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Gear selection problem


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I had problems selecting 2nd gear in my TR7 from cold and changed the oil to Castrol Syntrans Multivehicle 75W-90 and this seems to have solved the problem. However, I now have extreme difficulty selecting 3rd gear when changing up and have to  jump from 2nd to fourth. Changing down to 3rd from 4th is not a problem.

Drive in both 2nd  and 3rd is good with no untoward noises. I suspect that the actual selection mechanism may be at fault. I haven't had the car very long and I haven't found a sweet spot for changing to 3rd. I suspect that there should be a spring guided 3rd to 4th change but whatever I try seems to fail. It has really spoiled my appreciation for the car.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Disappointed of Lasham

 

 

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Hi Clive,

 

It is not uncommon for the LT77 five speed box to have issues especially from cold going from first to second and then second to third - if you look at the workshop manual BL decided that the multigrade gear oil was best replaced with an ATF (red) oil because of this.

Moving on, common thought is now for a manual transmission fluid MTF. I have used this recently with good results.

Hope this helps

 

Ian

 

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On 6/3/2021 at 10:30 AM, CliveT said:

........ I suspect that the actual selection mechanism may be at fault. I haven't had the car very long and I haven't found a sweet spot for changing to 3rd. I suspect that there should be a spring guided 3rd to 4th change but whatever I try seems to fail. .......

Is this a 4 or 5 speed gearbox?.  The lack of a sprung default to 3rd and 4th gear suggest it may be a 4 speed.

The 5 speed LT77 gearbox is known for baulking  from 1st to 2nd when cold or baulking everything if too thick an oil is used by mistake.  ATF is used by some to overcome this as it’s thinner but the trade off is longevity of the gearbox or lack of it.  I use Castrol Syntrans 75/90 and it’s fine once warmed up, when cold I don’t rush the change up or down to 2nd gear.

If you’re missing the spring, have a look at the Rimmers TR7 parts website for what you need and hopefully someone has it new or used.  IIRC it’s a piece of thick bent wire. UKC5394  

 

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Edited by BusheyTrader
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Thanks for the two responses, I am really grateful.  I searched out a copy of the gearbox layout and found that, unlike some, it doesn't appear possible to access the selector shaft without taking the gearbox out.

It also occurred to me that there might be a slight chance that the clutch dragging might have made a difference.

I have got to  the age where I'm not fit enough to go crawling around underneath a vehicle so I've got a garage to source a recon box and fit it for me together with an exchange clutch. For the very limited amount of use the car gets I'm hoping that everything lasts.

Cheers,  Clive

 

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Just in case…….before you engage a garage.

when sat in the car, are you able to lift the gearstick up and down an appreciable amount?  

If so, the bushes for the remote gearstick housing may have rotted away to nothing and it’s slopping around.  At around 20 to 25 years old they disintegrated on mine and made gear changes difficult.   A new set is relatively cheap and freely available from the specialists and also available in polyurethane.

Yes it’s fiddly to do upside down on your back but if you’re having the clutch replaced it will probably take a garage an extra 30 minutes to replace them if they have rotted.  It’s cheaper than a gearbox.

 

another Achilles heel is the clutch pin wearing through the clutch fork through normal use.  Again, cheap and easy to replace if the clutch is being replaced.

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

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