Hi,

Put it into 3rd this morning whilst driving along, felt a and heard a "snap".

The gear is in 3rd stuck, I can still use the clutch so I can just about drive in 3rd, but I will only drive it home and fix it this wekend.

The gear stick is loose back and forth between 3rd and the centre position, it won't go side ways or anywhere else.

What has broken,,,? How easy to fix. how to fix?

Any help please?

I am at work now, so will not be able to reply, until tonight thanks.

Kev_marea said:

Hi,

Put it into 3rd this morning whilst driving along, felt a and heard a "snap".

The gear is in 3rd stuck, I can still use the clutch so I can just about drive in 3rd, but I will only drive it home and fix it this wekend.

The gear stick is loose back and forth between 3rd and the centre position, it won't go side ways or anywhere else.

What has broken,,,? How easy to fix. how to fix?

Any help please?

I am at work now, so will not be able to reply, until tonight thanks.

Click to expand...

Common age related fault...
Gear cable linkage had snapped

Drive her steady home / garage

There is a left and right cable and up and down
Yours has snapped the up and down by sounds of it
You cant disengage 3rd

You can manually select other gears but moving gearbox linkages but id probabky select 2nd and drive gently home

You need 2x new cables
Its a diy job an afternoon work to fit
U can go 2nd hand but how long will they last? New can be expensive

Ziggy

Hey thanks,

So I fix it from underneath? Jack it up put it on axle stands and take a look. is there a cover or something that will need to be removed, or exhaust shielding (hate that stuff).

Thanks

EDIT oh yes .... How to change the gear manually? Is it inside the bonnet behind the engine? any way to be sure I got 2nd?

Kev_marea said:

Hey thanks,

So I fix it from underneath? Jack it up put it on axle stands and take a look. is there a cover or something that will need to be removed, or exhaust shielding (hate that stuff).

Thanks

EDIT oh yes .... How to change the gear manually? Is it inside the bonnet behind the engine? any way to be sure I got 2nd?

Click to expand...

Yes you can just nove the gear linkage manually, look on back of battery onack of gearbox

Yes u will need to remove middle heatshield if present...

I hear the clip that holds it above subframe can be a bitch.. but never had one snap yet... i cant comment....

Ziggy

up and down is the only cable that snaps, left right never fails

Damn it.

I drove home in 3rd as it was stuck in 3rd. I got past all the obstacles and hills with some luck, until the 2nd hill from home, when I got stuck behind some traffic, and it could not cope with the hill. burnt out the clutch. with hindsight I should have stopped before the hill and tried to select 1st or 2nd.

On the hill, I stopped, tried to select a different gear, it is difficult to know if I am putting it in gear, but every time I tried, I lifted the clutch and there was no bite.

I saw a flat bed truck with a car on the back go into a lane nearby, so I asked him for help, he did the same as me, supposedly selecting gears but no bite.

He said he thinks the clutch is completly burn't away.

He towed me the remaining 4 miles home.

Sound about right? or is he mistaken?

How much will a clutch replacement be?

you cant burn out your clutch in few km, unless it was ****ed already

flisko said:

you cant burn out your clutch in few km, unless it was ****ed already

Click to expand...

I think yes it was weak...
Unless hes overheated the clutch that badly its affecting the coefficiency of friction rule....

If mine snaps im going to slap mine in 2nd and drive steady....

Ziggy

Daft question... can u swap the snapped one for the oppersite motion?
So say you loose up and down
Can u temporaily use the left and right to select first and 2nd?

Ziggy

flisko said:

up and down is the only cable that snaps, left right never fails

Click to expand...

Are you saying when in the driver seat, looking at gear stick

"Left to Right cable" is when you move gear stick left and right - sideways
and "Up and Down cable" is when you move gearstick between 3rd and 4th.


ENGINE COMPARTMENT MANUAL GEAR SELECTION PARTIAL WALKTHROUGH.
It might help someone, print it out and keep it in your glove box. This is what I have experienced today, but when yours breaks it may not work like mine. If you find like I did, that your gear shift is stuck in a gear like 3rd, First use the handle(see below) into position 2 you may have to use force, or have someone dip the clutch. Then check the gear stick, if it has moved a little, then if you have to, force the gearstick out of it's stuck position into neutral position.
Haynes Manual page 7A 2
Picture 3.2
In the picture there are 2 gear selector arms on the gearbox, one on the left (of the picture) and one on the right.

The right one is the top one on the gear box "the top selector"
The left one is the bottom one on the gear box. "the bottom selector"

The bottom selector has three positions 1, 2, 3
It also has two ends the bottom end is where the selector cable is attached
the top end is a big block of metal which I will call "the handle" because it is convenient for holding and selecting manually from within the engine compartment.

When the bottom end (the selector cable attachment) is in the middle , the top end (the handle) is also in the middle (position 2).

When the bottom end is pushed towards the wing of the car, the top end (the handle) is pulled towards the engine block (position 3).

And vice versa, when the bottom end is pulled towards engine block
The top end (the handle) is pushed towards the wing of the car.(position 1)

I found it easiest to grab the handle and move that.
When the Handle is in Position 1 that is 1st gear or 3rd gear (depending where you are)
When the Handle is in Position 3 that is 2nd Gear or 4th Gear.

I have found that putting the handle in position 2 (the middle) from within the engine comartment, enables you to go into the drivers seat and move the gear sideways into either 1st/2nd position or 3rd/4th position. And then pull the gear stick down into 2nd or 4th will enable the gear to be selected and it puts the handle into position 3.

I can then change the gear with the handle by moving the handle from position 3 into position 1, this will change it from 2nd into 1st, or from 4th into 3rd.

I wish I knew this yesterday, I would have saved my clutch.

I am curently on my own, so I cannot check the movement of the side to side gearstick and the resulting movements of the the top selector.
And to see if it can all be done from inside the engine compartment. but the above should definately help anyone with this problem. I will update this to add the the top selector. details when I can.

I am wondering ...on my broken car...

Why does moving the handle into position 3, moves the gear stick into the forward position.
But moving the handle from position 3 into position 1 or 2 does not move the gearstick backwards?

Also when handle is in postion 3, pulling the gear stick backwards will move the handle into position 1 or 2.
But moving the gear stick forwards will not move the handle?

It's like half the forwards/backwards mechanism is still working but half is broken. I don't get it, and may not get it until I have tried to fix it.

Ziggy122 said:

Daft question... can u swap the snapped one for the oppersite motion?
So say you loose up and down
Can u temporaily use the left and right to select first and 2nd?

Ziggy

Click to expand...

you mean swap cables?

flisko said:

you mean swap cables?

Click to expand...

At road side
Swap them out and seap.positions

Sure u have to left for say 1st and right for 2nd

But thatd be easier to get car hom

Ziggy

it is indeed quite possible you have burnt the clutch out
did it smell? these clutches are weak at the best of times
if yes i think you dun it
realistically you should have manually changed gear by leaning down side of battery (as advised i believe) finding second and driving home carefully, pulling up when causing a hindrance and as you learnt, taking the hills in one go
of course you could have paid for a recovery because recovery companies make money recovering,my recovery has had to be recovered twice in the last eight years and it was cheaper to pay and have it returned to base than breaking it to save a dolla
i dont know if you are going to attempt these repairs yourself now but if you arent then get the garage to fit a complete gear linkage box off say ebay these used to be about £25 and take ten minutes on a ramp to swap over

goodas luckas you unfortunately have had double bad luck

Hi,
Thanks for the advice "complete gear linkage box" I'll check that out now.

The clutch was worn anyway, this just finished it off.

I couldn't change into 2nd as I didn't know how. And I whilst I was in 3rd and able to drive, I went with it, not knowing if I messed with it if I wouldn't be able to make it go again.

I know more now, because when I stopped on the hill, I had to investigate. And I have had a look today in daylight.

I have written that walkthrough above so that if anyone in the future wants to know how to do it, I hope someone will remember this thread and tell them about it.

Looking at those pictures on Ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=Punto

Now I can see why moving the handle from position 1 into position 3 will move the gear stick.
It must have come off inside the box under the gear stick.
When the cable is pushed back into to box by moving handle from position 1 to 3 .. it knocks the gear stick forward into "1st"
When the gearstick is forward and is moved back it knocks the cable up the tube to push the handle to position 1

But if the gearstick is already back and handle in position 1 then pushing the gear stick forward will do nothing because not attached to the cable to pull the cable back into box..

*When I get that box off, I can see if it can be repaired or just a new cable or something.

Ziggy122 said:

At road side
Swap them out and seap.positions

Sure u have to left for say 1st and right for 2nd

But thatd be easier to get car hom

Ziggy

Click to expand...

i think they are different diameter you cant switch them directly, unless you tie them with ziptie or something