Gearbox Playing Up On 1.4 '01

[dvdmeister]

Hey all

Thought I'd ask in here for suggestions before I take my car to a dealer to be fiddled with. I've noticed that the gearbox is quite regularly uncooperative - sometimes it will be really smooth when I first start it up, sometimes it will be really hard to get into first, second and reverse. In either case, after a while driving, second gear becomes a pain to use - I really have to use some force to get it engaged, pushing past two notches in the process, and it means taking ages to change from 1st to 2nd cause I have to let the revs drop right down or else I simply can't change gear at all.

Sometimes reverse won't go in all the way until I put it in first and move forwards a bit, then try again, at which point I have to push past a single stiff notch to get it in. The car all most always makes a bit of gear-clunking noise when I put it in reverse too.

First sometimes goes in really easy, but sometimes its nearly as bad as second to engage even when I'm totally stationary. This applies not only when the car is cold, but can vary as I'm driving around.

The cars got a dealer warranty on it, so I'm just wondering what you guys reckon the problem might be before I try and book it in to be looked at. Is it likely to be the clutch pedal that needs adjusting, the gearstick to gearbox linkage, or a gearbox mount that needs replacing, or does it sound like something in the actual box is a bit knackered?

I'd be interested to hear everyones suggestions :) - even if only so I can have an idea how long it will take to be fixed!

Cheers

Alex

[GT4 BOOSTER]

is it hydraulic ???

[dvdmeister]

I think its hydraulic - the handbook has a 'fluid' listed under the clutch section of the specs so I guess that means hydraulic. Are you thinking the fluid level might be low? I wanted to check that but I dunno where the clutch fluid reservoir is on my car.

Cheers

Alex

[GT4 BOOSTER]

try pumping the clutch pedal inbetween changes , see if it gets better then you'll know.not sure if they share the brake master cylinder fluid :!Removed!: my gt4 has a separate fluid resovoir

[dvdmeister]

Well I figured out where the clutch fluid reservoir is. It's pretty obvious really I just wasn't thinking logically! Its on top of the clutch master cylinder just on the engine side of the bulkhead, in line with the clutch pedal :)

Only problem is that it looks like its either totally empty or totally full. I'm assuming that its full, cause if it was empty then I doubt I would be able to change gear at all at any time! If anyone else has one you could do me a favour by seeing what your fluid reservoir looks like. Mine has the main reservoir, which is round with the lid on it, with a min and max mark on it right up near the very top (the two marks are very close to eachother too). On the side of the round reservoir facing away from the engine (towards the windscreen etc), there is like a triangular shaped bit of the reservoir. This triangular bit is orangey honey colour (exactly the same colour as the brake fluid shows up in its reservoir). The rest of the reservoir is a more neutral colour - kinda bluey; it actually looks kinda like there might not be anything in the reservoir at all, but as I said I think that must be wrong. I would have tried opening the reservoir but I couldn't tell whether it was a screw on one or push fit, and as I don't have anywhere that I can get clutch fluid from at this precise moment in time, I didn't see the point. I will have a proper look asap.

Hope someone can shed some light!

Cheers

Alex