[DML] Re: It was the best of times...(long!)

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Thu, 29 Jul 1999, Jeff Wiltzius wrote:

> even worse! Can always get it easily into anything except 1st and 2nd 
> gear. Once you get the car into 1st- it will easily slide into 2nd. 

Is the problem that you cannot move the stick to the left (so that it
aligns in the left/right direction with 1st and 2nd) or is the problem
that you cannot move the stick forward/back into 1st or 2nd?

If it is that you cannot move the stick to the left, you might have a bent
roll-pin or shifter fork inside the transmission. It is a reasonably
simple thing to fix - as far as transmission internals go, anyway.

If it is that you cannot move the stick forward or back into 1st or 2nd,
you should check to see if everything is aligned properly. It may be a
linkage problem.

> 1. Would replacing my plastic clutch line with the steel one fix my 
> problems and is it the logical place to start?

Possibly. But if you have to take the transmission out anyway you may
as well perform any planned clutch maintenance at the same time.

> 2. I recall someone else having a problem like this on the list and 
> mentioning something about a 'synchromesh'. I looked up that term and 
> sort of understand what it is (supposed to keep the gears from 
> clashing as you shift from one to another)- could this be the problem 
> also?

No. The synchromesh has no effect when the car is stopped. The purpose
of the synchromesh is to keep the gears on the input shaft turning at the
same speed as the drive gears, so that they do not clash when you shift.
When you move the shifter, the synchro accelerates the input shaft to the
right speed.

However, it is possible to damage the synchros by shifting the car with
the clutch not fully engaged.

You can always test the synchromesh by double clutching. Drive to some
speed where you want to shift. Then, shift into neutral, release the
clutch, accelerate the engine to the RPM that it would be at in the new
gear, then depress the clutch and shift into the new gear. If it works,
you may have a synchro problem. If it doesn't, then it's not the synchro.

> 3. Previous owner just had complete clutch rebuild a few years ago- 
> so I'm assuming the clutch is OK? Or could this be some other problem 
> with the clutch? (besides just plastic cable?)

All kinds of things can go wrong with the clutch. It could be a fluid
leak, or an improper adjustment, or almost anything, really.