Guy I know is going to look at a 1990 Mk2, ad states that it doesn't always go into first and that it's likely a selector. Rest of the gears are fine arparantly. The car had been laid up for a few years and was then put back on the road last summer.

 

Any thoughts or advice?

 

Cheers 🙂

Any sign of oil leak from box (typically selector shaft, but hub axles also possible)?

Low oil will make changing hard. Does it go in if select 2nd then 1st with clutch disengaged? Or after raising clutch pedal in neutral? 

 

Might not be problem inside the box:

the linkage arm from gear lever to box at the rotating joint might have been bent.

 

I did that once when a van in front of me stalled on far side of a level crossing.

I slammed into first gear and went around him as soon as the oncoming traffic finished passing. Afterwards it was really hard to select first again.

A garage straightened the arm and adjusted where it fits.

 

You can't bend a cable change gearbox linkage, maybe that is why later models changed.

 

 

1 hour ago, dvderlm said:

Any sign of oil leak from box (typically selector shaft, but hub axles also possible)?

Low oil will make changing hard. Does it go in if select 2nd then 1st with clutch disengaged? Or after raising clutch pedal in neutral? 

 

Might not be problem inside the box:

the linkage arm from gear lever to box at the rotating joint might have been bent.

 

I did that once when a van in front of me stalled on far side of a level crossing.

I slammed into first gear and went around him as soon as the oncoming traffic finished passing. Afterwards it was really hard to select first again.

A garage straightened the arm and adjusted where it fits.

 

You can't bend a cable change gearbox linkage, maybe that is why later models changed.

 

 

Great cheers!

As you say that I remember when taking the Mrs out on driving lesson in mine years ago encountering a bit of rubble on the road, it was normally a quiet road but busy that day and I told her to drive on but it was bigger than I thought and it hit the linkage and the car wouldn't go into reverse! Garage did something similar to sort that for me.

 

He's not looking at it until tomorrow now so that's a huge help dude 🍻

This is myself jim is talking about...

 

I've changed all the bushes and plastic ball in the selector box, fiddled with and swore at the selector rod for about a day to ensure i get all the gears.

But once I go to give it a test drive and throw it into 1st its like its actually pulling away in second and needs a good poke to get moving. Starting off in 2nd is actually less effort.

 

gonna just have to crawl to a garage in it and let them sort it, ain't I 😕

might just want the rod twisting round a bit , maybe 3rd is where 1st should be

3rd seemed fine though when out testing it