gear linkage problem

Post by **yankiecamper** » 24 Sep 2008, 17:05

ive changed my old 4 speed diesel box for a 5 speed turbo diesel one ive removed all the four speed linkage and replaced it with the 5 speed linkage but now i cant get it to work its all really stuff and tight can i put a 5 speed box and linkage into my 1981 van or are the chassis different i.e. the holes that it all goes though

any help would be gratefully received

Post by **Plasticman** » 24 Sep 2008, 17:10

Have you replaced ALL the linkage from g'box up to and including the gear stick and its mounting box,?
Mike

Post by **yankiecamper** » 24 Sep 2008, 17:17

yes ive changed the whole lot from box to gear stick its all just really tight i wondered if there was any diffrences under the vans on later models for the 5 speed bars

Post by **Plasticman** » 24 Sep 2008, 17:37

Mine fitted no probs, search the wiki as there are detailed discriptions of setting the linkage up.

Its not hard but very touchy if its not just right.

the main thing is to have neutral in the g box = neutral on the stick, this sets the fore/aft on the splined joint and you can mark it ,wrap tape round, whatever .
This should not need changing,
next pull it out of the splines and have the gearstick in 2/3 position,( from underneath you will see the fork on the bottom of the stick riding eitherside of the ally guides)move the gearbox end arm to the rear(2nd) and get your mate to move the stick forward into 2nd, as he does this slowly re-engage the splines up to the previouse mark and nip it up.
You should now have gettable neutral and 2nd/3rd. then try the other gears.

its 10 times easier to do then write, I do it all from underneath with vicegrips on the bars, but hey ho

Mike

Post by **yankiecamper** » 24 Sep 2008, 18:34

thanks for that mike ill check the wiki then have another go at it

Post by **dazzzer1** » 24 Sep 2008, 21:12

just a thought, if i remember correctly the long rod has a dip to clear the cross member near the back, it could be you have this upside down and its rubbing...............i may be wrong but im sure my mate had a similar problem.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 24 Sep 2008, 21:42

yankiecamper wrote:thanks for that mike ill check the wiki then have another go at it :)

I don't want to worry you unecessarily but I lost 4th and 5th in May and had to have the box rebuilt. I didn't know about Aiden then and went to a local chap who was into T25's It seemed a reasonable job and I got shown some parts which were said to be replaced including the 4th/5th gear shift rod fork and reassuringly the pinion bearing which I have read about elsewhere. I set the gear linkage up as I thought it was before and everything was going well until it got stuck in top in France. Damned 4th/5th gear shift rod fork bust again! New one and shift rod bushings going in under warranty but having read the set up procedure in Bentleys I am going to take a lot more care in reinstalling it in terms of gear lever setting. They talk of spacers and measurements etc. I have been sniffing about a bit and am getting the feeling that the five speed box is a bit fragile in the selection of gears area. To be honest and speaking as a production engineer I am surprised at the fragility and presence of sharp corners (stress raisers) on the shift rods. My mate who is always going on about German engineering excelence went all quiet and nearly burst into tears when he saw the broken one. I must say stepping out of my mondeo into the T25 does induce a bit of stick stirring. Or have I just been unlucky? Time will tell...
Cheers
Ken

Post by **ermie571** » 25 Sep 2008, 14:13

I have both a four speed and a five speed box. Hubby will do anything not to drive the 5 speed. But I can go between the two without any problem. I find that my five speed is nice and smooth, with little porridge. However, I am giving serious consideration to the short-shift kit (baxter sells it), purley because the shift from 1-2 is too long when going up hill....the van won't go any faster in first, but the loss of revs/speed in shifting to second is dire. I normally get the revs pretty high, count to three, take a deep breath, then clutch, stick, clutch as quicky as poss!!

Em
x

Post by **Mr Bean** » 25 Sep 2008, 17:39

ermie571 wrote:I have both a four speed and a five speed box. Hubby will do anything not to drive the 5 speed. But I can go between the two without any problem. I find that my five speed is nice and smooth, with little porridge. However, I am giving serious consideration to the short-shift kit (baxter sells it), purley because the shift from 1-2 is too long when going up hill....the van won't go any faster in first, but the loss of revs/speed in shifting to second is dire. I normally get the revs pretty high, count to three, take a deep breath, then clutch, stick, clutch as quicky as poss!!

Em
x

When you say short shift do you mean closing up the ratios between 1st and 2nd or is this some clever way of defeating the gate. And forgive my ignorance but who is Baxter?
Cheers
Ken

Post by **R0B** » 25 Sep 2008, 17:50

this is baxter...http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/and the quick shift is at the bottom of this page..http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/index.php?o ... 9&Itemid=6

forgive my ignorance but who is Baxter?

Post by **yankiecamper** » 25 Sep 2008, 19:40

thanks for all the replies im going to have another look at its tomoz ill take the the ideas on borad and see if i can get it all working i cant wait for my Bentleys manual to get here i hear its like the v dub bible lol

ill let you all know how i get on as i hope to have my van back on the road at the start of he month

Post by **Syncro G** » 25 Sep 2008, 20:21

The vans factory built as Turbo diesels have a different cab floor with extra large air duct for the rad fan, hence the gearstick houseing below the stick is different and mounts underneath the floor rather than in it (?) so the leaver is in the same place relative to your seat. Don't know what would happen if you fit a TD houseing on a non TD floor (asuming there are only the 2 different floor types, don't know if early stuff if different) but it probubly won't work as it'll be in the wrong place - could be the route of the problem.

Post by **oldiguana** » 25 Sep 2008, 20:42

steve"mocki"....spent a good 20 minutes last week tryin to explain to me the difference between the floors on td and standard,when we did a gearstick n linkage exchange......bit confusing for me,but we got there in't end tho....more worried about the other people on the car park tho.....i think they thought we might be a pair of navvi doggers or summat!!!!......i was having a few worries about swappin 4 for a 5 speed but if this threads correct...i should'nt have too many problems lol!

Post by **Mr Bean** » 27 Sep 2008, 16:08

oldiguana wrote:steve"mocki"....spent a good 20 minutes last week tryin to explain to me the difference between the floors on td and standard,when we did a gearstick n linkage exchange......bit confusing for me,but we got there in't end tho....more worried about the other people on the car park tho.....i think they thought we might be a pair of navvi doggers or summat!!!!......i was having a few worries about swappin 4 for a 5 speed but if this threads correct...i should'nt have too many problems lol!

If my five speed lets me down again I may be in the market for a four speed job.

Or are they much the same in terms of reliability? Or am I just unlucky? Or did I upset one of the gods I don't believe in?

Post by **yankiecamper** » 27 Sep 2008, 16:55

rite peeps ive done it on the four speed linkage there is an extra bracket which my 4 lb lump hammer removed last nite now its all good its as free as a bird lol