Gear lever rotates

[mattf]

Hi there

I've recently bought a 1990 T25 1.9 petrol with a five-speed box. Initially, the gear change was typically vague with the usual difficulty in finding reverse, which is nothing unusual, but while out driving this afternoon, I noticed that it was getting increasingly difficult to select 1st and reverse. It also felt like I was having to reach a lot further to my left - almost beyond my reach, which is unusual, given that I have very long arms.

I then noticed that the reason for this is that the gear lever has started to rotate. I'm guessing this isn't normal, and I haven't been able to find any specific references to this phenomenon on the forum, hence this post.

Anyone have any ideas? I'm guessing the problem lies in the gear lever mechanism, rather than another part of the linkage, but without taking it to bits, I'm not sure where.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers
Matt

[NicBeeee]

odd one, the bottom of the gear lever has a fork that should remain perpendicular to the shift rod, a pin goes through the fork and shift rod, if the gear lever has twisted then either this pin has started to come out or your gear lever is about to snap , it is also possible that the plate that holds the nylon bushes at the base of the gear lever together may have come loose, two screws hold this in place, just lift the carpet at the base of the gear lever and see if there is any movement in the plate, the plate is adjustable and you can move it on the slots, I believe it has to be fully adjusted either one way or the other. To check the fork at the bottom of the gear lever just remove t he spare and have a look in the lever box.

[mattf]

Thanks NicBeeee, that's really helpful. I'll check those out tomorrow.

Cheers
Matt

[HarryMann]

Yup all good info...
You need to simply look... you may need an 'onion' repair kit. That is the plastic ball joint UJ that allows the lever to move in the floor. Levers have a habit if breaking too...
It also might have had a short shift kit modification... be aware.

[CovKid]

Take note of pic below - particularly if the spring on yours is now at the bottom (as inset)


More concise info and where to look here: http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/index.php/Ma ... x_specific" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mattf]

Thanks guys, that's really helpful.

Just been out to have a proper look this morning, and I think I've worked out what the problem is, though not being familiar with the T25 gearstick, I'd welcome feedback.

The gear lever rotates, but only as far as about 4cm above where it meets the top of the upper half of the plastic ball. From that point down, it seems solid, and there's no rotation where it joins the front shift rod under the van.

My theory is that at some point the gearstick has broken and has been repaired - probably by inserting a rod inside and maybe welding. I can't find a decent picture of a standard gear stick on its own, so I can't tell if it was originally made in two parts, but I would assume not as that would be a weak spot.

Here's a picture of the bottom part of the gearstick with the boot and spring removed. The part that rotates is above the horizontal line and the small round hole.

gearstick-8090.jpg

What's the best approach? New gearstick? Get it repaired?

Thanks again for your help. It's much appreciated as I'm new to the world of the T25!

Cheers
Matt

[Ralf85]

New 5 speed gear sticks made for and supplied by Brickwerks. Not cheap but they are solid steel. If you become a club 80-90 member you will get a membership number and will then be able to register your details with Brickwerks and get a 5% discount on parts from them.

[mattf]

New 5 speed gear sticks made for and supplied by Brickwerks. Not cheap but they are solid steel. If you become a club 80-90 member you will get a membership number and will then be able to register your details with Brickwerks and get a 5% discount on parts from them.

Thanks Ralf85. Just had a look at the Brickwerks website. Looking at the image of the part, it appears that the gear stick may be cast in two parts as there is a line about a third of the way up the straight part of the lever. Do you know if that's the case? If so, what holds the two parts together?

Cheers
Matt

[Ralf85]

No idea about how sticks were cast- sorry. Somebody else might know. Have just noticed that only the rhd gear lever at Brickwerks is solid steel at the moment.

[mattf]

OK, no worries. Thanks for the link anyway. May have to go down that route.

Does anyone know whether the original gear stick was cast in one part or two? I'm trying to work out whether mine has broken and been repaired or whether the stick normally comes in two parts and for some reason the top part has come loose.

Cheers
Matt

[HarryMann]

Braze or solder it, if it's already got a well fitting insert.. ll'll be fine.

Almost worth buying a Rothenberger just for the job. Silver solder and flux would be good but as long as you clean up parts and degrease simple solder would be more than adequate.

Rothenberger plumbers torch

[mattf]

Braze or solder it, if it's already got a well fitting insert.. ll'll be fine.

Almost worth buying a Rothenberger just for the job. Silver solder and flux would be good but as long as you clean up parts and degrease simple solder would be more than adequate.

Rothenberger plumbers torch

Oh, really. That's definitely worth a try. I've got a soldering iron, so I could give it a go. Thanks for the tip!

[CovKid]

No, you'll need a torch, not a soldering iron. Needs more heat than that. Therefore you'll need to remove stick and plastic bearing at the base or the heat will melt it. Again, removal is in the WIKI.

[mattf]

No, you'll need a torch, not a soldering iron. Needs more heat than that. Therefore you'll need to remove stick and plastic bearing at the base or the heat will melt it. Again, removal is in the WIKI.

Thanks CovKid. Yep, just tried - and failed - with the soldering iron. I may know someone with a torch (it's the kind of thing a plumber would have, right?). Or, I'll find someone to weld it. Either way, I'm guessing I'll need to take the stick right out, won't I?

Cheers
Matt

[CovKid]

Yep, stick out. Its an easy job to be honest.

5-speed all on this page under 'strip down' although if plastic bearing isn't great, you might as well replace it at same time: http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/index.php/Ge ... hanism_Pt1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If its ok (unlikely if its original) - just clean and regrease when you're getting stick repaired.