Gear Linkage

Oh the joys of Alpine ownership!!
I was out for a bit of a run on Sunday with Richard. We went down to Dundalk to meet Dermot to run my car on his diagnostic machine to check what was making the management light come on, and to sort out the plans for the London trip.
As y'all probably know, I've been having some clutch problems recently (ie not being able to engage gears easily) which I thought I had sorted (the hole in the clutch pedal where it connects to the master cylinder had made itself a fair bit larger and the pin had worn down allowing too much free play, therefore not enough clearance at the clutch).
While we were down I noticed the gear selector wasn't as positive as it should be (nowhere near as good as Richard's), and I was having problems finding gears rather than having problems getting into gear. We (well not really me cos I'm a bit useless , more Richard and Dermot) figured out it's likely to be something to do with the gear linkage, and I was for getting it checked out before the trip, but GTAs being Renaults small problems quickly become bigger problems, and I found myself stuck in 5th! I had to drive home around 50 miles with one gear!
I was just wondering, has anybody else encountered the same problem, and have you any advise as to a possible course of action?

Sorted!

Linkage had separated at the gearbox. Easy fix! 1 hour labour and no parts! Hooray!

Are those Irish cars fit to leave Belfast next weekend?
You guys seem to be experiencing quite a few teething problems lately.

"Oh the joys of Alpine ownership!! "

great news liam

yes those belfast Alpines are most certainly fit to travel and if you are in london next sunday you'll have the pleasure of seeing 2 fine examples of the breed!

"2 fine examples"
Well that's just what is worrying me. I thought 3 of you Apline drivers were coming over.
I'm sure it will be a good trip what ever turns out?

3 alpines are coming - one example isn't from belfast !

Thats good news.

And one of them's not a GTA, eh Dermot?

no but very closely related

[mettersl]

Well rather than start a new thread I though I'd re-use this one.
As some of you know I had gear linkage problems in Macon leaving it stuck in 4th before the wonder of cable ties got it going well enough to get back to the UK. That meant I missed one of the days as a driver (thanks Andy and Dave for providing passenger seats for me & John!!)
The rear bush that controls the forward/back direction of change had perished and separated- the top half had gone altogether.
(Tony Law had a similar problem with his car at Macon, but his mechanic/co-pilot/son (John) was better than me at fixing it so they were able to continue the rally...)
Well the bush is cheap - 4 pounds, but it has taken me all day to fit it. On A610 the A/C pipes make access even worse than a GTA, and the new bushes are harder than the old ones, so after a couple of hours of trying different ways to fit it in situe, I decided the rod needed to come out to use a vice.
Well to get the rod out the centre console needs to come out, that means heater controls(- another job where the RHD is a lash up LHD would be easier), rear seats (fronts too for an easy job- I didn't) radio etc also need to come out (be careful of the sealing gaiter)
Once out refitting the bush is simple, then its only a question of reassembly. Over all I'd say 7 hours or so, allowing for a couple of stuck bolts.
So my advice after all this- if you have the centre console or gearbox out, always change this bush at the same time. Its clearly a weak point and a real sod to change on its own.
All the rest of the gear change looks great, this bush had just cooked.
Cheers
Lee

After also replacing this bush on the GTA recently I found that it needed to be pushed over the ball end first then the round sleeve on the end of the gearshift shaft to be pushed over the bush on the ball.

Access is poor, and I used a large pair of multigrips or adjustable pliers to press the gearshift on the bush. It still took an of hour on my back to achieve the goal, and would certainly be easier to do on a hoist when not dropping dirt in your eyes.

Alan, after being to hospital "twice" to have grit/rust removed from my eye (they use a needle to dig it out) I now wear goggles/clear-specs when workinging under the car when I have to 'look upwards'.

[phildini]

Lee

Thanks for the instructions.My A610 interior it's out of the car at the moment but also the a/c is disconnected as I am changing it to R13 gas.

So if I was able to remove the ac pipes can I do it from underneath or do you still advise to go from the inside, the only thing left in my car is the centre console. Can we also have the bush part number so I can call Renault and order two or three x2 GTA x1 A610

[mettersl]

Hi Phildini,
It depends how much of the interior is out- the difficult bit is getting the heater controls out on an A610- they have a very short set of cables and it rubs on the bottom of the instrument cluster. Once they are out of the way the console itself is only 6 bolts and 3 screws more- quite simple- (and in fact there is space for a hidden phone kit at the same time if you wanted one).
I think disconnecting the A/c pipes will be quite tough too as they are rigid with a joint to the flexible ends (on mine anyway) at the point you want to get too. If the tunnel covers are off you might be able to unclip them and put them on the floor to gain access. I'd be worried about leaks if I unscrewed the flexible/rigid joint myself.
You might want to try Alan's method first as I didn't try that combination of pushing the bush onto the gearbox first myself . I couldn't get the pliers/g clamp or even a small ball joint separator into the space to squeeze the joint together, but if you have smaller hands and or a four point lift that might work for you. On the garage floor I just couldn't apply enough pressure as the new bush I had was a different material to the old one- less compliant. Even with a vice (and lubricant) it was quite a squeeze to get it in.
Before you start on all this, try disconnecting the rod at both ends (possible through the gearbox gaiter/ side cover plate removal and then rotating the rod so you can see the top of the bush. This is where mine rotted. See below:-

It will be clear whether you need to do this at all. If there is any discolouration (the one at the other end is still transparent) or bits missing I'd change it. The gearbox end gets cooked in the tunnel (mine has no scoop fitted) so any deterioration will be at that end.
(BTW- debris in the eye wasn't a problem with mine, its quite clean down there!)
Good luck- Lee

[phildini]

"mettersl" Hi Phildini,................Good luck- Lee

Any chance of the part number?