Gearbox problems - Apparently not selecting gears?

[AceOfHearts]

I have recently bought a project TVR which was originally taken off the road due to a gearbox failure in that it was not selecting certain gears.

I have just removed the gearbox from the car (needed doing as the clutch was stuck on also) but after removing the inspection covers I cannot see any wear on any of the gears and the selecting forks seem to move positively, all of the gears select and it turns smoothly in each gear. When i drained the oil i also checked it and there was no evidence of metal at all.

The only problem i have noticed is the plastic bush at the base of the gearstick has degraded and is falling apart giving a sloppy gear change. Could this be the root of all the problems?

I have not worked on gearboxes before, so have sent it away to a specialist for them to inspect it and see what they think, and also quote for any repair work if needed. I was just wondering if anyone has any previous experience of this, would a large failure not be obvious?

Its a Ford 4 speed gearbox from a 2.8 Capri.

[Sardonicus]

AceOfHearts said:

I have recently bought a project TVR which was originally taken off the road due to a gearbox failure in that it was not selecting certain gears.

I have just removed the gearbox from the car (needed doing as the clutch was stuck on also) but after removing the inspection covers I cannot see any wear on any of the gears and the selecting forks seem to move positively, all of the gears select and it turns smoothly in each gear. When i drained the oil i also checked it and there was no evidence of metal at all.

The only problem i have noticed is the plastic bush at the base of the gearstick has degraded and is falling apart giving a sloppy gear change. Could this be the root of all the problems?

I have not worked on gearboxes before, so have sent it away to a specialist for them to inspect it and see what they think, and also quote for any repair work if needed. I was just wondering if anyone has any previous experience of this, would a large failure not be obvious?

Its a Ford 4 speed gearbox from a 2.8 Capri.

They change fine even with that u shaped clip worn but sloppy Lewis what gear oil did it have fitted? these gearboxes are generally bullet proof and have a slick change that will make your T5 seem st shifting in comparison, make sure you do not have trapped oil or corrosion between the 3 rails/rods that exit behind the bell housing (you will have to separate to see check picture) as it will cause the rods to hydraulic or drag and feel stiff to shift should be a paper gasket fitted there too this box is not known for stiff shifting unless its been filled with porridge or the above hope this helps. Should look like this type 5 three rail box

Edited by Sardonicus on Monday 24th March 22:13

[AceOfHearts]

Here is the box:



Gearchange felt ok with the box out of the car, but the gear lever is in effect 2 parts with a weird wobbly linkage in between (i will get a picture when it is back from the shop)

This is the part i believe is knackered, although mine is a yellowy plastic and is falling to bits:

http://www.burtonpower.com/tuning-guides/tuning-gu...

It just seems strange that it appears to change gear fine and turn smoothly, and i watched those 3 rods move up and down smoothly with the front cover off. It must have a problem though otherwise i can't understand why the car was laid up

[PaulKemp]

Looks like a Type 5 V6 4 speed
The input splines are the Sam as the Type 9 but output I think is different
With a modified prop you could fit the V6 Type 9 or stronger MT75
I have hear of selection issues if the selector saddle is worn and that is usually a cheap part
I had an issue with the gearbox input shaft spigot dragging in the crank causing difficult gear changes, this can happen if the metal dust plate is not fitted