OT. Grumble, mutter, whinge...

Time to take on those bigger jobs.

I was offered one tonight funnily enough. Existing customer wanted some 'fencing' done. Turned out to be a 7 acre paddock :-)

Whats the point in taking on bigger jobs that earn less money than smaller ones?

In message , The Medway Handyman writes

I sincerely hope there is a manufacturers warranty involved?

regards

Because you might be able to earn *something* even with a knackered van ;-)

================================== Because they're less demanding for transport and operator?

Cic.

Less wear&tear on the van.

Thought it was only a few months old ?

...saying that, you wouldn't be covered under consumer legislation as it's clearly marked up as a trade vehicle :-/

Hasn't actually affected my earnings, just caused a lot of aggro :-) and expense :-(

I only do around 100 miles a week anyway, so it makes little difference. My pricing is 'front loaded' so 2 x 3 hour jobs in a day earn me more than 1 x

It is Colin, bought in Febuary, although its an 03 reg van.

Checking that now....

Sounds like a selector fault to me. Of course to fix this might involve gearbox removal. I'd ask on just in case it's a common fault with an easy(ier) fix.

That sounds very much like a gear lever linkage and not a gearbox fault.

Does the gear lever operate normally and the gears not engage, or does the lever feel "odd"?

I had very similar happen on my van (VW Transporter T4, lost all but

Interesting mix...

Check... o Gearbox oil level -- low oil usually means pops out of 5th o Gearbox linkage -- external to box (& also engine mounts) o Shifter fork alignment/bent -- internal to box I'm afraid

Many FWD have weak engine mounts and excessive play will prevent gear engagement in certain conditions. This is more likely with steering at full lock, but still possible.

I assume no obvious whining initially (gear hardening worn and wearing through or thrust bearing wear), in neutral (input shaft bearing), under load (input/output shaft bearing), (excessive) gear whine when in gear, no synchro probs (requiring double declutching due to difficult engagement).

Many gearboxes do not have forged shifter forks even on quite high-end cars/engines (thus will bend very easily). If it will not go in then double declutch and try again.

Whine or screech during reverse when cold is typically a throw-out bearing (clutch), external to gearbox. Rarely it can be rear engine seal letting oil seep onto the clutch etc. If the clutch is not fully disengaging (cable or bleed) then on some boxes it can prevent certain gears being selected.

Use the right oil for the gearbox, do not get too smart as certain friction additives are corrosive to some parts (eg, synchros) and gearboxes can be very fussy re oil weight. If you always cold-start and find shifting into 2nd is a pain then investigate a compatible synthetic oil. Can turn a rubber-gearbox into a butter-gearbox instantly.

I would try anything before a rebuilt box and even try a main dealer - in case a known fault a) warranty b) scream blue murder at them/GM re any TSB covering it and c) it may be a quite simple fix. 8hrs to crack most boxes. Most dealers are criminals on leave, care in community...

Rebuilt factory gearboxes are ok, but anyone else worries me because there can be faults with its original manufacture. Check for TSB, Tech Service Bulletin, along with any web forums for any known causes & faults with a gearbox.

I had exactly this happen on a FWD Fiat van a few years back. AA bloke tightened up some bolts that had worked loose and I was back in business. IME when things *suddenly* go without any nasty noises it usually means something needs reassembling rather than replacing

Because you can do a fencing job with a Corsa and a trailer ...

Owain

Thanks for sucha comprehensive reply, I appreciate it. First port of call my regular garage who are brilliant. I assumed it might be a transverse linkage but they checked everything out & diagnosed a gearbox problem - didn't even charge me. Trasmission people reckon a shaft of some sort has snapped.

Basically a gear box has three shafts. Input layshaft and output. The input drives the lay gear cluster which has one 'half' of all the gears as a one piece forging. There is usually a direct gear - 1:1 ratio, usually

The gears - or rather the synchromesh units - are moved by forks mounted on selector rods. Usually three or more. The gearlever selects the one needed and moves it back or forward from a neutral position to give you

What you need is a specialist who fixes their own boxes. Many just fit re-cons done elsewhere and are merely fitters. And those re-cons done elsewhere are often of very poor quality. Since your van is low mileage I'd be far happier having its own gearbox fixed rather than getting a so called recon that could have done a very high mileage.

Thankfully thats what I have, they will recon my existing box. Thanks for the info. I am reasured.

Message-ID: from The Medway Handyman contained the following:

They did that on my Citroen Synergy. It lasted 12 months then went again.