lost 2nd,4th and reverse

[Dark green 90]

The mrs was driving the disco today and after stopping to fill up, pulled out of the garage to find she couldn't select

2nd,4th and reverse

I went out and recovered her and drove it back home in 3rd

There is no unusual noises and it changes from 1st to 3rd ok

When i was stationary and selected 3rd it wouldnt change back into 1st until i gave it a wobble

and there was a "click" noise and 1st was engauged,2nd 4th and reverse however are not attainable

Any ideas?

The vehicle is an R reg with about 80,000 on the clock and has been well looked after, im guessing its an r380 gearbox.

It still has about a months waranty from the garage but that only covers £150

so,garage or fix it myself?

[Orange]

Personally, out of principle, I would dangle the keys in front of the dealer and wait for them to repair it. Then argue that it is a significant fault and the full cost should be bourne by them.

However, if you are fairly handy with the spanners and you have a replacement gearbox, you could have it replaced in a day, or a weekend with a few essential tea breaks!!

[cipx2]

I would say that it's not only a matter of how well the vehicle has been looked after but also a matter of how the drivers used the gearstick to change gears and, why not, a matter of luck

My guess is that the yoke (yellow arrow) slipped a bit on the shaft (red) because it's been forced or because the screw (blue) got loose or its pointed end got shatered. In the picture there's a Allen key (green) on the screw.

This screw needs to be replaced with a new one and it must be loctited in place (you might need some heat to take the old one out). Of course, the yoke needs to be repositioned in the right position.

The gearbox doesn't need to be removed from the vehicle or dismantled for this operation, it can be done in situ.

Practically, you will need to take all the steps described here down to the paragraph that starts with "From under the bonnet".

After taking off the gearstick you will reach the yoke (like in the next picture - mind that the screw is missing, yellow arrow points to its location).

It might be a good idea to ask the garage for a 2nd opinion and see if they can cover this. The parts don't cost much (less than 10 pounds), the labor is what counts here.

If I were you I would use the opportunity to replace another 2-3 very cheap parts there, regardless of condition, might save you from future potential troubles or niggling behaviors. I can name them if you want to.

[Dark green 90]

I would say that it's not only a matter of how well the vehicle has been looked after but also a matter of how the drivers used the gearstick to change gears and, why not, a matter of luck

My guess is that the yoke (yellow arrow) slipped a bit on the shaft (red) because it's been forced or because the screw (blue) got loose or its pointed end got shatered. In the picture there's a Allen key (green) on the screw.

This screw needs to be replaced with a new one and it must be loctited in place (you might need some heat to take the old one out). Of course, the yoke needs to be repositioned in the right position.

The gearbox doesn't need to be removed from the vehicle or dismantled for this operation, it can be done in situ.

Practically, you will need to take all the steps described here down to the paragraph that starts with "From under the bonnet".

After taking off the gearstick you will reach the yoke (like in the next picture - mind that the screw is missing, yellow arrow points to its location).

It might be a good idea to ask the garage for a 2nd opinion and see if they can cover this. The parts don't cost much (less than 10 pounds), the labor is what counts here.

If I were you I would use the opportunity to replace another 2-3 very cheap parts there, regardless of condition, might save you from future potential troubles or niggling behaviors. I can name them if you want to.

Thanks for your reply,i hope your guess is good,How do i located the yoke in the correct position?.

,or will that be blatently obvious.

if you wouldn't mind listing the other parts that would be great

cheers.

[crazyfarmerboy]

well if it was me i would look on ebay to get a good R380 or lt77 depending on year and have it fitted you can find them for as little as £200 for a good one and a company called onlinepallet will courier it foe about £80 from anywhere in the uk. I am also looking at gearboxes for my 110 as i bought it with no gearbox cheers hope this helps

[cipx2]

Dark green 90, you locate the yoke starting from the mark on the selector shaft the old grub screw made. Without using loctite and just lightly locking the screw, test how it shifts. Adjust if needed, note the position, loctite the screw and tight it in place.

Here's the part list (price incl VAT in brackets), not exactly only 2-3 items

FTC4536 - grub screw (blue arrow in the 1st pic above)- try to find the genuine version - you will neeed at least this part (1)

FRC9340 - bias spring adjuster plate (it's like a L bracket, it's known that it may snap; it's made from mild steel and the springs "dig" in it), not a bad idea to reinforce it, even if new (4)

FTC4123 - 1st/2nd bias spring - specially if there are marks on it from the adjuster plate (1)

FTC4124 - 5th bias spring - same as above (1)

FTC2203 - plastic bush on the yoke (spherical shape inside - where the next item is located) (<2)

FRC8485 or FTC4249 - ball on selector yoke (gets into the previous item) - part# depending on R380 serial number, before or after 55A0269111, respectevely (4-5?)

FRC8507 - the dust seal under the cover you will take off (optionally or if its damaged) - I smeared some silicone sealant anyway (4-5)

FTC4483 - spring for the reverse camshaft - only if the cam doesn't snap firmly back in place when disengaging 5th (0.5)

For the same reason you might wanna replace these parts, try to source the genuine ones if possible.

One word of advice: you DO NOT WANT to drop anything inside the gearbox while replacing these parts.

[Skanny]

If need be i can do you an R380 box known to be working delivered for £250 delivered with a 30 day warranty.

Thanks

[BogMonster]

Commercial discussions to PM please chaps!

[Dark green 90]

Weirdly......... after driving it about in the back field after work,i now have all gears working again

Something obviously isnt right so am going to take the floor up and have a look.

I will report back with the reason..........i hope.

Thanks for the replies and offers.

cheers Pete.

[cipx2]

Possibly the yoke slipped back in place.

One other possibility is that maybe something restricted the gearstick movement towards the back , like a foreign object perhaps. Check this when removing the gaiter and the center console.

[Dark green 90]

Twas the bracket on top of box,snapped

Now welded and working better than before.

Thanks for the help

Pete.

[cipx2]

You mean the bias plate, 2nd on my parts list above, pictured below?

[Dark green 90]

Yep, thats it ^

[ukvelo]

I had a very similar problem. Suddenly I could not get 4th or reverse. I took car into garage but it miraculously cured itself when they came to move the car. A few days later the problem came back. Googling the problem I found that someone else had stripped out all the centre console stuff and found a loose bit of metal in the little box area where lever goes into gearbox. This was preventing the gears being selected. I stripped out my centre console and lo and behold there was the loose bit of metal which after removal cures the problem. I think this piece of metal is in fact a bent up projection from the securing plate that helps provide the additional spring pressure required to get into 5th and reverse. I had noticed a while ago that this had gone. What happens is that wear occurs and the bent up projection frees itself from the plate and then rattles around in the box causing gear engagement problems. You would be better of getting a new plate and thereby restoring the spring pressure but if not you can engage all the gears, the box is just a bit vaguer than it was.

[qwakers]

Googling the problem I found that someone else had stripped out all the centre console stuff and found a loose bit of metal in the little box area where lever goes into gearbox.

if it was a link to facebook or this forum that could well have been me...