gear selection

[noble4862]

hi does anyone have any ideas as to why car won't select gear ? was ok one minute then went hard to select and now stuck in third its an early 2.5 thanks

[Green3R]

Hi,
does the lever move freely- is it stuck in 3rd position, or does it flop around? Will it select an other gear at all (4th?).

[AMG Merc]

Have you inspected the two gear selector plates on top of the gearbox housing? A a ball-joint may have locked up or a plate has loosened or come away completely locking one of the cables.

[noble4862]

Thanks for reply. Managed to get in to ist to put in garage. Just really hard to engage. And can seem to get any other gear now.

[noble4862]

Yes had a look at the linkages on top of gearbox and all seems ok. The car haven't been used for long time and only picked up today after getting lots of upgrades done.

[mgbond]

1 of two things is happening here.

1st could be the gear leaver screws have come loose (hence the post about is it wobbling about). Easy fix, just tighten them up (remove the silver cover to reveal the screws).

2nd is that the a Gear linkage surrounding cable has perished and frayed and caught up I'm the cable. Not sure how you fix it but just know it can happen.

[Green3R]

pop the cables off at the gearbox (it's tricky as the ball sockets are held to the balls with clips- once you know how they come off it's easy).
You can then try to shift through the box using the levers. That will isolate the problem to box or lever and cables.

[noble4862]

Deinately feels like the linkage has failed somewhere. Is there anything in the tunnel that could be a problem. If so how do I gain access ? Have checked around the smal access panel by gear knob and all seems ok. Will disconnect cables from gearbox tomorrow and see if that frees it up to start process of elimination. Thanks for the replies

[Jim O.]

Does this happen with the engine both on and off? If so, then It could be either the linkage or the transmission. If it only happens with the engine on, then I'd suspect the clutch is dragging.

[noble4862]

Yes it does it with the engine on and off. If I use a bit of force. Will eventually disengage and select another gear.

[Green3R]

In case you're not aware of how the system works, here's a brief outline.

Gearlever pivots on a rosejoint allowing it to move back forward left right (it's actually not that constrained).

Gearlever is connected to a solid rod that runs up to the back of the cabin. It's supported by a bearing at that end.

The rod is pushed back and forward, and can also rotate (gear lever left-right).

2 cables connect to this rod, with one translating rotary motion back into linear.

My guess would be a pinched or melted cable.

[Blu3R]

Green3R said:

My guess would be a pinched or melted cable.

+1 - check around the front turbo area as heat can destroy the cables outer sheath.

noble4862 said:

The car haven't been used for long time and only picked up today after getting lots of upgrades done.

This is probably your first port of call. Make sure they've put all heat shields back and not accidentally disturbed the cables or moved them.