Technical Gearbox rebuild

[Lansolo]

Hi,
Have a 2.3 jtd 2006, had to get it recovered to a local garage as it wasn't going into gear (ended up stuck in 4th) and the gear stick came away from the dash mounting. Garage have said its a rebuild at £2.5k which i can't afford, question is how do they know its a rebuild if the gearbox hasn't been taken out ? Could it be the clutch or just the linkage ?? Also saying that clutches are hard to come by for my vehicle and they won't know until the gearbox comes out if the clutch needs replacing, does this sound right ? They are quoting another 500 for clutch replacement.
If I take it anywhere else I'll have to get it towed , I'm over a barrel in a way
Any advice much appreciated

 

[deejays]

Hi,
Have a 2.3 jtd 2006, had to get it recovered to a local garage as it wasn't going into gear (ended up stuck in 4th) and the gear stick came away from the dash mounting. Garage have said its a rebuild at £2.5k which i can't afford, question is how do they know its a rebuild if the gearbox hasn't been taken out ? Could it be the clutch or just the linkage ?? Also saying that clutches are hard to come by for my vehicle and they won't know until the gearbox comes out if the clutch needs replacing, does this sound right ? They are quoting another 500 for clutch replacement.
If I take it anywhere else I'll have to get it towed , I'm over a barrel in a way
Any advice much appreciated

Is the gearbox a manual or the Comfortmatic?

 

[ZaphodB]

Hi,
Have a 2.3 jtd 2006, had to get it recovered to a local garage as it wasn't going into gear (ended up stuck in 4th) and the gear stick came away from the dash mounting. Garage have said its a rebuild at £2.5k which i can't afford, question is how do they know its a rebuild if the gearbox hasn't been taken out ? Could it be the clutch or just the linkage ?? Also saying that clutches are hard to come by for my vehicle and they won't know until the gearbox comes out if the clutch needs replacing, does this sound right ? They are quoting another 500 for clutch replacement.
If I take it anywhere else I'll have to get it towed , I'm over a barrel in a way
Any advice much appreciated

Sounds like not the place to trust.

Maybe get it towed back home and get a mobile mechanic to check the linkage over ...

 

[Lansolo]

Is the gearbox a manual or the Comfortmatic?

Its a manual

 

[deejays]

Its a manual

OK, regardless of the clutch having an issue or not, if the engine in not going and the vehicle is stationary you should still be able to move the box through neutral and any gear (you may need to rock the vehicle slightly forward an back if it is in gear to free it of any preload). That is so long as the linkages and the selector mechanism in the box itself are OK. Has the gear stick come away from the mounting because you were exerting brute force to try and force a gear change?

 

[Lansolo]

OK, regardless of the clutch having an issue or not, if the engine in not going and the vehicle is stationary you should still be able to move the box through neutral and any gear (you may need to rock the vehicle slightly forward an back if it is in gear to free it of any preload). That is so long as the linkages and the selector mechanism in the box itself are OK. Has the gear stick come away from the mounting because you were exerting brute force to try and force a gear change?

Yeah it came away as i was really trying to put it in gear. Is there anyway I can check the linkage myself? I'm not mechanically minded. I'm going back to the garage this afternoon and I'll take a video of the gearstick

 

[deejays]

Yeah it came away as i was really trying to put it in gear. Is there anyway I can check the linkage myself? I'm not mechanically minded. I'm going back to the garage this afternoon and I'll take a video of the gearstick

First up, I don't own a similar vehicle (mine is a 2018 Comfortmatic) but I have a lot of experience on cable drive gear changes from years ago. I also am reasonably familiar with the mechanism in your vehicle. The issue is either going to be in the box itself, or the external linkages and selector mechanism. To diagnose which one, the best way is to isolate the two by disconnecting the ball joint end of the cable drive from the gearbox, and see if the cables move freely. If they do, then the issue is with the internals of the box selector mechanism. See pic: