4 replies to this topic

[RonH]

Hi all,
I am having a problem with selecting gears on my 1984 Mini City 1000.
For accuracy, the engine/gearbox is a replacement 1000cc unit with rod change gears, using a pre-verto clutch.
The problem is that I recently whipped the engine out to fix an oil leak from the timing chain cover. On replacing, I found that the gearbox was fixed in reverse, no matter where I put the gear stick.
Lots of stirring later, I found I could move directly from reverse to first gear, without going through neutral and with no certainty as to how!. I also manger to get into a higher gear on 1 occasion, but at no stage did I find a neutral.
The clutch is working correctly (the only way to get the engine to turn was to dip the clutch).

I assumed that this was a selector problem and removed and refitted the linkage at the engine end. Having done this and with the engine off, I managed to select all gears as normal. but the act of lowering the car onto its wheels precipitated a loss of gear selection again (no other activity involved at this point otherr than the lowering!).

The gearbox has run for about 1000 miles since purchase with no problems and at no stage did I do anything inside it when the engine was out.


Does anyone have any suggestions as to what this might be and how I could fix it???

[03jkirk]

id say first thing to do is disconnect the selector rods from the bak of the gearbox and with a small punch or rod of sum sort try and see if you can select any gears with the small selector stub on the bak of the gearbox, you will be able to feel it it engages gear or neutral and if this works then you problem lies with the actual gearstick

[RonH]

Thanks for the reply 03Jkirk, I tried that this evening and have found that I can't select any gears this way.
I have tried selecting the same way on the old dead engine I took out and this works fine, so it's something in the gearbox.
Does anyone know of anything in the gearbox which might cause it to behave like this, and if so, how terminal is it???

RonH

[03jkirk]

i ve heard people on here sayin this sort of thing is caused by the reverse gear bush becoming loose but ur best bet is to message Guess-works as he is the gearbox guru but i can tell u that it will defineatly be engine out and split from gearbox but after this i is possibly an easy fix if it is the bush. also it might be worth swaping it with the gearbox off ur "dead" engine is the gearbox is still in decent condition and if you have the money get a bearing set and recondition it (its easier than you think if u take ur time and read instruction correctly)

Edited by 03jkirk, 18 June 2012 - 11:26 PM.

[RonH]

Thanks again. The advantage of this being a mini is thast I also have most of another gearbox on the bench at the moment which may become a 1340 silly engine.
I had a look at the gear selector mechanism last night and decided much the same.
having now taken a spare day off work, removed the engine, taken the transaxle off and levered the gear selector forks back into alignment, made a set of new gaskets and refitted the whole, I now think there must be a bit which has fallen off inside as, when realigned, the gears all selected nicely. However now its in the car and all connected up to run...no gears at all!!!

Am now a tiny bit discouraged and will have to try to find a contact for guess-works to find out what is missing. Ho Hum!