gear stick problems

[FGK]

really need help ,went out in the wifes puma last nite gear stick went all stiff couldnt get any gears managed to eventually get 3rd and pull away from crossroads but now i have had a look on here and at car still stuck thought it might be the gear linkage but looks ok ,the funny thing is when you put it into 1st it pulls away as if its in 2nd ,when you put it into 2nd for a corner it feels like 3rd and when you put it into 3rd it feels like 4th ,and when you put it into forth you are getting reverse ,5th is where it should be and cant find 1st at all ,when gear stick is in neutral you can only pull it to the right as it wont go to the left so cant tell if it centering , any ideas??? , have read about realigning gear selector but would like some advice before tampering with settings first,any ideas or info much appreciated thanks as my car is sitting waiting on new fuel lines after leaking and drawing in air so really need a car.ps this happens whether the engine is running or not.

 

[Ian G]

There are two fixings on the gear linkage, a 15mm bolt on the mounting lever which must be tight and not move at all. There is also a 13mm which holds the moving portion on to the gear selector. This should also be tight to the rod but will move as the gear stick moves. The 13mm fixing has adjustment and if that has slipped, you will find it difficult to find gears.

You might find 1st on the stick is actually 3rd, 3rd is actually 5th. You could misalign the H pattern and move it over if the rod has twisted, but you couldn't swap 1st for 2nd as they're at different ends of the H.

You won't break anything loosening off the 13mm bolt and re-aligning the stick before tightening up the 13mm once again, so its worth trying that as a first port of call. Sounds to me very much like the you just want to rotate the rod slightly. Put the gear stick in to third, loosen off the 13mm and move the stick towards the driver's seat in to the fifth position. It will move across the H gate if you have sufficient movement in the linkage under the car. Tighten up and see how it feels.

Might take a bit of time but its not a particularly specialist job, easy fix if you have the time to have a play about.

 

[FGK]

thanks for the reply, will try this today as i have plenty time just started a weeks holiday and have nothing better to do, lol :lol: .Will let you know how it goes.

 

[FGK]

well just in the house,took the gear linkage off the car ,opened up the selector box black one under the gear stick ,put more grease on it as it was needing some,checked the universal joint was ok no slack in it ,then checked the rod coming from the gear box itself with a set of grips worked all the gears and checked the self return to centre when in neutral,it was ok ,but when i was pushing it from 1st to 2nd and vice versa there was a metalic sound but no real resistance,so put everything back on car,re-aligned the linkage,stroke of luck got it first time ,checked the gears all working perfect ,then all of a sudden the change from 1st to 2nd went all stiff whilst out on the test run ,then it all eased off again and was working normal its now intermitent but more drivable than pulling away in 3rd ,was wondering if flushing the gear box out with something might work incase its some sh*t in there like swarf or crud ,any ideas welcome, thanks in advance, :-D

 

[Ian G]

If the linkage is aligned and tight then its not that.

Flush is worth a try but if the box itself is having problems it might be more serious. Boxes aren't difficult to source but you need ideally to match it your engine and odometer spec as there are a few different versions.

 

[FGK]

what would i flush it with and how would i go about doing it ,any how to or pointers would be appreciated,thanks.

 

[Blue3]

I had a problem on a new box and it was because a linkage had been badly aligned, allowed to throw too far and bent the selector gate inside the box, it was a relatively easy fix, but needed the box apart to repair.

 

[FGK]

thanks for the reply but all gears engage ok then 1st and 2nd go stiff for some strange reason alignment is ok ,would like to flush it first before i do anything else , but dont know how to go about it or what to use

 

[FGK]

can anybody tell me how to flush the gear box please ???

 

[ElDude at Allison Automotive]

remove it...and empty :lol:

 

[Ian G]

There's no drain plug but there's a sensor you can remove I think.

Just get more than you need and run it through.

Box capacity is 2.3 litres but fill to spill.

 

[FGK]

thanks for that the gearbox has now decided to start working normally again which makes me think its some crap in the oil so will flush it and check the oil out for swarf or other foreign bodies,thanks all for the helpful replies