Technical Panda reverse gear sticking

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Technical Panda reverse gear sticking

mussie012

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Hi I have bought a 2009 Panda which when cold is very difficult to select reverse gear,and when I do get it in,its sometimes hard to get it out ! When the car warms up it is so much easier to select? I have lifted the leather gear stick gaiter up and sprayed the ball socket with grease,this helps initially but after a few days goes stiff again? can anyone please help.Thanks
 
Hi I have bought a 2009 Panda which when cold is very difficult to select reverse gear,and when I do get it in,its sometimes hard to get it out ! When the car warms up it is so much easier to select? I have lifted the leather gear stick gaiter up and sprayed the ball socket with grease,this helps initially but after a few days goes stiff again? can anyone please help.Thanks

If lube there helps.. its not a clutch..or gearbox.. issue ;)

So if you use the GUIDE to have the panels off
you can get in there and lube the cables too :)

Charlie
 
almost certainly the selector cable. Almost certainly the problem will be the other end of the cable (gearbox end)


You can test


with the engine off. Move the leavers on top of the gearbox. If they smooth then the problem will be the cables.


Mine had a problem with reverse mine was difficult to engage and first was difficult to disengage when cold. Cleaned and greased. This worked temporary.
Then changed and would jump out of First. Grease was a bad idea as would work for about a week then dirt would build up. Ended up cleaning off with meths but could never get it 100% but would work for a short while before needing cleaning again.

Got bored and changed never had a problem since


Out of interest which type of cable do you have. On the gearbox end do they finish in Black rubber boots. These seem to be more problematic, The rubber cracked letting in dirt. The ones without any boots are better.
 
If the clutch has been changed its possible the gear selector cables were refitted out of synch.

Pop the ball joints off the gearbox end
Make sure the box has first gear engaged
Select first gear on the gear lever.
Refit the ball joints
All should be fine.

If in doubt with clutch release issues, bleed the hydraulics. If that does not work, gives temporary fix or it won't bleed, then change the hydraulic system top to bottom. Replacement seals are not available. If the problem persists change the clutch. Changing the hydraulics is not wasted because they rarely last any longer than the clutch itself.

LuK parts are OEM quality items. Master with pipe and connector costs about £80. Slave with pipe and connector costs about £30. They are prefilled and plug together. Job done.
 
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If the clutch has been changed its possible the gear selector cables were refitted out of synch.

Pop the ball joints off the gearbox end
Make sure the box has first gear engaged
Select first gear on the gear lever.
Refit the ball joints
All should be fine.


out of sync ?
 
If the control cables are connected with the gearbox set in first gear while the gear lever set in 3rd gear, the gear shift will not work properly. Slack in the system may allow you to select all gears but some will be a struggle.

To move to any gear you move through neutral?

Cables are a fix length?


removing cables and putting them back makes no difference ?
There is an adjustment on the left, right cable. But there is no way for the system to get out of sync

I didn't mention the adjustment as it hasn't anything to do with original poster and just confuses the matter.


If the gear change is the same with the engine off. Wiggle the levers on top of the gearbox. You can just see the gearstick moving. If its smooth here the problem will be the cables.
 
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Hi Guys, First of all thank you for taking the time to answer my post,I have sorted the problem and taken pictures to show the culprit.I hope this helps someone else in the future.If you open the bonnet and look down to the top left of the battery you will see the rod going into gear linkage cable is all rusty and dry.I cleaned it all off with steel wool and applied grease to it and worked the lever back and forth.It seems to be all ok,if there is any change over a period I will report back
 

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when u do this make sure u dont use normal wd-40 or anything that attracts dirt/dust (ordinary grease). I would recommend some PTFE lube, wd-40 dry lube for example.
 
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The gears 1, 3 and 5 are all in the same place as far as the gearbox is concerned. It is possible to have the box set in 1st gear with the lever set in 3rd gear.

I have just had the shift mechanism cover off mine to change a leaking oil seal. Unclip the cables from the box and such an error could be made if the ball joints are clipped before cables are clipped to the casing. I have no need to do that but cable removal is necessary when clutch is changed.

If there is any doubt its an easy fix. Pop the shift cables off their ball posts, set box and lever to neutral and pop the cables back on and check all gears engage smoothly. You would need to remove the battery tray but they always get rust and flaky paint so its a perfect time to clean up the crud while in there.
 
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