1st gear selection

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RustyRed
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1st gear selection

Post by RustyRed »

Hello Campers!

I have read some stuff about gear selection being common on these vans - any advice why 1st gear is near impossible to select.

My current method is to select second and then push firmly into first. There are no funny noises only a feeling like pushing against something solid that will not give.

All other gears are fine.

Thanks
Rusty Red

mshaw1980
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Re: 1st gear selection

Post by mshaw1980 »

Courtesy of our gearbox oracle Aidan

'5 speed gearbox
simple 2 person set up, one person underneath, one person holding gearstick

1. loosen clamp in middle of linkage rods
2. set and hold gearstick in central position so that the gearstick downward facing fork guide tips underneath the floor are in the middle of the blocks in both planes, ie front to back and astride the blocks side to side, you can adjust the length of the whole thing with the middle joint clamp loose
3. push ball into gearbox till it stops, i.e. if you push further you are pushing against the spring in the gearbox. ball in central position i.e. in neutral
4. lock off pinch bolt and the gears will be in the correct place

the above assumes that the gearstick nylon guides are in decent condition as are the aluminium blocks the guides interface with below the gearstick and the front and rear bushes the shafts pass through are in good condition, the UJ isn't sloppy due to wear in pin holes or the trunnion, the gearstick pivot swivel is in good condition and the gearstick isn't falling through the floor and the cup and ball at the gearbox are properly mated (the cup is as high as it can be, plate holding rear bush to gearbox allows for adjustment) cup isn't full of crud but is clean with a little bit of lube in there, the ball isn't splitting due to rust on the steel part and riding up the steel arm so the steel is poking out the bottom of the ball, and the skirt on the boot covering the cup and ball is properly pulled down over the cup like you'd want your teenage daughter's dress to be when she leaves the house on a night out

This also assumes that correct linkage parts are fitted for the engine type, as is the gearbox front mount, i.e. if you have an inline 4 petrol engine fitted the diesel rear linkage parts and diesel gearbox mount are fitted not just wbx petrol linkage parts bent to fit or a wbx engine mount and or some other bodge regardless of how many people say 'I just bent it to make it work' on FB

4 speed the conditions apply (but guides under the gearstick are different) and simple method for 1 person is loosen clamp bolt, move gearstick side to side in neutral plane then loosely bungy it over to the 3rd 4th plane, ie to the right, and lock off pinch bolt. On a 4 speed gearbox the spring inside the box should fully push the selector shaft ball out of the gearbox towards the outside of the vehicle, if you find you can push the ball into the box by 7mm without any resistance then whoever rebuilt the box missed a part out, in which case pull the ball fully out and hold it there whilst locking off the central pinch bolt again ball in central position, ie in neutral

simples'
1987 VW T25: Subaru EJ20 using RJES parts (If it was meant to go fast it wouldn't be brick shaped!)

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Olderisbetter
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Re: 1st gear selection

Post by Olderisbetter »

I think this may be useful as we plan to sort out the sloppy gear selection in the Micro bus this week, I will probably need to order parts but as ever i have not accounted for the bank holiday :oops:
T25 Devon Micro Bus TD
T25 Panel van petrol
1600 air cooled beetle
56 oval beetle

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Aidan
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Re: 1st gear selection

Post by Aidan »

There shouldn't be any issues with gear selection, they are not 'all like that', 11 foot hand to box they are remarkably good when sorted
Most commonly it's a worn gear linkage components issue but may also be due to wear in the box or component failures, my usual advice is check through the linkage thoroughly, check the oil, see what the drainplug magnet has to tell you and check the gearbox code and number (stamped on the almost bottom of the box forward of the left side drive shaft) to see if they have a story to tell too; many vans are running cheaply 'repaired' or second hand boxes and the story has been lost in the mist of time, many vans are by now 10 or more owner vehicles remember, it is very rare to find a genuine one owner van and be able to get a comprehensive service history from that person. Many vans are sold with known linkage and or gearbox issues because the present owner doesn't want to or financially can't invest in sorting them, just as many vans are sold with engines or their last legs or other defects, an MOT means nothing except that you can legally insure and tax it, it does not mean it is roadworthy except at the point the MOT was done
When posting questions about gearboxes it really helps if you state 4 or 5 speed or Syncro otherwise the crystal ball clouds over

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