6 replies to this topic

[Andrew_97]

Hello there
I have been restoring my first mini for about 8 months now I am very new to minis but have had a love for them since I was young, i removed my engine a couple of weeks back for a full body respray after refitting everything seemed fine the engine ran perfectly however when I put the car up on axle stands to run it through the gears i discovered my gear selection is extremely sloppy and It can easily just full out if gear back in to nutural and I have no reverse I can lift the gear stick over where reverse should be but I only find 4th. I am very confused by this is there anyone that can lend a bit of knowledge to helpe get it back functioning as It should? All gears functioned perfectly fine before engine removal

[Spider]

Your thread title rather sounds like myself in the morning.

 

However, in regards to your Mini, I'd start by checking the condition of the Roll Pins and the Coupling on the shifter rods were they connect to the gearbox and also the rubber bush (it's small) that's in the diff cap to which the shifter steady it bolted to. While you're under there, check the rubber mounts (cotton reels) as well that hold the shifter to the body. Get a lever to push these about a bit so you can properly see what they are like.

 

In regards to it 'slipping out of gear' it may or may not be serious, check it again when you get the wheels on the ground.

[Mini Manannán]

Is it a mk1 with the pudding stirrer?

[Andrew_97]

Thanks for the fast replies I'm going to get under the car at the weekend and check everything out, however the roll pins all seemed fine when I put the gear selector back in. The mini is a 1989 mini mayfair.

[Spider]

Probably the next easiest thing to check is the shifter itself then. There are 2 pins that hold the bayonet cap in place (which in turn holds the gearstick in), check they are both still there, also check the slot on the side of the big ball on the bottom of the gearstick isn't worn. The other items there is the smaller ball on the very bottom of the stick, though they don't seem to wear much, however the last item is the Yoke, that the do-hicky in the shifter body that the smaller ball of the sick goes in to, they do wear pretty bad, but frightfully expensive these days. Use a lot of care if replacing as they are only die-cast and so break very easy.

 

If all these check out, then it would have to be something internal.

[Stevie W]

Hi,

 

As with the good advice above from Moke Spider, it's worth checking the "cotton reel" mounts that hold the gear lever base to the transmission tunnel. If one of these lets go then the base of the gear lever can "flop" about and cause gear selection problems!

A broken one of these or even 2 weak ones will allow the gear lever base to move around instead of imparting the motion from the gear lever to the gearbox selectors. 

 

Cheers, Steve.

Edited by Stevie W, 26 January 2015 - 07:41 PM.

[Spider]

Hi,

 

As with the good advice above from Moke Spider, it's worth checking the "cotton reel" mounts that hold the gear lever base to the transmission tunnel. If one of these lets go then the base of the gear lever can "flop" about and cause gear selection problems!

A broken one of these or even 2 weak ones will allow the gear lever base to move around instead of imparting the motion from the gear lever to the gearbox selectors. 

 

Cheers, Steve.

 

Definitely.

 

 

 

Just one other thing I thought of, before getting 'serious' is that the Big Nut on the Steady, it's on top of the shifter itself (takes a 3/4" spanner), make sure that's tight.