Gearbox Issue

[matttheodore]

Hi Guys,
Whilst driving in to work today I noticed it was a bit sticky going in to third gear whilst changing up. On arrival I tried to put the car in reverse but could not find it! I have a reconditioned Guessworks gearbox with 100 miles on it and a new Quickshift from KAD and reconditioned selector mechanism, any ideas? Hopefully something has just come lose on the selector linkage.
Matt

[Zippyrude]

hey matt

Reverse and 3rd have separate selector forks so problems on both may indicate a linkage problem.

Check the linkages under the car.
Bin the quickshift.

[Brumski]

Check that the roll pins aren't dropping half out and fouling on the side of the diff housing...

[matttheodore]

Thanks guys, straight up on the ramps tonight!

[matttheodore]

Ok the car is up on the ramps but all looks tight and nothing is bent
I have had a look at the quick shift and all is firmly in place from the outside. I moved through the gears and it is really notchy going in to third with no hope at all of reverse, It was perfect yesterday and reversed out fine this morning in fact it has been silky smooth for the whole first 1000 miles. Any ideas?

[matttheodore]

Ok update! I managed to give it a firm push via the stick in to reverse and it now goes through the gears ok??? There is however now a little movement in neutral which was not there before, does this sound familiar to anybody or am I in my own private gear selector hell! Ha

[nightrain]

Possibly the reverse detent sleeve has moved, not seen it. But read somewhere this is a problem with later boxes.

[matttheodore]

Can anybody expand on this a bit?
I recently had to Helicoil and refit a diff side casing as the original on my 'Rebuilt' Guessworks gearbox leaked like a pig I replaced the small spring behind the casing when I did this but it has run smoothly for 500 miles since.
Matt

[Zippyrude]

Where the reverse gear has a two piece bush one can work its way out but that wouldnt explain 3rd gear.

If i were you id disconnect the gear linkages and try to select the gears directly with mole grips. If you have the same problems then its a box issue and not linkage related.

The lug on the selector shaft can twist which will make it difficult to engage gears too.

[Zippyrude]

As for the diff side casing, the diff bearings / cage should be fitted with appropriate shims to clamp them correctly. By removing the side casing you may have upset the tolerances, but i cant see how this would affect what you describe above.

[matttheodore]

Thanks Zippy, unfortunately there was no other choice, and it still leaks!
Anyone else got any ideas on this? Not really sure what to do next?

[nightrain]

Where the reverse gear has a two piece bush one can work its way out but that wouldnt explain 3rd gear.

If you actually think about this, it's perfectly possible ! Especially if it's stiff going across the gate !

If the bush has wondered out, reverse gear can't locate properly ! This would cause the whole selector to be out of sync, which will make selecting third difficult to say the least !

[matttheodore]

So is this a gearbox or selector problem do you think guys?
Matt

[nightrain]

Your gonna need the box out matt, if it is the bush I've heard you can try and force it back in but it's risky. I HAVEN'T TRIED THIS, stick it in reverse and then push the stick hard forward to where an imaginary 5th gear would be. If your lucky the this will push the bush back in, if your UNLUCKY it'll come through the casing and rhubarb the box.

[Zippyrude]

If it is the reverse gear (and this is all guessing) bush then, if the above works it'll only work its way out again. I cant imagine it was rebuilt with the bush hanging out in the first place.

If i were you id disconnect the gear linkages and try to select the gears directly with mole grips. If you have the same problems then its a box issue and not linkage related.

no point dropping the box unless youve tried this first. you said there was movement in neutral when there wasnt before, you may be lucky.

[nightrain]

If it is the reverse gear (and this is all guessing) bush then, if the above works it'll only work its way out again. I cant imagine it was rebuilt with the bush hanging out in the first place.

No but it's a test to possible help with the diagnosis, ie. if the problem disappears that would point to the reverse bush.

[Zippyrude]

by your own post a test that may be destructive.

[nightrain]

by your own post a test that may be destructive.

Disclaimer zippy if you read back through posts, it's already sounds like it's gone back in once.

[matttheodore]

So what do you think my next step should be guys? It seems to drive ok but I spent 4k building it and don't really want to destroy it. However gutting to have to take it apart when it has only just run in!
Matt

[nightrain]

Personally I'd whip it out and have a look, do you know the history of the gearbox ? Has it been rebuilt with the rest of the engine and who did the work ? If it has been rebuilt, you could ask whomever did the work. I wouldn't think anyone, would but the standard 2 piece bush in a rebuilt box. Unless they go to work on a horse.......

[matttheodore]

The engine was built by Steve Harris who I have complete trust in at BJ Autobits, the gearbox was fully rebuilt and was from John Guess.Both have only 1000 miles on them

[GuessWorks]

Don't you just love it when someone decides to post a topic on a forum, three days before contacting the supplier...

Fortunately the above information is more than I have been made aware of...

Matt, when you removed the diff side cover and 'replaced' the detent spring, did you also make sure the ball was replaced and not dropped/mislaid ?

If that's missing then it would cause immense difficulty in the gear change..

Also you failed to mention that you are using a quickshift, try replacing this with a standard gearstick mechanism... and seeing how you get on, you may find it a lot easier to find gears in a, although supplied over a year ago, fresh gearbox build.

[matttheodore]

Hello John!
As you can see, this forum is the first place I go to ask advice if I have a problem (just to make sure I have my facts straight really as I am no expert just a keen hobbyist). You will also see I have had problems since the day the box was fitted which has dampened my spirits this year. I replaced the side casing to stop a severe leak that was present the day the box was fitted and remember replacing a spring (presumably there was a ball behind this somewhere, it never fully came out). I have tried a standard gear selector and both seem to work now (although things feel loose) but I am very concerned it will stick again and do some further damage to my engine and or box. I am in your hands with this really and welcome any input you can give. All I really want is to drive my car for the spring. Please feel free to drop me an Email or PM and we can talk about this further.
Matt