Hi all,
Just picked up a 2009 Grande Punto T-Jet 120.
Great car - honestly its more fun than previous much more powerful cars I've owned and yet also I feel a little more fun than the swift sport I had years ago.
Anyway, it had been sitting for a few months when I bought it. What's more, it'd been clearly pressure washed (inc engine bay) and I suspect various components have seized up, the suspension is creaky, for example.
The one that bothers me though is the gear selection/linkage.
It engages all gear, including reverse just fine both hot and cold.
However - The gearknob doesn't return to the centre, it wants to sit just left of centre. Therefore, going directly 'up' from neutral doesn't find 3rd, but rather finds something in-between 1st & 3rd.
Swift changes between gears line up fine, but any pause in neutral makes finding the next gear really annoying. It's only a matter of time before I accidentally downshift into 1st at 60mph and blow the thing.
Mine is a 5-speed. I've given myself a headache via searching previous posts trying to figure out if mine has the M32 box or another (C530)?
Anyway - what I can see by looking at the two linkage ball joints below the battery is that they both appear to move freely when the gearknob is moved up/down and left/right. The only thing that seems odd is that the up/down (1st to 2nd and back again) moves only one cable whereas side/side gearknob movements appears to move both cables.
I'm reasonably competent and my home garage is reasonably well equipped, but i'd be really grateful if anyone can help point me in the right direction before I start spending money and taking things apart.
How can I determine if this is an internal g/box fault or an external one? I'll try and remove the two ball/sockets tonight and see if the arms return/spring back alone without the cables connected as a first step.
Just picked up a 2009 Grande Punto T-Jet 120.
Great car - honestly its more fun than previous much more powerful cars I've owned and yet also I feel a little more fun than the swift sport I had years ago.
Anyway, it had been sitting for a few months when I bought it. What's more, it'd been clearly pressure washed (inc engine bay) and I suspect various components have seized up, the suspension is creaky, for example.
The one that bothers me though is the gear selection/linkage.
It engages all gear, including reverse just fine both hot and cold.
However - The gearknob doesn't return to the centre, it wants to sit just left of centre. Therefore, going directly 'up' from neutral doesn't find 3rd, but rather finds something in-between 1st & 3rd.
Swift changes between gears line up fine, but any pause in neutral makes finding the next gear really annoying. It's only a matter of time before I accidentally downshift into 1st at 60mph and blow the thing.
Mine is a 5-speed. I've given myself a headache via searching previous posts trying to figure out if mine has the M32 box or another (C530)?
Anyway - what I can see by looking at the two linkage ball joints below the battery is that they both appear to move freely when the gearknob is moved up/down and left/right. The only thing that seems odd is that the up/down (1st to 2nd and back again) moves only one cable whereas side/side gearknob movements appears to move both cables.
I'm reasonably competent and my home garage is reasonably well equipped, but i'd be really grateful if anyone can help point me in the right direction before I start spending money and taking things apart.
How can I determine if this is an internal g/box fault or an external one? I'll try and remove the two ball/sockets tonight and see if the arms return/spring back alone without the cables connected as a first step.
