Repaired shift linkage (automatic owners look too!)

["Robert Rooney" <dmcvegas@xxxx>]

After performing the repair that I mentioned in the previous post, 
and making sure that every single portion of the shiftlikage was 
lubricated, all is back to where it was before. When selecting gears 
the linkage is alot quieter now and it is much easier, with one 
exception. Reverse, 3rd, 4th, & 5th gears go in w/o a problem, but 
1st & 2nd do not. To get into these gears I have to pull up on the 
stick & pull over like I would when I go into reverse, but instead I 
only move the shifter over slightly. With the shift boot & rubber 
seal off I can now see that when I move the shifter over, it ends up 
pulling the shift cable a little bit more. In order to cure this I 
will have to shorten the length of the shift cable, then all should 
be fine. Though it should be noted that when I looked inspected the 
linkage before hand there was NO lube on it what so ever!

Why the pivot bolt snapped...
The problem that I and other owners have had with the pivot bolt 
breaking was probably caused by one of, or both of the following 
problems:
1. Lack of lubrication between the pivot bolt itself and the 
gearchange assembly. This combined with 122° plus temperatures 
outside (and heat directly from the engine) may have caused the 
assembly to 'grab' the bolt, and shear it into 2 pieces.
2. (before we continue, keep in mind that when shifting into 2nd 
gear, the gearchange assembly rotates clockwise) By a sift cable not 
being adjusted properly, 1st & 2nd gears are unaccessible. The 
result? When attempting to shift into 2nd, the transmission refuses 
because it's not in place internally to go into the gear because 
the cable is not pulled over far enough. Hence the rear gearchange 
tube will not budge. Now when everything is supposed to work 
properly, the assembly rotates by the pivot bolt that stays in place 
and does not move (fulcrum). When the rear gearchange tube doesn't 
move, but the front gear change tube is still able to, this changes 
the pivot point (or fulcrum) over to the bolt connecting to the rear 
tube. Rather than equal forces against the pivot bolt, the whole 
assembly is then pushing against on side of the bolt. The more 
pressure that is applied to the bolt, the more it will bend untill it 
snaps in half.

Cure and maintenance...
In the previous post yesterday I posted both permanent and temporary 
fixes, so there's no need to repost it (but It will be together 
with this for the technical library addition). What I would reccomend 
is that you add lubricating the shift linkage to you list of periodic 
maintenace for things such as chassis & angle drive lubrication. 
Doesn't require as much attention as the engine oil, but is more 
vital to your car's operation that the angle drive. Altough no less 
important! For a visual inspection a compact mirror would probably 
work fine.

What this means to automatic owners...
If you own an automatic DeLorean and didn't know it already, guess 
what, YOU HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF ASSEMBLY! According to the parts 
catalog though, none of the parts are interchangable. But I would say 
that the odds are in your favor. The only time you would move the 
linkage is when you select P RND21. As opposed to a 5-speed where the 
linkage is moving constantly. Still, I would give the linkage 
attention to make sure it's lubed properly. Even though you have less 
of a chance then manual owners, pivot bolt(or any other linkage bolt) 
breakage is a possibility.

-Robert
vin 6585

p.s. automatic or manual transmission, make sure that you have a 
noise isolator installed. With out this rubber seal in place, the 
passenger 
compartment is LOUD from all the road noise comming thru!