Giacosa said:
There is something id like to clear up about Panda gear change rods. One mechanic told me these rods use neoprene bearings or something similiar which are lube free. A couple of searchs on this forum suggests at least some people oil these linkages. Whats the story guys cos praying for smooth changes is gettin wearing Cheers
As I understand it...
The mechanic is right that the joints on the rod ends are plastic, and because they are working on a metal ball there's no
need for lubricant.
I uspect most of the posts advocating a spot of lube in the gearchange
mechanism will be mine:
largely on the grounds of having done it to several Pandas, new and old, and without exception they've been better for the experience - not perfect you understand, but improved.
The thing is though, there are a number of linkages which aren't plastic against metal, and it's worth pulling back the gear lever boot, and giving the bits in there a drop too..
One of the other things which helps a lot is the correct ammount of oil in the gearbox (preferably fresh).
Beyond that though, worn gearbox bearings make things awkward, as does rushing a gear change.
The attached pix should give an idea of the number of places there are which move when you change gear.
Regards
John H