Gearbox Trouble (Help!)

[DJOli]

So i've been driving my ol 98 felly from time to time, but about 12 months ago it started feeling like the gearbox was doing it's last run, so i got it to a repair shop and the guy there told me about some levers or something which make the gearlever get into the gear you aim for.

I'm 99% sure some of those levers have gone bent, or even possibly broken.

I *CAN* get it to 1st gear, 2nd works worse than before,3rd & 4th work without problems, can't get into 5th.

'Tis my first car, and i've had it since Aug. 2007, and i'd hate to give up on it now :(

So for short, could you tell me what's wrong, and or how much it would cost to buy the new part?

Edited 4 June, 2011 by DJOli

[djaychela]

Depends if it's internal or external. If it's just the linkage (external) then it's not too bad - you can get a S/H one or rebuild your one depending on the age. If it's internal then a new box would probably be the cheapest route (secondhand, of course). Easy enough to tell by removing the linkage from the box and then using a screwdriver or similar to try to engage all the gears. You'll just need a drift and hammer to drive the roll pin out that holds the lever in place (older boxes) or a socket (newer boxes), IIRC.

[DJOli]

Depends if it's internal or external. If it's just the linkage (external) then it's not too bad - you can get a S/H one or rebuild your one depending on the age. If it's internal then a new box would probably be the cheapest route (secondhand, of course). Easy enough to tell by removing the linkage from the box and then using a screwdriver or similar to try to engage all the gears. You'll just need a drift and hammer to drive the roll pin out that holds the lever in place (older boxes) or a socket (newer boxes), IIRC.

Thanks, that helped my worries

[KenONeill]

If something's bent, I'd think it's more likely to be the external linkage than the internal selector forks that physically move the gear cogwheels about. If you start with this Wikipedia article you'll can see how a gearbox works.

[DJOli]

So now, for a more detailed info attempt:

My car's gearbox has been causing trouble for about a year and a half.

I Can't drive fast and well on gravel roads because it's happened twice already that the gearlever/rod disconnects, resulting in it falling and hitting the ground, but the "gearshifter" dragging it along.

I've also jumped my felly. Three times!, never did anything (too) bad to it, i think, but i was pretty well damn stupid at the time.

Now the gearbox started working properly back in late 2009, and well, has been working "okay" for me at least ever since, but i'd always have to "SLAM!" the gearshifter HARD to the side, and knock it down to get the car into 2nd.

Now, Today, i have to slam the following gears:

1st.

2nd.

5th.

and reverse.

Thing is, that now with 5th gear i have to slide it lightly backwards towards the reverse gear, and then punch it forwards, to the right corner to get it "connected".

If i "slam" 1st gear improperly it goes into 3rd, and if 2nd is done wrong, you go into 4th.

a couple of my friends have made the mistake, in response i laughed. Hysterically.

[KenONeill]

I don't have a description of this specific box, but a 5-speed box like this is usually a 2 countershaft box, with 1, 3 and 5 on one shaft and 2 and 4 on the other. Reverse works differently because it involves an extra cogwheel to revese the direction that the engine turns the output shaft wrt the normal direction. Accordingly, we can eliminate damaged countershafts as a problem.

I think from your description that you've probably got a worn external linkage, but it's possible that you've bent the 1+2 and 5+R selector forks, in which case the only cures are a new (to you) or rebuilt gearbox.

[djaychela]

1 through 4 are all on the same shaft, with forks for 1&2 (shared hub), 3&4 (shared hub), and 5th on the outrigger outside the main box.

DJOli - try what I said, disconnect the linkage from the gearbox and see if you can select the gears OK using a screwdriver.

[anewman]

Similar has come up before and I suggested it could be a loose linkage and what is actually preventing the gear lever from engaging the gears is the centre console. IIRC it turned out this was the case. So a lazy fix for now could be to remove the centre console, and if that lets you engage gears you can change the linkage at your leisure. Does the gear lever move easily left - right before you can feel the gears engaging? Something like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulMImmbuVZY

[DJOli]

Yeah, my gearlever has always been a bit flippy (moves around Very freely), i'll record a vid on my cam later tonight and upload to youtube, and later, share it on here.

Plan B.

Call a friend mechanic and get the car to his shop and see if he'll check the car later tonight/sometime tomorrow.

[anewman]

Yep I'd definitely remove the centre console as it's easy enough to do. If it's just loose left-right I'd put money on it being the linkage at the bottom of the gearstick. Although I believe there are two different types of linkage dependent on manufacture year. One is like a big rubber thing. The other has bolts and nylon bushes, and it is the nylon bushes that tend to go making lots of play left -to- right.