Hi everyone, I'm new here. Just bought a 2012 Fabia Greenline (on 22nd Dec 2017 from used car dealership in Watford). 30,000 miles on the clock. Four days after I bought it, I noticed problem with 5th gear where occasionally it's as if there is no 5th gear - feels like a solid block, won't go in at all. Then a minute or so later it's fine again. Longest it's done it for is a whole 10-minute journey on the dual carriage way where it wouldn't go into 5th at all and I had to drive in 4th the whole way. Usually it does it for just 10-20 seconds at a time and then eventually goes in. There is no noise from the gearbox at all, clutch feels fine. Local garage took it out for a drive (annoyingly, it didn't do it when they were driving it) and they said all feels fine. They said would not expect problems on a 30,000 mileage but only way to know what's going on is to take the gearbox out. 

 

Feels like something must be loose or moving when it shouldn't and something is getting in they way of 5th going in. All other gears are perfect.

 

Anyone know what it could be? TIA.

Edited 23 January, 20188 yr by BlueWhippet

Get the lever mechanism and adjustment checked first - before removing gear boxes etc. Check also all engine/gearbox mounts

 Had a similar problems with our 1.4 Greenline, but 1st and reverse, which turned out to be the selector mechanism on the top of the gearbox. If I tried selection gears using the mechanism under the bonnet I could feel a tightness and hear groaning (which turned out to be dry bushes). Oiling cured the problem, but care had to be taken to ensure there was no wayward oil that could get into the clutch. Is there any problem when stationary - either with engine off or running - getting the lever it into the 5th gear position, or does it only occur when driving.

 

 

Thanks 2ndskoda and KeithCheetham - I think you are both on to something with the selection mechanism as there is no noise from the actual gearbox. It typically goes into fifth fine when stationary, with or without the engine running, but there was one time when it didn't. I wiggled it quite firmly and it then went in (when driving if it's 'blocked' no amount of wiggling will get it to go in until it feels like it and then suddenly it's all fine). Possibly an oil change would help then or at least be a place to start. 

 

Edited 23 January, 20188 yr by BlueWhippet

I had something like that happen before but it involved me driving over a humpback bridge at 60mph flying for 20m then it wouldn’t select any gears when it landed like there was a block as described. 

 

Does it clear after restarting it?

Check oil level by all means - but an oil change would not accomplish anything

On 23/01/2018 at 18:39, AMD87 said:

I had something like that happen before but it involved me driving over a humpback bridge at 60mph flying for 20m then it wouldn’t select any gears when it landed like there was a block as described. 

 

Does it clear after restarting it?

It clears after maybe 10, 20 seconds if I put it back in 4th and then try again it will often go in. When I get the 'block' it's as if the clutch isn't in - it's just a solid wall (no grinding noise or anything though). 

So I had a garage have a quick look at the car. They said they thought 5th gear felt stiff going in but couldn't actually get the fault (i.e. no 5th) to occur when they drove it round the block. They checked the cables/linkage and said all looked fine. They said they cleaned and lubricated the selector shaft. Told me to see what I thought when I drove it after that. The fault is still occurring - today 5th was fine on the way out of the village (doing about 45-50mph) and then got to the dual carriage way, accelerated and no 5th - it's like it's not there - definitely feels like something is in the way of the selection. Drove in 4th for about 20 seconds, pressed the clutch a few times and eventually it went in perfectly smoothly. It's like - all or nothing. Really strange. 

 

Could it be the clutch? I would have thought that would effect all the gears not just one? All the other gears are fine. 

On 23/01/2018 at 22:54, 2ndskoda said:

Check oil level by all means - but an oil change would not accomplish anything

I would have thought if it was an oil problem it wouldn't just affect 5th gear, would it? 

Hence me saying an oil change would be a waste of money/time