Couldn't select any gears?

[TobyGilden]

I haven't used the van in about 8 days, I went to give it a run earlier and could not select any gears - so I came indoors and had a look at some previous posts, it wasn't a case of not being able to go from first into second. I couldn't select any gears at all, I phoned a buddy who said it could be a stuck plate (I have no idea what he meant), and that I should leave the engine running for 10 minutes and then give it a go, once the engine was warm I could select all gears. So I guess it was this "plate" sticking.

What do I need to do? Is there any regular maintenance that I should be carrying out? Changing bushings or oil etc.?

Cheers for the help


Toby

[kevtherev]

I haven't used the van in about 8 days, I went to give it a run earlier and could not select any gears - so I came indoors and had a look at some previous posts, it wasn't a case of not being able to go from first into second. I couldn't select any gears at all, I phoned a buddy who said it could be a stuck plate (I have no idea what he meant), and that I should leave the engine running for 10 minutes and then give it a go, once the engine was warm I could select all gears. So I guess it was this "plate" sticking.

What do I need to do? Is there any regular maintenance that I should be carrying out? Changing bushings or oil etc.?

Cheers for the help


Toby

Can we presume you have checked the clutch fluid level in the reservoir?

[TobyGilden]

I have not done that no - I don't even know where the reservoir is, is it the container underneath the dash board?

[kevtherev]

I have not done that no - I don't even know where the reservoir is, is it the container underneath the dash board?

It is

[Roydini]

Hi Toby

As a bare minimum the servicing you want to be thinking about doing for your clutch would involve checking the level in the brake/clutch fluid reservoir under the dash and topping up if needed, as Kevtherev describes above, and changing the gearbox oil. The former should be done every week according to the Haynes manual though I doubt anyone actually does that! Every couple of months or so should be fine. The later should be done every couple of years or so depending on your anual mileage. If the van is new to you I would go ahead and completely drain/replace both the brake/clutch fluid AND the gearbox oil, unless you are absolutely sure about the previous owners service schedule. Advice on how to do both of these straight-forward jobs can be found in the WIKI on the menu bar at the top of the page.

There are a good few gearbox/clutch experts on here as well who hopefully will be along soon to give you some more technical advice, but those two jobs would be a good starting point for sure - and needn't be too costly either.

[TobyGilden]

Hi guys,

I have just gone and bought some brake and clutch fluid - I bought Dot 4, is that ok?

Shall I just top up the fluid if required? Or shall I replace all of the oil?

Cheers

Toby

[kevtherev]

It is recommended that the fluid is completely replaced every three years IIRC
being hygroscopic the fluid absorbs water which affects it's performance, and can rust various components.
Top up for now, you'll need another operative to help with the fluid change later

[TobyGilden]

Thank you very much.

I topped it up, pumped the clutch a couple of times, and it has been sweet since.

I will replace the oil on a nice day shortly.