Hard work getting out of 2nd and 4th gears!

[ringo]

Hi,

Last night, after driving up the A1 for a couple of hours, i noticed that it was very hard to take the van out of 2nd and 4th gear. 1st and 3rd were fine - bizarre. Even with the engine off, it was hard to get it out of gear.

Anyway, gets up this morning, gear changing was fine, drove for an hour, still fine.

Im thinking this could be related to a hot engine - maybe time for a gear box oil change?

Has anyone experienced this before?

Cheers

Ringo

[ding-dang-dhu]

Hi Ringo,

I have been having gear problems too. I hope bleeding the clutch may help.

I drove down into my driveway slope, but now can't get reverse it will take a few big lads to push me back up the slope.

Also all my problems see to happen when the gearbox and clutch are cold. I struggle to get 3rd coming down from 4th. And also suffer from the first gear problems too.

Once I have been driving for a while all gears are easy to get though. So I suppose I have the opposite problem to you

[toomanytoys]

Have a word with Aidan as your box may not be very well and once you break it it wont be fixable... fix it now before its broke....

[ding-dang-dhu]

Found the reason why I can't get gears.

It wasn't the clutch, although me Dad and me did bleed it this morning. No it was some bolt or other in the gearbox, that had lost its nut and was busy working its way out. Hence no gear alignment. 'something has moved an inch', he said. I was told by my old next door neigbour, who used to have a t25. Now has a shiney new T4. He also owns a garage, so will be looking at if for me in the next few days.

We need it back soon, as we are heading off to Shetland a week Monday.

Hope no real damage has been done. Not sure how its happened. I didn't hit anything. The van is not lowered or anything.

At least we ruled out clutch

[Nicola&Tony]

Has anyone experienced this before?

We've got the same symptoms Ringo, have had them for about a month now, stiff gear changes once the engine is up to temperature, particularly coming out of 2nd and 4th. I was hoping that the gearbox needed more oil in it but checked the level last week and it was fine. Gear changes are easier when the van hasn't been running for very long.

Tony

[Syncro G]

Has anyone experienced this before?

We've got the same symptoms Ringo, have had them for about a month now, stiff gear changes once the engine is up to temperature, particularly coming out of 2nd and 4th. I was hoping that the gearbox needed more oil in it but checked the level last week and it was fine. Gear changes are easier when the van hasn't been running for very long.

Tony

Mine does this in 4th (top) when its been working hard on the motorway for a long time. Its only an issue for that first change from 4th as you leave the motorway. Recently changed the gear oil and its made a noteable improvent, the level was fine before the change but the oil didn't look pritty.

I've been told told this gear sticking is caused by heat (sounds likely) and affects petrols more than diesels (mines diesel though) as they run hotter thus put more heat into the gearbox, I think vans run hotter on LPG so I guess that makes it more likely? What my box really hates is cold changes, but I think its due some work, which it will get soon.

[airhead]

When my gearbox got warm this used to happen to me. I changed my gearbox oil though and its perfect now! I reckon its cause the gears expand when they get hot, the crap oil gets too fluid and doesnt lubricate as well as it should and as a result the gears are harder to shift.

[Nicola&Tony]

Sounds like a gearbox oil change is looming on the horizon then, I bet that's a fun job?! Will it be a case of getting the engine up to temperature before trying to drain the oil, so that it runs out more quickly - as with an engine oil change?

Tony

[ringo]

Thanks for the replies guys,

I didnt manage to do anything van related at the weekend - but this weekend im going to change the gear box oil!!!

Tony, the job is fairly easy (least it is on the diesel). Just make sure you can undo the top up before you undo the drain plug!!!

Fun fun fun!

Good luck,

Ringo

[airhead]

Nah it makes no odds really. It is a "bar-steward" of a job. Heres some advice to make life easier...

The filler plug is just above where the gearshift connects to. The drain plug is at the back of the gearbox on the bottom just before the bellhousing. Remove the filler before the drain so if you cant get it out you havent already drained your gearbox. Instead of buying a special tool to remove the bungs, put 2 nuts on an M10 17mm head bolt and tighten them against each other. Put the head of the bolt into the socket of the bung and put a ring spanner on the nuts on the bolt and twist it out that way. Mine came out surprisingly easy, but yours might be tight. Its down to luck really. To fill the gearbox, get a metre length of garden hose, attach a funnel to one end, feed the other end down through the engine bay and push it into the filler hole. The gearbox will take about 4.5 litres of oil. Pour it slowly, especially that last litre until it starts running out from the filler hole again. Oh and there is a magnet on the drain plug. You'll need to clean the metal swarf that its collected off before putting it in. Before replacing it, pour just a little oil into the gearbox just to flush it out before replacing it and filling the gearbox back up. Its not an amazingly difficult job but its awkward and messy and gearbox oil smells like the devils jockstrap, so dont get it on you. And finally, make sure you get good quality oil. You wont be changing it again for years to come. And you wont want to.

[ringo]

Ermmm. I had a thought this morning that whilst i said changing the gear box oil is an easy job, i wasn't exactly telling the truth.

Its easy with the special tool (can get them from any autofactors or make your own).
However, getting the oil in is a pain in the ass. I use one of these:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... uction-gun

and let the oil stand in a bucket of hot water for half an hour before i do the fill up (makes the oil less viscous and flows quicker when warm).

Im seriously thinking about getting some top quality oil - is it redline ?

Cheers

Ringo

[toomanytoys]

Feed the hose in through the wheel arch easier than through the engine bay...

propper tool works better than the nuts and bolt method if its tight....

Oil... Mmm... Redline..... Mmmmm now I know of several people that have used redline only for there box to drop dead a few months later... now you could say this is a coincidence that they were worried it had a fault and so changed it..

Now I have been (and a couple of others) running Comma SX 75w90 semi synth.. in my velle, its got a lot of miles on it (200k miles+).. and has started to weep a little..
Some say GL5 oils corrode things in the box, this has been in there 8 hard years changed once in that time though) and when Aidan takes it apart we shall see what the damage is...

I would have a look for a good brand GL4/GL4+ oil... (thats what I am running in my syncro box (but thats a tired second hand one)
Maybe Aidan can supply a quality oil??

[Ian Hulley]

He recommended 80-90 GL5 for our rebuilt 5 speed, so Shell Spirax GL5 went in.

Ian.

[Syncro G]

When I did the box oil I removed the filler plug, matched a pipe that was just thinner than the filler plug so I knew it would fit, tied a funnel to the air vent on the rear right quater (so it sits roughly where the syncro van fuel cap would be), cut the pipe to a length so it reaches the box, with no dips in the pipe. You can then pour the oil in slowly in your own time, without holding the funnel up, and it makes very little mess! Syncro owners can use the same method to fill the front diff, just tie the funnel to the front left door handle! Keep a drip tray under the gearbox being filled and it'll make very little mess.

Having since filled a car gearbox with warm oil (left sitting in washing up bowl filled with hot tap water for 10 minutes) I must recomend it and will use the method again - takes minutes off the fill time!

I've got one of those oversize oil seringes in Ringo's link will work, but having used on on my landy for years I find they are a bit slow as they constantly need refilling and they can make a fantastic mess as it can dribble a bit out of everywhere.

Oh yer, take the van for a drive first so the gear oil is warmed up - makes it come out much quicker. Maybe have a cup of tea before you take the drain plug out so its not too hot. Make sure you can get the filler plug out before removing the drain plug!

[ding-dang-dhu]

A wee update from my gear woes.

Got my van back last night, Garage found a bolt in the gearbox had lost its locking nut. This bolt had worked itself loose but was still there. They re-alighed the gears and it works a treat now.

I even get reverse without breaking my arm.

£20 cash to fix

Shetland here I come