1.1ieS. Smaller hex key is used to empty the gearbox from underneath.

Morten.

Hi Morteen,

I searched for a long time before I guessed this piece of plastic (below) must be the filler, no other hex bolt like on the older 903. There is only 1 (inverted) hex bolt on my C514 box and that’s the drain - no documentation of this in Haynes or Porter manual.

I changed the Transmission oil twice in a week (ran with cheep stuff for 2 days to flush the box after looking at minging oil and dirt in filler / cap).

As I was not 100% sure this was the correct fill point, I drained the box, replaced the drain plug and added the spare 0.6L, checked for leaks, then when I removed drain plug again, this oil drained. Since first refill there has been no leaks; the second drain was also successful.

The raised turret dose not leak Oil to signal box is full when on the flat, but after overfilling mine, a bit leaked out going up a hill (through this poor non-sealing piece of plastic), then it burned off when it hit the exhaust (A bit like Spy Hunter on Commodore 64).

I assumed all post 1992 (UK) 1.0IE and 1.1IE Unos have C514 box (Could be wrong). This may explain why the Porter manual and the FIAT owner handbook disagree about which oil to use for these models while the Haynes manual dos not specify.

I ended up trusting the guy at the FIAT parts desk re transmission oil and its half the price of the Castrol stuff at Halfords. I did not want to look silly asking where to put the oil.

Louie Bee.

Louie,
Excellent post - however, despite being a fan of the Commodore 64, I have no idea what Spy Hunter was :-)

-Alex

Louie.

The image attached is the breather directly on top of the box. I guess your gear box has twice the amount of oil it should. In front, and hard to see there should be an (inverted, yes) hex bolt. Size 10 or so. This is the filler. The c514 and c513 boxes are the same except cable vs. hydraulic clutch system. We had a discussion on this earlier on the forum. And again, it´s directly facing forward at the middle height of the gearbox. Haynes manual does not say anything about it. The drain is underneath facing rear if I can remember correctly.

Check again, it must be there. Wait until oil stops pouring out the filler, and tighten nut. Gearbox is now full.

This is the edit: On this box you should use transmission oil that has the spec. of at least GL/4.

Morten.

Still no luck guys. It was low in gear box oil so I put some in, about a quater of a liter. It still wont go into gear when the engine is switched on. If I put it into gear when switched off and start it with the clutch down the car will start to move. it's like the clutch has no effect.

OK. Try this to see if the gears work. It might be tricky. This is how to drive acar with no clutch.

Have someone push the car with engine running.

(Alternative: Start the car in 1st gear. After a couple of bounces the car will drive in 1st gear - this is not the best for transmission, engine etc. Then give little throttle and pull out 1st gear - you should be able with a minimum resistance.)

Then when car rolls give throttle to about 3000 rpm and hold the gearstick firmly towards 2nd gear. Remove foot from pedal so engine speed decreases. When engine and wheels and gearbox have the same speed, 2nd gear will engage and you will be able to use it.

So on to 3rd, 4th and eventually 5th - but you now will have some speed.

If this works the gears are fine and I would suggest one of the cylinders. I´ve got a cable so it´s easier to spot. Have no experience with the master / slave cylinders but they are prone to break. If not your clutch is gone.

Morten.

Hi Morteen,

You are probably right - I can’t say I checked round the back underneath. It’s too cold and wet in Manchester to look today, but Ill let you know (dam not another £15 on transmission oil).

If I have twice the oil in my box (drained twice through filler plug), It doesn’t seem too bad.

Hi Alex,
Spy hunter was a racing game where you could leave Oil slicks and Smoke screens to kill off other cars and motorbikes and score points (he he like me going to Rotherham the other week). Unlike my Uno, The car turned into a boat if you went down a back lane so maybe based on James Bond. – Just found it in our own arcade, but it don’t seem the same to me. Been a long time though.

Sorry gholian, nothing to add to Morten's tip, but good luck.

Regards,
Louie Bee.

Hi All

Louie Bee doses it again!!! – Another mess up.

Many Thanks to Morten!!!! You are spot on with the location of the (smaller) transmission drain plug.

Just in front of the transmission mountain (lower mountain) facing backwards is the C514 drain plug. I could not find it as the jack was in the way. I think I may also be jacking from the wrong point.

Morten is also correct about having twice the amount of gear oil in box: 3.9 Litres drained – far too much!

Unexpectedly, the filler started dripping after adding about 1.8 Litres of oil. I was expecting to be adding 2.4 Litres. Ill check it next week.

The good news is that with the correct level / grade we have better pickup. There could have been too much oil in when I got her. When my cam belt started squealing I added some oil then (through breather) as It only squealed in third. Definitely since then I have had too much oil, but I added less than a litre since I got her, but around 2 litres drained first time round from the filler. Maybe there are others out there who made the wrong assumption. Oh also the car doses not bounce when stopping at the lights, before dipping the clutch. I might time and post my 0 – 60 MPH soon.

I think I might invest in an early Punto manual just in case I ever do something else new.

I cant edit the above posts to correct my mistakes so if you have read only part of this thread and followed my mistakes – Sorry!

Thanks again Morten. – Louie Bee.

Lost attachment:

Hei.

Glad you sorted it out. I can´t recall how much oil I was able to fill, but it was around 2 litres. Be certain that your car (at lease engine, if it is a bit higher / lower at one end) stands completely horizontal when filling. Use a garden hose and a funnel.

Morten.