Gearchange

[JK240]

I have noticed that my gearchange is getting harder to select, particularly when cold and selecting reverse (backing out of the garage,etc). It's is easier to select 4th by mistake and needs a more pronounced shove to get the correct gear - any ideas??

 

[SKiddell]

Which box is it

 

[JK240]

I dunno - it was in there when I got the car

Is there an easy way to identify them?

 

[moonraker_tom]

Hi JK,
Just a few thoughts and you may had been thro' these,
1. Fluid level in clutch master cylinder
2. Transmission fluid level
3. When the engine/gearbox is cold, what is the travel length of the arm on the slave cylinder, I can check mine when I get home at the weekend and let you know.
4. Do you know when the clutch was replaced.


Must confess, if you are having trouble with selecting gears, sounds more like syncro related - I am currently praying for you that its not.
NB - I will stand corrected on this because I am going back 30years to when I last stripped a g/box, but the syncro's controll the mainshaft (in the g/box) speed to allow smooth change between gears; hence my above comment.

t

 

[ben240z]

easy check is the plastic bushes in the gearstick remote. even slight wear in these will cause selection probs in my experience

 

[zbloke]

I have noticed that my gearchange is getting harder to select, particularly when cold and selecting reverse (backing out of the garage,etc). It's is easier to select 4th by mistake and needs a more pronounced shove to get the correct gear - any ideas??

I'd start by checking the 2 plastic bushes in the gearlever and the one that fits around the base of the gearlever into the end of the selector rod

Replacements are available from Mr F if found to be worn

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Yep it sounds like a mechanical linkage problem to me too. I thought of selectors but the nylon bushes are a good first place to check.

Cold weather always makes gear selection more difficult (viscocity and synchros I think) so that may not be related. My 350 was bad for that.

 

[camerashy]

Any suggestions why the gearbox would pop out of reverse, requiring one to 'hold in' the stick in reverse? The nylon bushes were replaced thinking it would cure the problem...sadly it didn't.

 

[JK240]

Quick update to this - I went to work in my car yesterday, one of the last days I am likely to get the chance before the grit hits the roads

So I checked the trans fluid when I had a chance and that's fine, but it does seem like it is a problem at the gear lever end. It's like resistance pushing into reverse or even 5th, then once in it is easy to select until left again for a while...

Does anyone have a diagram or pics of the bushes talked about earlier in the thread, is this something I can change/check at home on the drive from inside the car??

Cheers.

PS Second gear synchro is **** and always has been since buying, changing down is always a bit of a crunch and up from first too sometimes.

 

[Mr.G]

Couple of options for you to consider that may make it better or fix it before you need to consider a rebuild or replace it, which have been mentioned already.

1. If you don't know when the last gear oil change was, and if it was a considerable time ago, then it wouldn't do any harm to drain and replace with fresh gearbox oil, this will also allow you to inspect the drain plug. This has a magnet on the end and any metal debris will collect here, not good to see large fragments here.

2. From inside the car remove the centre console, you will need to unscrew your gear knob off first. Then you will see an oval frame around the gearstick, this secures a rubber membrane around the gearstick, remove. You will now be able to see the gearbox, you have to remove the gearstick by prising out the circlip, once that's off push the pin out and this will relase the gearstick, on the bottom of the gearstick is like a round socket, that is where a plastic bush lives that may have disintegrated. Replace this and refit everything.

After doing all that it may still not fix the problem but least you've ruled out the most basic and easiest bits to do.

 

[SeanDezart]

Dump the box and put another in !

 

[JK240]

Thanks Mr. G

I agree with you completely on the gear oil change, I decided to do that anyway after checking yesterday, I don't know how long it's been there, so I will do that this week.

Thanks for describing the bush change, I will have alook at that too, and if it is disintegrated at least I know Mr.F has them.

Thanks again.

 

[zbloke]

It's like resistance pushing into reverse or even 5th, then once in it is easy to select until left again for a while...

Is this resistance the fore and aft motion of going from 5th straight back into reverse, or moving sideways across the gate in the netural plane as though you where going to select reverse from a standstill??

 

[JK240]

Yes, the moving sideways across the gate, just as you describe

 

[zbloke]

In that case I'm pretty sure I know what's wrong.

However, in light of recent forum events, you've got to be prepared to have the information poked at you on a stick through the bars of a cage........

 

[JK240]

Poke away my man, poke away

 

[zbloke]

OK,

When I had a similar if not identical problem I did the following,

On the left hand side of the gearbox, at the back on the selector rod housing you'll find a large bolt head, unscrew it and behind there should be a spring, maybe 2, inner and outer and a metal cup, remove them all, on the blanked off end of the cup will be a raised ridge and either side of the ridge will be a circular indentation.

I had an engineering shop spark erode holes right through the end of the cup using the circular indentations as guides to position and size of hole, and it solved my problem.

Pressure building up as you move to the 5th/reverse plane is released through the holes you now have in the in the cup.

I sincerely hope the above information makes you feel inferior

 

[STEVE BURNS]

Dump the box and put another in !

!00% the route to go
Changed mine for one of pmacs exchanges as have quite a few others and it is like a new driving experience
No more jumping out of 5th and no more bump and grinds ops that could have been a discription of something else as well
You know it makes as it is not a lot of dosh for what you get

 

[Rob Gaskin]

I think that a Samuri should ideally have a 'period' Datsun box. I disagree with changing to a 200SX box in this car unless there is no other option.

 

[Mr.G]

I think that a Samuri should ideally have a 'period' Datsun box. I disagree with changing to a 200SX box in this car unless there is no other option.

Agreed that's why I never suggested it even though I have an S14a courtesy of Pmac.