General Gearbox selector / linkage.

[oscar52]

Evening!

Just been recovered by the AA as my car is stuck in second gear!! I have full clutch control and it drives, but I have no gear selection, just a loose gearstick that moves up /down but not left / right.

Bloke says that the linkage appears to be moving ok and that the issue is on the arm on the top of the box - is this a big job to do - appreciate it may be a stab in the dark!


Also, as a side note - Why do all my posts seem to adopt double line spacing for each paragraph? (I have edited a few posts to remove the extra space, but its a PITA sometimes!)

 

[flisko]

cable snapped, 1 hour ez job

 

[oscar52]

cable snapped, 1 hour ez job

Is that to the arm on the top of the box??


Where does it go from there ..... might be obvious in daylight, but I cant see at moment.

 

[judderbar]

Is that to the arm on the top of the box??


Where does it go from there ..... might be obvious in daylight, but I cant see at moment.

You have 2 cables going to two arms. One arm on top and one at the rear. Both can move a bit even with a broken cable.

 

[flisko]

it goes below car, exhaust pipe is on the way too

 

[oscar52]

it goes below car, exhaust pipe is on the way too

Oh Joy ..... and its currently pouring with rain too!!

 

[Brendan W]

Look on the bright side. Under the car is in out of the rain

 

[oscar52]

Look on the bright side. Under the car is in out of the rain

Could set it on fire too to get warmed up!

 

[oscar52]

cable snapped, 1 hour ez job

This was a joke wasn't it??!!


Two days (probably about 3 - 4 hours) to get one off in the scrapyard. Needed a brute force attack with a crowbar to get that little black panel off to see the cables.


Most of today to get the panel off mine (cos torx screws nearly rotten) all disconnected but circlip wouldn't move (the one underneath) to allow extraction .......


Day 2 off attack tomorrow to get the circlip off. - Anytips?? Tried flat blade screwdriver and rotating it to push out ...... cant quite get a grip with a pair of pliers.

 

[flisko]

there is a special tool to get circlip off
if you dont got it, then hammer and flat screwdriver

 

[oscar52]

Its not that type of clip ..... its a flat blade, with a sort of bent over lip it the bottom.

 

[oscar52]

Its not that type of clip ..... its a flat blade, with a sort of bent over lip it the bottom.

Its off - jammed a pair of pliers in and twisted to prise to forward.


Cables all reattached and car is back on the road, however, I appear to have lost 5th gear .... its literally as if it isn't there, doesn't even try to go in gear.


Have all other gears, including reverse. Is there any chance something has been damaged either when the selector cable snapped or when I have been changing it??

 

[judderbar]

Its off - jammed a pair of pliers in and twisted to prise to forward.


Cables all reattached and car is back on the road, however, I appear to have lost 5th gear .... its literally as if it isn't there, doesn't even try to go in gear.


Have all other gears, including reverse. Is there any chance something has been damaged either when the selector cable snapped or when I have been changing it??

A bit odd because you need more movement right to get reverse and you are able to move forwards to get first and third. To get 5th on my car I push against the spring from neutral until the knob hits a definite stop and then move forwards. To get reverse gear I have to go quite a bit further right past that stop once the reverse collar thing is moved.

 

[oscar52]

A bit odd because you need more movement right to get reverse and you are able to move forwards to get first and third. To get 5th on my car I push against the spring from neutral until the knob hits a definite stop and then move forwards. To get reverse gear I have to go quite a bit further right past that stop once the reverse collar thing is moved.

I can move across to where 5th would be, but there is nothing there when you push forward .... as if there is no fifth gear as such. However, I can come across and down for reverse easily enough - obviously I have to lift the collar, but reverse is fine.

 

[AndyRKett]

Sounds like you've been unlucky as it really is only an hours work to replace it normally

Usually there is an adjuster on the cable and if this has been moved during replacement then that will explain why you can't get 5th

 

[oscar52]

Sounds like you've been unlucky as it really is only an hours work to replace it normally

Usually there is an adjuster on the cable and if this has been moved during replacement then that will explain why you can't get 5th

I would agree with the hours work, IF everything had been in decent condition - like the torx screws not rusted till they disintergrate! and the U clips being a bit more accessible.


There is no adjuster on the cable that I can see - most of the cable is enclosed in rubber and slides inside that.

However, I had another drive last night and managed to find 5th gear -its not where it used to be (not as far right) but I guess that could be down to the condition of the old cable, which had been going for a while looking at the strands of the cable.


However, I have now found an oil leak when it was up on ramps - think but hoping its not crankshaft oil seal - its in that general direction and running down side of sump And I appear to have a water leak from the bottom hose where it clamps to the expansion bottle. I have also gained an air lock somewhere as have very little heat in the cabin!!

 

[multipete]

There is adjustment,look at the cables from under the bonnet,get someone to move gear lever left to right in neutral, the cable that moves has a button on it under the bonnet,when you press this button down,get some one to move gear lever to central position.