Hi all

My Felicia has lost 1st gear. The clutch seems to be working, but 1st isn't engaging properly. It just makes a buzzing noise and the car won't move. 2nd is working, but when I change down from 3rd it makes a very unhealthy noise - a grinding crunch. Is this likely to be something that requires complete replacement of the gearbox, or could it be fixable?

This has become a mini-disaster for me, and I'm desperate for any help or advice. Thanks.

sorry to state the obvious, but have u checked the clutch? the pedal should be about the same height as the brake. and adjusts on a kind of threaded bar where it connects under the bonnet. ive no idea about costs for the gearbox tho soz!

sorry to state the obvious, but have u checked the clutch? the pedal should be about the same height as the brake. and adjusts on a kind of threaded bar where it connects under the bonnet. ive no idea about costs for the gearbox tho soz!

I'm afraid I have no idea how things work in cars. I can change tyres, fuses, lightbulbs and batteries, but that's about it. I could have a look but I don't really know where under the bonnet it would be.

It does sound like it could be the clutch not fully disengaging - have you noticed if the biting point seems quite low? If the clutch pedal isn't in line with the brake pedal as mentioned above, it could do with adjusting anyway.

Assuming the problem is the clutch cable: If you look to the right of the engine, under the top radiator hose, you'll see a big flat lever on the top of the gearbox casing with a twist at the end holding a cable. The adjuster is the little nut on the end of this cable - tighten it up until there's no slack in the cable and the pedal is in line with the brake pedal. If you run out of adjustment then the cable's stretched and will need replacing - a new one is around £20 and fitting ought to be pretty quick and cheap if you don't fancy doing it yourself.

Another potential problem is the gearstick linkage - these are well-known for wearing out, and if it's too loose it may prevent you from properly selecting or engaging gears - mine's worn to the point where I occasionally get 4th instead of 2nd if I'm too gentle changing up from 1st At this age, some looseness is normal but If the gearstick feels excessively floppy, even when in gear, then it might be an issue.

If all else fails, then as a rough idea (I don't know for sure) second-hand gearboxes seem to go for around £50-£150, and if you're paying to have it done the labour could easily be anything up to a couple of hundred on top of that, depends a lot on where you are and who you go to.

@RobinSLXi: Thank you so much for the help. I'll have a look at adjusting the cable tomorrow and hopefully that will be all it takes. I'll let you know how I get on.