- Mating parts not in expected alignment:
MAKE SURE THE CAR IS IN NEUTRAL (so the images in this thread match those that you need to match)
In my first attempt to do this the car was in 1st and I did not realise that one of the components moved when I took it out. This is indicated by the red arrow below. As I did not make enough space to take the housing out first time I articulated the end of the selector shaft to get it around the shifter cable end and then articulated it back again when it was out. However the indicated part moved as well, without me realising it was in a different position.
From Neutral gear position the correct alignments for each side are:
and
(Note: as my first attempt was wrong I was able to lift the left front wheel and move the one of the four plates into the correct "neutral" position by hand. The image below shows the correct neutral position)
- Breaking the clutch slave cylinder:
As my first attempt was bad (the alignment of the components on the two sides of the housing were wrong) I had to play with the plates to get it to fit back on. Hence, I was worried about whether I had assembled the housing correctly "BIG MISTAKE INCOMING" so I decided to sit in the car and move the gear lever to check. It did not move well so I pushed the clutch and the clutch slave cylinder (which was still hanging loose) disassembled itself (see image below).
If you follow the correct alignments above this will not be an issue, if you want to try the gear shifter DO NOT PRESS THE CLUTCH!