Cannot select gear with engine off

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

I can’t also select a gear with engine on. (Except reverse)

Car is Peugeot 106, 5 speed. Manually adjustable clutch and rod linkage .

I have checked the linkages to see if it is fouling on anything and adjusted the clutch. Bite point is very high.

Short of removing the box, can someone give me some things to look into?

(I may have to remove the box), but let’s see if that’s where this goes before jumping straight to that option.

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

bumpity bump

[E-bmw]

Best bet for me would be to see if the selectors are getting full movement when trying.

Obviously, best done with someone you trust in the driver's seat.

[Huff]

Reverse is always straight-cut, so the fact that the forward ( synchro) gears wont 'so in' suggests there's a bit of clutch-drag going-on.

Any more adjustment on the clutch? If not - it might just be that it is at end of life.

I very much like the suggestion above to check you are getting full range of selector movement at the gearbox - a worn bush or three in a linkage def can do similar.

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

I will check all these things at the weekend.

Clutch pedal feels weird, far too springy, and the bite point is right at the top of the travel, There is more adjustment, but.... I don't see how that impacts gear selection when the engine is off.

Linkage is likely to be ok, as it gets inspected regularly ( its a race car) , there's a possibility it might be snagging on something like the exhaust.

Gearbox was working fine just before I changed the 5th gear synchroniser hub. It's a simple pull off and push back on change but I wonder if I've knocked the whole of the gear shaft out by a mm or 2 although I can't see how I could have done that.

[richhead]

So you forgot to mention in your op that you have had part of the gearbox apart, and its only happened since then.....................

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

yes because it's such a simple change to do. Pull the pin out of the selector fork, remove the circlip on the synchro hub, remove it, then fitting is the reversal of removing.

I can't see what I could have done to upset it.

(synchroniser was baulking hence the replacement)
the oil that came out of it was not the cleanest so it maybe knackered in more than one way.

So whilst I am thinking that it is likely the box will have to come off and be rebuilt, I would like to check other options before jumping straight to that one.

[richhead]

Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

yes because it's such a simple change to do. Pull the pin out of the selector fork, remove the circlip on the synchro hub, remove it, then fitting is the reversal of removing.

I can't see what I could have done to upset it.

(synchroniser was baulking hence the replacement)
the oil that came out of it was not the cleanest so it maybe knackered in more than one way.

So whilst I am thinking that it is likely the box will have to come off and be rebuilt, I would like to check other options before jumping straight to that one.

If you had mentioned that in your op i would have said it sounds like you have moved the selector shaft somehow, as reverse and fith sometimes use the same selector shaft.

[richhead]

And altho im not familiar with that gearbox, are you sure the syncro is on the right way round. Might be worth a look before taking the whole box apart. If that syncro is the wrong way round it could be holding it in reverse gear.

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

Definately the right way round. I have another box to compare it with untouched by me!

[richhead]

Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

Definately the right way round. I have another box to compare it with untouched by me!

well if all looks the same then further investigation needed, does seem odd that it was ok until you disturbed 5th. very unlikely to be unrelated.
I do hope you let us know.

[GreenV8S]

Did you need to split the 'box from the engine to do that? If so I'd wonder whether you may have borked the pilot bearing on reassembly.

Is the clutch problem also new?

[stevieturbo]

Simple test.

disconnect the linkage and try and select gears directly at the box.

[TwinKam]

GreenV8S said:

Did you need to split the 'box from the engine to do that? If so I'd wonder whether you may have borked the pilot bearing on reassembly.

No need, you can do 5th gear in situ, 3 bolts & just pop the end cover off. Oh those were the days!

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

GreenV8S said:

Did you need to split the 'box from the engine to do that? If so I'd wonder whether you may have borked the pilot bearing on reassembly.

Is the clutch problem also new?

Clutch problem not new. Clutch is fairly new however. It’s a later generation ma box with longer splines, I think it should use a self adjusting clutch cable but it’s currently running a manual adjusting clutch, as that’s what the last box needed.

[GreenV8S]

Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

I think it should use a self adjusting clutch cable

You certain that it's a self-adjusting cable you're talking about rather than a self-adjusting clutch? Self-adjusting clutches ie where the pivot points adjust themselves to accomodate friction plate wear can produce some unintuitive behaviour if they aren't set right.

[richhead]

GreenV8S said:

Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

I think it should use a self adjusting clutch cable

You certain that it's a self-adjusting cable you're talking about rather than a self-adjusting clutch? Self-adjusting clutches ie where the pivot points adjust themselves to accomodate friction plate wear can produce some unintuitive behaviour if they aren't set right.

I would still put money on it being a problem with the new 5th gear and not a clutch problem, and from memory they had a spring loaded self adjusting clutch cable, but a normal adjustable clutch cable would work as well. Assuming its set right.
Ford used to have the auto adjusting clutch mechanism on the pedal, french stuff used a similar system but part of the cable. both were a bit unreliable.

[GreenV8S]

richhead said:

I would still put money on it being a problem with the new 5th gear

That makes sense to me, too.

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

Anyway having done a bit of investigation this morning, it appears that I can now select gears when the engine is off. I think rolling the car around has aligned the synchros to allow that to happen. Next step was to try and engage a gear with the engine on, unfortunately that was still not possible. I adjusted the clutch, still no improvement,so that leads me to conclude that the clutch is knackered, and or some other issue like damaged pressure plate. So I’ll have to take the box off and investigate. I hate that job on this car. On the plus side it’ll be a free repair as I have a spears clutch and pressure plate.

Every cloud and all that…

[GreenV8S]

Does the issue affect 5th gear too?