Hi all, could anyone confirm the orientation of the arm going onto the selector shaft on the gear box?
'89 T3 manual (on a Syncro, but this is the same for all manual T3’s)
The ball on the end of the arm collapsed a while ago and fitted a new one. However, the angle of the arm is much more in 2nd/4th compared to 1st/3rd.
What this means for the gear lever is it still sits in the open gate area when in second and it’s free to flop around.
Hope that makes some sense?
The selector arm from what I can see only fits one way. If I try to rotate one tooth forward/back it will not go on.
I did not have this issue previously, and the alignment of the spline seems to be the same on both (old and new)
I have checked the rest of the linkages/pivots/bushes, and all are sound. I can change gears fine, but the gear lever should not be free to move around when in second as it does now.
Sorry, just realised the photos are not oriented correctly. The top of the photo is towards the front of the van, the bottom is towards the rear of the van.
In the last photo the arm angle (from vertical) is much more than in first. When in neutral, they are is not perfectly vertical.
Richard,
Not sure I fully understand what you’re saying but if I can help … Rudi reinstalled my tranny after he rebuilt it so he refitted everything including the gear selector part to connect to the tranny. So how he refitted mine, must be the correct alignment. Now if you still need to no more, ask away ok.
Appreciate that Ken! I’m really just trying to figue out what has changed. The issue is new since installing the new arm on the gear box input shaft, but the old and new arms measure the same.
The spline on the arm has a notch which mates to the input shaft, so can only go on in one position.
So this has to be correct.
Inside the box under the gear lever at the front are the guides that for the “gates” the gear lever can move within. However now when I am in second the gear lever is not correctly in the gate.
This does not affect changing gears, the gear box sits correctly in gear, and selecting all gears is fine.
I can adjust this with the movement in the fine spline in the middle of the selector shaft front to rear, but I want to be sure everything else is correct before looking at that joint.
So the problem (2nd gear) in the front gear selector box manifested itself only as a consequence of the R&R of the fitting attached to the tranny input shaft.
That suggests the probable cause is that fitting at the input shaft is somehow now out of alignment, hence the problem arising.
Need first to establish with certainty that reinstall.
I remember years ago when I did my maintenance of selector rod components at the tranny end that I studied hard and marked the position of that component so as to avoid making a mistake on the reinstall. Seem to remember associated with that is a nut and bolt that had to be fastened tight once the correct position was re-established. Too long ago to accurately recall .
Now when in second gear, is there too much sideways slop at the top of the gear stick where you hold it?
Making rotating adjustments at the midway of the selector rod I reckon is just asking for trouble unless one has a particularly clear understanding of what even the most minute change there affects alignment or misalignment of one or more gear selection. Rudi knows it backwards, most others don’t I suspect. Is Bentleys description comprehensible to anyone?
Is the cast metal guide in the front gear selector box sufficiently worn away it needs replacing?
Not sure if my trying to take a photo of the alignment of the fitting at my tranny input shaft would achieve anything?
