Buggered my gearbox doing this? or just the linkages?

[bmouthboyo]

I posted this in someones thread but didn't want to highjack so posted here as a separate thread.

A while back my clutch cylinder packed in and I had to constantly pump the clutch to select gears. I managed to get the van into my garage but it was stick hard in first gear. From what I remember in my fit or rage at the time I may have rammed the gear lever into 1st with the clutch not fully disengaged due to the cylinder issues.

Once it was in the garage I could not get it out of first gear and so again, in my stupid fit of rage forced the lever out of first with the engine off. I am a strong guy and I dread to think what kind of force I applied! I swear I remember hearing a 'ping' as if something had fallen to the floor, but I never found out what it was.

I fixed the cylinder and was able to use the clutch again, however now the gear stick feels very loose and sloppy and most worryingly, I have to double clutch to get it into 3rd without crunching. If i try a straight gear change from 2nd to 3rd without going to neutral, releasing the clutch and repressing it to go into 3rd I get a nasty crunch as it goes on. This only happens when changing into 3rd.

So now I am thinking what this might be and how I can fix it. I am considering replacing all the gear linkage bushes (onion, mid and selector joint) and hoping / praying that fixes it.

Does anyone have any idea what I may have done? Is it possible to damage the gearbox itself in this way? Or more than likely have I damaged / mis aligned the gear linkage?

If the clutch fluid wasn't properly bled could that cause only one gear to crunch or would it be for all?

Thanks in advanced guys. I live abroad at the moment and so want to work on the van when back for a few weeks this summer.

[Smiffo]

If you heard something hit the floor, and the gear stick end is floppy now, I imagine it could be the joint at the bottom of the gearstick where it goes through the floor of the van.

Lift the rubber up around the base of the stick, and you should see something similar to this:

https://www.brickwerks.co.uk/t3-parts/t ... -14mm.html

Just make sure it rotates in it's socket and isn't damaged, but also that the plate is fastened tightly to the van floor.
Failing that you are going to have to climb under it.

[bmouthboyo]

Unfortunately I work abroad and so will not be able to work on my camper until July, and then for only 3 weeks so I am trying to get some knowledge and parts ready.

The gearbox would never grind going into 3rd before and I have not driven it much at all since as do not want to make it a more serious issue. What I find strange is why double clutching would fix this, does this point to maybe me not properly bleeding the clutch fluid when I changed the clutch piston and now not fully disengaging the clutch?

The gear stick is definitely now a lot looser and moves further right / left so I am hoping the issue is in the linkage which I plan to replace most of the bushes on this summer.

Would a misaligned linkage (due to excessive force pulling outa a stuck gear) cause a gear to grind when changing though? And if so why would the double clutching ease it?

Sorry for the questions, I guess I am just trying to see if anyone experienced similar grinding issues ever from having a misaligned gear linkage. This would then lift my spirits that replacing the linkage components may actually sort the problem.