Gearbox - not selecting 5th or reverse.

[steve90k]

Hi Guys, Just wanted to ask for any opinions on a stuck gear selector.

I have removed the gear knob housing and its all clear. the gear selectors are not the issue.

Sometimes I cannot select 5th gear or reverse.
I flushed the clutch, and this seemed to relieve the problem slightly,
However the car will wheel spins when pulling away hard, which leads me to believe the clutch is fine. gears 1-4 are also perfect at all times.
However on occasion, the 5th gear will be very stiff and sometimes the reverse gets stuck.
I cannot take it out of reverse in some cases.
If I force it -eventually It will come out, but this is becoming dangerous during normal city driving.

I have topped up with gear oil, but this seems to make little difference, and my next step is to flush the gear oil, and re-fill with new gear oil.

I'm trying to avoid replacing or removing the gearbox due to labour costs, but, is there anything else you can think of to fix this issue before I start looking for new gearboxes?

 

[red]

I'm no expert on this matter but from what I remember reading it could be the synchro within the gearbox, especially if you're having issues with reverse.

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

in the additional, small housing, so to speak, are both the 5th gear and the reverse. They can get adjusted, i.e. the selectro for them. use search function, and you will find the procedure

 

[steve90k]

The only search results I found was this, but its not clear.

If I put the car in 3rd, and then loosen the 13mm bolt, then its loose, so why would I move the gear stick into 4th, when the gearbox is still in 3rd? that could knock the settings completely off!?

I'm not saying its a difficult job, but i would much prefer to be absolutely sure how to do it before I render the car un-usable.

Youtube and other searches are not coming up so good either, I keep getting results for the newer cable type gear selectors.

https://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18989&p=247393&hilit=gears+adjustment#p247393

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

Here is the procedure (along with all the other information about puma)...

https://workshop-manuals.com/ford/puma_1998_06.1997-12.2001/mechanical_repairs/3_powertrain/308_manual_transmission-transaxle_clutch_and_transfer_case/308-03_manual_transmission-transaxle/description_and_operation/diagnosis_and_testing/general_procedures/in-vehicle_repair/removal/disassembly/disassembly_and_assembly_of_subassemblies/assembly/transaxle/

 

[steve90k]

Wild E. Coyote,

Thats a little more complex than what i was thinking of.

https://www.zetecinside.com/xr2/pictures/20040622_12.jpg

It's the gear linkage that I don't know how to set properly. This will be childs play to someone who has done it before. But I have very little expereince with gears myself as they rarely have any problems or issues.

All the infomation I know is that you put the car in 4th, and techten the bolt up? but thats very vague and I was hoping for a little more help / guidence.

 

[YOG]

Courtesy of ScubaSteve:
"Under car, disconnect gear lever rod from selector.
Slide selector backwards and forwards, to find it's central position. Then turn right and left, to find it's central position.
Using a rod or punch, insert into hole in the selector shaft, and move as far forward as possible.
Get someone to locate the gear stick in roughly the 4th position.
Using a 9 mm drill bit, insert in the hole in the bottom of the gear lever housing, to lock in 4th position.
Connect gear lever rod back to selector.
Job done."

 

[steve90k]

"and move as far forward as possible."

Ahh ok, thats the bit I was missing!

since the selector is moved forwards as far as it will go, this will place the gearbox in 4th.

Then when you move the gear knob to 4th, it lines up the two parts and you simply need to tighten the bolt. up to hold th position.

Such a simple thing, yet I managed to over-confuse myself by not reading carefully the first time!

Thanks very much guys! I should be good to go now!!

 

[red]

Let us know if it sorts it