Stiff gear changes...

[Grease Monkey]

Someone once said, Advice is what you seek when you know the answer, but want it to be something else. (or words to that effect)

I'm not sure i want to know the answer to this, but my car is lovely when its cold. I can slot it into reverse or 1st with the engine ticking over or revving, no problem, no force, no crunch. On short daps it's fine, again no problem.

However when the engine gets hot through traffic, long trips, etc it gets an absolute git to get into 1st (Only when stationary. Rolling, even slowly, is no problem)

The clutch biting point is fine, half way up the pedal travel, so that's not changed.

I'm thinking bellhousing misalignment, but i checked all that before fitting and it was perfect, (and it works fine when cold.)

Any Ideas ?

[Robin427]

I'm going to fit a clutch pedal stop to mine - should just be a matter of extending one of the pedal box bolts with some studding - 10 minute job!! My gearbox is difficult to get into 1st gear too. Fortunately, these engines seem to have enough torque to move off OK in second gear

[madjohnny]

Robin, that doesn't sound like a very satisfactory situation!

What will you do if you loose 2nd?

Might have enough torque to start in 3rd!

[Dutch Paul]

If it`s fine when cold (thick oil) but a problem when warm(thin oil), maybe a thicker oil could help?
Only IMHO of course - but it could be worth a try?

[wilf]

I have a suspicion that you might have to double check the length of your gearbox input shaft. Could be that it is a tad long, and with some heat soak, expanding enough to bind in the pilot bearing hole?

Can you try, when it is good and warm, putting it into reverse from a standstill? If it grinds a lot, then the clutch is not freeing up. If it does not, then there is a gearbox selector issue.

[Grease Monkey]

Originally Posted by wilf leek

Can you try, when it is good and warm, putting it into reverse from a standstill? If it grinds a lot, then the clutch is not freeing up. If it does not, then there is a gearbox selector issue.

Nope, when hot it tend to grind somewhat in reverse. Clutch plate and input shaft still spinning i guess. What i don't understand is what's expanding in the heat and causing the problem.?

1st doesn't grind (as i guess everythings spinning the same way) you just need to push hard to get the bugger in gear.

Oh well, one good thing about all this rain is it gives me a chance to take a few things apart without thinking i'm wasting good weather.

[Clarkson]

Originally Posted by Grease Monkey

Nope, when hot it tend to grind somewhat in reverse. Clutch plate and input shaft still spinning i guess. What i don't understand is what's expanding in the heat and causing the problem.?

1st doesn't grind (as i guess everythings spinning the same way) you just need to push hard to get the bugger in gear.

Oh well, one good thing about all this rain is it gives me a chance to take a few things apart without thinking i'm wasting good weather.

Sounds to me that your centre plate and flywheel are glazed up and it's sticking to the flywheel when hot! Only a new clutch kit will fix this.

[slogger]

Very common fault with European Fords of the 70s. Fault was clutch drag when hot. Some were caused by oil on the centre plate and others by poor adjustment. A boot full of throttle and slipping the clutch used to fix it for a while. One I came across was the centre plate sticking on the input shaft and dragging on the pressure plate.

[wilf]

The only alternate idea I can think of for now, apart from clutch plate issues, is the possibility of air in the clutch hydraulics, getting very hot and expanding, thus losing motion at the slave? Has to be easier than changing the clutch.

The heat expansion theory I advanced earlier would be affecting the length of the gearbox input shaft - grows in the heat, then bottoms out in the pilot bearing recess of the flywheel.

Luck in sorting this one out.

[Robin427]

My gear changes are fine at all temperatures, just occasionally I need to push it quite hard to select first. Double clutching helps a bit but it's only embarassing when you are trying to move away from traffic lights with cars behind.