Hi all,

Summary: Changed clutch and cannot select 1st or 2nd gear 1.7TD MK1 - Help!!!

Yesterday I finally got around to changing the clutch on a MK1 1.7TD which incidentally was completed knackered with the thrust? bearing part in pieces and the 'spring fingers' on the fixed plate worn completely through in places. Amazingly for someone with no real mechanical experience and just a crappy Haynes manual all seemed to go reasonably well apart from actually removing/putting back the gearbox which was a real sod as it kept fouling the subframe/cross member.

Anyway, I came to test the car today and all is not well. I cannot select 1st or 2nd gear at all (almost if I do not have enough left movement of the gearstick) but can get 3,4,5 and reverse Ok but it is sometimes a bit of a struggle. Any ideas? Could it be that I have not reconnected the rear gear selector rod/front selector cable properly? Is there any adjustment on these? More worrying could I have bent some of the gear selector arms/levers slightly when I was man handling the gearbox around - would such damage be obvious?

I tried searching the forum an a couple of threads seem to be related to similar problems and to do with freeing up full movement of the selector arms so hopefully it may be that.

Any ideas gratefully recieved.

Mark

Fixed it in 2 minutes when I looked at it again in the cold light of day- I had not put the rubber boot covering the various linkages on the gearbox housing back properly! I had taken it off to clean up/grease the inner parts and because I had not put it back properly I had restricted the movement of the linkages as they fouled the rubber - Doh!

glad it was a simple solution!

Yes I was somewhat relieved!!

Cheers

Mark