5th gear problems?

[mattblack_lude]

Hi guys,

So my bargain puma is proving to have a few niggles, to which i show no surprise. Some have been ironed out, but the one that's most annoying is the 5th gear problem.

Basically, every gear goes in perfect (as puma gearboxes always seem to feel, rather sexy) but 5th it will, more often that not, not quite go in. 5th gear in our track car always felt to me quite a short throw, as if its only gone half way in and you have to take a double take.
So, is this a common thing? Or have i just got two terrible pumas?! :lol:

I know very little about the service life of this car, so the first step is to check and top up the gearbox fluid, but thought i'd ask incase its a stupidly common issue caused by gear linkage problems, fluid, or something more detrimental...

As a side note, which may not be directly linked, the clutch is quite high so im assuming is close to end of life, but the track puma has a great clutch and still seems to present uncertainty when going for 5th, but certainly not as bad as the new one.


As always, your advice is greatly received.


Ta!

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

There is a procedure for setting up gearbox.

Have a good read here http://workshop-manuals.com/ford/puma_1998_06.1997-12.2001/mechanical_repairs/3_powertrain/308_manual_transmission-transaxle_clutch_and_transfer_case/308-00_manual_transmission-transaxle_and_clutch_general_information/description_and_operation/diagnosis_and_testing/manual_transaxle_and_clutch/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[quest63]

I had slight intermittent problems selecting 5th In my previous Puma which seemed to be caused by the spring in the gearbox that centres the gearlever (not in the gear mechanism itself on a Puma)

On mine when I was stopped with the engine off in neutral if I pushed the gearlever to the left it sprang back to centre crisply,but if I pushed it to the right it centralised very slowly.

Maybe yours is the same?

 

[mattblack_lude]

Quest, thanks for that - i'll check that out tomorrow once i go out to it.
Interestingly, i drove it this morning and it did it twice, but on the return journey (when engine/gearbox were warmer, it feels much better and didn't struggle).
So cold starts, or a cold gearbox atleast, is contributing.
Useful to get any opinions in advance of trying anything, as checking the gearbox oil will be the first and most obvious to check.

Don't you just love doing diagnostic work :roll: :lol: