General Gearlever not precise

[rawill]

My gear lever sometimes misses the 3rd/4th gate

Acting on advice here I got the gear linkage kit and set about to replace the bushes.

1: However, the old bushes were very good, replaced before I bought it 60000km ago I would say. But I have replaced the bushes in the gear lever, and one other, the linkages are very firm now.

2: Is there a metal surround the goes over the rubber bush that is on the pivot rod and holds that rod just forward of where the gear lever goes through the floor. There is some movement in this rubber bush that I would like to eliminate.

3:What is the mechanism that keeps the gear lever in the 3/4 gate. My gear lever wants to go to the 1/2 gate all the time. This can cause problems finding 4th after being in 5th, and sometimes 3rd after being in 4th. By this I mean, if I try to push straight from 4th to 3rd it will not go through, to get it to go through you have to push forward and very slightly to the left.

If I could fix this 3rd issue the gear shifting would be very good.

 

[alexGS]

My gear lever sometimes misses the 3rd/4th gate

Acting on advice here I got the gear linkage kit and set about to replace the bushes.

1: However, the old bushes were very good, replaced before I bought it 60000km ago I would say. But I have replaced the bushes in the gear lever, and one other, the linkages are very firm now.

The red plastic balljoint sockets seldom need replacing and it can be a real fiddle - but I guess you have figured that out now

2: Is there a metal surround the goes over the rubber bush that is on the pivot rod and holds that rod just forward of where the gear lever goes through the floor. There is some movement in this rubber bush that I would like to eliminate.

No metal surround. I know exactly what you mean though; it's an odd design that looks like there's a piece missing. It is supposed to resemble a rubber bush with a hole in it (for the rod) and then two separate halves of a metal 'C' clamp. That is, two quarter-circles. There is supposed to be some movement - you now have a spare (on the Sting) to compare it with

3:What is the mechanism that keeps the gear lever in the 3/4 gate. My gear lever wants to go to the 1/2 gate all the time. This can cause problems finding 4th after being in 5th, and sometimes 3rd after being in 4th. By this I mean, if I try to push straight from 4th to 3rd it will not go through, to get it to go through you have to push forward and very slightly to the left.

If I could fix this 3rd issue the gear shifting would be very good.

Check that rods under car are not bent - does the lever rest vertically? The two rods should be dead-straight. Again, you have some spares to inspect... If there is no spring-loading to the lever, you might have a faulty spring (or worn-out lever/cam) under the pressed steel cover on the top of the gearbox (four bolts). That should be easy to remove and inspect, and yet again, you have a spare...

-Alex

 

[rawill]

Thanks

Great site, great info, great people, Saabcentral is like this too. For a write up on a great project a guy in the Czech Republic is doing an amazing job on Classic 900 convertible. Really worth a read, fantastic pitures.

OK,

1.The red ball joints are not red in my case, but yes they are still near to perfect. So no need to replace them.

2.Weird about no metal surround, and the only metal bit being the U shaped 'bracket' that holds on my ripped rubber boot.

3.At rest the gear lever is definitely not vertical but the rods underneath are not bent. I spent ages under the car looking for places to put my new gear linkage kit.

I am surprised that even though the Sting only has 4 gears the mechanism in the box under the metal cover are the same as a 5 speed. I will take the cover off and check it out. I had been told there was nothing in there that would cause this and that it was a gearbox out job to fix it. Therefore I was just putting up with it, but it is a real pain.

Learning all the time

 

[alexGS]

1.The red ball joints are not red in my case, but yes they are still near to perfect. So no need to replace them.

Sorry, my assumption there! I think they were red when they left the factory.

2.Weird about no metal surround, and the only metal bit being the U shaped 'bracket' that holds on my ripped rubber boot.

...and that U-shaped bracket is plastic on most Unos Your car must be a genuine oldie then...

3.At rest the gear lever is definitely not vertical but the rods underneath are not bent. I spent ages under the car looking for places to put my new gear linkage kit.

That is puzzling.

I am surprised that even though the Sting only has 4 gears the mechanism in the box under the metal cover are the same as a 5 speed. I will take the cover off and check it out. I had been told there was nothing in there that would cause this and that it was a gearbox out job to fix it. Therefore I was just putting up with it, but it is a real pain.

I'm not actually sure the cause is in there. But given the simple task of removal, I decided to suggest it anyway. It will only waste five or ten minutes of your time if it's not I know there is a spring-loaded detent lever in there.

Your information could be right about it being a gearbox-out job (if, say, an internal selector fork is bent) but there is one more place worthy of checking - near the mount at the front-left end of the gearbox, there is a small metal plate held on with two 10mm bolts. That holds in detent springs and balls - remove the plate carefully so as not to lose them! - I heard of one of those springs breaking, but that must be very, very rare. Of course, if someone took the gearbox apart (highly likely in 25 years) and lost one of the springs/balls, that would explain it too.

-Alex

 

[alexGS]

Great site, great info, great people, Saabcentral is like this too. For a write up on a great project a guy in the Czech Republic is doing an amazing job on Classic 900 convertible. Really worth a read, fantastic pitures.

Cheers

I just noticed that the Barchetta section of this forum has overtaken our Uno section in the number-of-posts stakes That's surprising considering that the Barchetta is LHD-only!

Things used to be a lot busier around here - either we're scaring people off, or these Unos are slowly slipping off the road and people are moving on. Many Unos in England are now merely old and undesirable, and your Uno fits some people's definition of a classic car (25 years old).

Meanwhile, the Barchetta also fits some people's definition of a classic car (rare and desirable).

Remember the FIAT 128 saloon? When was the last time you saw one being driven? A popular car once that would be universally regarded as 'classic' today, but the problem was that it wasn't thought of as 'classic' when it was 20-odd years old, and so they all disappeared. Keep your Uno alive...

-Alex

 

[rawill]

Thanks Alex, for your tiime, interest and expertise.

I will definitely check out the the two places you mention, re possibilities to check before the gearbox out task. Can the axle seals be done with the gearbox in the car.

Yes I intend to keep it, and close to original looking.

Maybe lowered a little, mainly to get rid of some of the gap between the wheel and the guard. I have 175 70x13s on steel rims on it.

I intend to attempt to fix the roof, rust, sunroof model.

At the moment I tow the Uno behind my campervan on an 'A' frame, but maybe I will use the "Sting" or some other car for that! Who knows, I have the time to work on my projects, or maybe I will find a better Sting just as cheap.

One that hasn't been run in to a fence!

 

[alexGS]

I will definitely check out the the two places you mention, re possibilities to check before the gearbox out task. Can the axle seals be done with the gearbox in the car.

They certainly can - but then again, driveshaft removal is some of the work towards gearbox removal, so you'll probably want to put that job off until you know whether the gearbox has to come out.

-Alex

 

[rawill]

In a post above (3 I think) I mentioned a project on a Classic 900 Saab Vert.
here it is

Enjoy, it is at least European!

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91882&highlight=misu

 

[rawill]

Done and all fixed. Gear lever/change is now like it should be. Returns to 3/4 gate, at rest very nearly vertical.

What was wrong?? Someone had been in there before!! :bang:Not surprising 225000km. Under the metal cover (with 4 bolts holding it on on the top of the gearbox, accessed from under the bonnet,) there is a shaft with two springs, the front spring has a collar to stop it pressing the selector back to the 1/2 gate. That collar was missing, someone had forgotten to put it back in. :bang:
I stole one from my 'Sting' and put it in. Hey presto all is now good, except for my 'Sting', already starting to pay for itself!

On top of that metal cover is a small lever, it looks like it is supposed to tension a lock gate for reverse or something. How should that lever be adjusted.

Thanks to Alexgs for the pointer as to what might be wrong. It wasn't exactly like he said, but who would think of what I just described above.

I am wrapped

 

[biggaitch]

hey although unos are disappearing biggaitch still has 3 mk 1 turbos and 2 other mk 1 unos so there's hope yet! they just run for ever!

 

[Adrian Bravo]

Glad its sorted
Have a look at this post might be of interest
https://www.fiatforum.com/uno/42026...-08-stripped-ready-respray-115.html?p=1643641

 

[Chas Uno]

hey although unos are disappearing biggaitch still has 3 mk 1 turbos and 2 other mk 1 unos so there's hope yet! they just run for ever!

Pics would be nice

 

[rawill]

Great idea the rose jointed gear shift linkages! thanks for the link.

I made wiper linkages out of rose joints once, worked great.