Technical 1991 Ducato 19.td clutch.

[BGMike]

Hello, my neighbour has a 1991 1.9td camper.
It had a problem whereby she had trouble shifting from 3rd into 4th.
She had to double declutch.
It had a new clutch 3yrs ago in Germany and has only covered around 10k kilometres.
All was fine until recently
I'm no mechanic but said I'd have a look.
I adjusted (tightened) the cable at the clutch arm end which made the pedal raise about 30mm above the brake pedal but she said her knee was touching the steering when operating the clutch so I lowered it a bit.
Went for a drive and the 3-4th issue disappeared however now it is very clunky in 2nd and even grinds sometimes.
Can any of you knowledgeable people help?
I altered the cable again so the pedal is the same height as the brake but still a very clunky 2nd going up or down the gears.
Many thanks for any help.
Mike.

 

[cid]

Hi, I have a 1996 1.9td. My clutch pedal is set slightly higher than the rest. The van is very old and the gearboxes have not got the best reputation. 2nd gear is weak and prone to synchro wear. Mine went a couple of years ago but I drove it for 12 months before I got 2nd gear replaced. Avoid starting off in 1st. Start in 2nd if possible. When stopping use the brakes not the gears and only change gear when stopped. If you are forced to start in 1st, on a hill for instance, take the revs higher than normal and go straight to 3rd. There should be enough torque to pull you away. It's all fun in a m/h.There's even a forum that says so. All the Best, Ian

 

[BGMike]

Thanks Ian.
Just seems odd that 2nd gear was fine until I altered the cable and now is notchy at best and grinds a bit at worst.

 

[cid]

Hi again, your guess is as good as mine. Fiat gearboxes appear to be a law unto themselves, steeped in mystery and only repairable by a very few wizards. For example, who would design a gearbox with no recognisable filling point or means of checking its oil level. Mine has a dipstick but that seems to be a rarity. What type and volume of oil does yours take. Good luck finding out. Fiat aren't interested. You'd have more luck with an oil diviner. Sorry, going on a bit. The frustration of a long term Fiat owner. I don't think it's anything you've done but finding out what's wrong can be a long, troublesome journey. I wish you the Best of Luck, Ian.

 

[BGMike]

I have passed on your advice on how to avoid using 2nd in most cases.
Would a worn/maladjusted gear selector or linkage case a notchy 2nd gear.
I'd rather not go balls deep altering everything but think I might remove the air box, mark everything up and take measurements and photos then have a play to see if I can get a better shift and maybe avoid any grinding, etc.

 

[cid]

Hi again, I don't know if you've read any of my other posts but I am experimenting at the moment to try improve my gear changing. On mine the recommended gearbox oil is 75w90 fully synthetic 1.85ltrs. However, a month or so ago I had the oil changed for 80w90 mineral which is slightly thicker. So far there seems to be a slight improvement with no grating and an, overall, smoother feel. This may be psychological but it just seems better. My thinking behind this is, as my van is 27 years old, there must be some overall wear in the box so a slightly thicker oil may fill the gaps better. Whether or not this makes sense only time will tell. I may be just delaying the inevitable gear box rebuild. I think it's worth a £30 gamble. All the Best, Ian.

 

[BGMike]

Thanks, I will pass that on.