Ducato gear cables

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Ducato gear cables

artistglyn

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Hi all,
I've just joined this forum and am just finding my way around. I'm hoping that some of you may have come across this problem before. I have a Laika ecovip 1r campervan from 1999. It's on a Ducato 2.8 jtd base. I've just fixed the fifth gear that is a common problem with these, but the cables are very stiff, and the gearbox specialist who installed the fifth gear could not ease them. they are no longer made, so I'm really asking if anyone has any experience with freeing these up. I may be able to get a set from a breakers but they are not common. Any advice much appreciated.
 
I had similar problems on a 2.8jtd and thought it was seized control cables but when I disconnected them it was as Crossingkeeper theorises and the pivots were bone dry and very stiff causing difficult gear selection.
If you remove the ball cup at the selector end you can soon determine if it is the bowden cable or the linkage.
If the cables are seized then a good soak of the submerged, complete cable in a petrol/diesel mixture should free it up enough to get it moving and another good soaking in cheapo oil should relubricate them if required.
Only problem is that you will have to remove them from your MH to sort them.
I believe that water draining from the windscreen scuttle onto the gearbox linkages was one cause of the problem. I think yours has the same drain pipe as the later JTD version which conveniently terminates just above the gearbox selectors!
I extended this pipe so that it drains away from the gearbox and so far seems to have cured it.
Hope you get it sorted.
 
Thanks for the quick replies. I'm really just going on the comments from Geartec, the company that installed the new 5th gear for me. I assumed, as they are gearbox specialists, they would have identified the cause correctly. However, I've got it booked into the local garage tomorrow so i can put forward the ideas you have brought up. At least it sounds like they can be freed if they are stiff. Geartec told me it was quite urgent as it was affecting the throw of the gear change, and could be detrimental to the box. As these 5th gears are a bit fragile and Fiat no longer make them, I'm keen not to wreck it. I'll keep you posted after tomorrow. Thanks again !
 
Just to update. It appears that the bellows at the bottom of the cables had more or less disintegrated and had allowed mud and grit to build up. This was the main cause of the stiffness. The garage have cleaned and lubricated them and packed grease around until I can source some bellows.
It's driving a whole lot better, so I think it should be fine now.
thanks for your comments.:)
 
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