Remote gear linkage adjustments

[rolesyboy]

Does anybody have any advice for me on making adjustments to a 1967 remote change. The gearbox has been stripped and rebuilt but takes a degree of effort to get 1st gear and reverse. It isnt graunching or grinding. Just takes a bit of a knack and a firm push.
If you are sat in neutral and push the gearstick forward it effectively goes half its forward travel. It then requires a very minor nudge to the left and then its home. It is a minor shunt to the left so nothing major. I have this to a fine art now but it shouldnt be like this and so i wanted to put it right. Any tips? Cheers

[Spider]

Is it only when stationary or on the move (even very slowly) or at any time?

When stationary, the gears do need to be turned ever so slightly to allow engagement, so in trying to select 1st, you are also trying to turn the gear set too, which the selector mechanism in a mini was never designed to do, however pushing hard enough on the stick will (usually) force them over.

[rolesyboy]

Spider, thanks for your reply. I can't use the car as it is blocked in but from memory it is when stationary. When on the move the other gears are fine. What's your view?

[gr4h4m]

I have had three of these boxes in my car and they have always been the same. I think it's wear in the selector rods in inside the box, but you can't get them so removing the wear is hard....

But then it might be balls...

[jay weinstein]

Could the problem be in the aluminum shift housing?

I've seen where someone has installed 1/4 or 5/16 inch flat washers to add tension below the nylon bushing to get rid of the gear lever rattle and it made it hard to move the gear lever.You might try backing off the two gear lever retaining bolts one or two turns and see what happens or switch over to a spare housing out of another car that works correctly and I've seen hardware and rocks in the shifter housing that caused problems.

[69k1100]

It's not uncommon for transverse gearboxes to benefit from going from second to first.
Try it, put it in second then back to first and see if it's easier.

[LDR209H]

Hope not to teach how grandma to suck eggs but is the linkage on the back of the diff housing fitted the right way round (yes this is possible) ?
Bought a second hand box once that was displaying the same symptoms you're describing.
It's possible to swap it round with the lump in if you take the carbs off.

[rolesyboy]

That is a very good point. I rebuilt the box and had all the linkage bits zinc plated. I didn't know you could get the orientation wrong. The selectors were mint, all bushes replaced in the remote etc . I bet that's it. Now how do you remove twin H4s hahahaha. Will keep you posted. Mark

[Dr S]

Just for reference while my box that also does this is out.. Which way round should it be?

[rich@minispares.com]

many years ago I fitted a engine back into a 998 cooper where I had put the 'stirrup' the wrong way round.

it gives a really strange feeling to the gear lever - you know something is wrong, but its really difficult to decide what it is (I took the engine out and stripped the box before I discovered what I had done)

when its correct the straight 'finger' points forwards, and the one with the slight bend points down

[rolesyboy]

This forum is like 'therapy'. Thanks for the tip offs. Perhaps I will add some pics when I can get to it. Cheers

[rich@minispares.com]

This forum is like 'therapy'. Thanks for the tip offs. Perhaps I will add some pics when I can get to it. Cheers

its BUPA therapy mark


bill for £200 coming your way!

[rolesyboy]

Let's see if this therapy works before you start slotting me with an invoice