Don Madge Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 When changing gear from 5th to 4th on my 2003 Fiat Ducato 2.8jtd it does not spring through the gate like it use to. Its done 77,000 miles and I assume the cable is stretching? My little man in the village garage checked it and cleaned the muck off the top of the gear box and it worked for a couple of days and then reverted back again. It's not a big problem it just means manually dragging it through the gate. Has anybody had any experience with this problem? I would hate to run out of gears in the wilds of Turkey so would like to get it sorted for peace of mind before departing in December. I know the gear linkage cable is very expensive but would rather get it sorted now. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Hi Don It seems odd that it started working again for a couple of days and then packed up again. When I had a similar problem on a car it turned out that a small spring clip at the base of the gear lever had broken. I am wondering if there is a similar arrangement on the Ducato gear stick ( ?) (I was able to replace mine myself at the total cost of about 40p for the clip !) If it is caused by your cable stretching I wouldn't think it would have started working o.k. again for a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Hi Don, Difficulties with selecting gears on Ducato's are normally easily resolved. There is a pivot where the cables attach to the selector arm on the gearbox. It is not enough to just brush off the muck and lubricate it. The pivot must be removed and the pin and socket cleaned thoroughly with emery paper before greasing and re-attaching. This is easier if you can get the vehicle onto a ramp and then only takes about half an hour. It can be done on the floor if you are very agile but will take a little longer. The process rarely requires any new parts and really is quite simple. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 euroserv - 2011-07-28 10:38 AM Hi Don, Difficulties with selecting gears on Ducato's are normally easily resolved. There is a pivot where the cables attach to the selector arm on the gearbox. It is not enough to just brush off the muck and lubricate it. The pivot must be removed and the pin and socket cleaned thoroughly with emery paper before greasing and re-attaching. This is easier if you can get the vehicle onto a ramp and then only takes about half an hour. It can be done on the floor if you are very agile but will take a little longer. The process rarely requires any new parts and really is quite simple. Nick Hi Nick, Thanks for that very useful info. I can see now why the cure did not last long. The van is away being resprayed at present but I'll get it sorted once I get it back. I'll re post your info on some of the other motorhome forums, it might help somebody else out. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 I did as Nick suggested to our 06 Boxer a couple of years ago but as I was on the ground under the van it was not easy and I didn't do it properly but it was enough to free it up. The local Peugeot dealer had quoted about £700 to replace the cables - which would not in itself have helped anyway - but my efforts worked OK until Nick's mechanic/fitter redid it properly when he serviced the van earlier this yaer. It's a good place to get your van worked on because Nick and his team certainly know their Ducatos / Boxers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtdrew Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I realise that this is an old thread but I'm hoping someone here can help. I'm trying to do this job on my 1999 2.8D Swift as the left-right gear lever movement has become almost impossible. Following the suggestions here and on motorhomefacts, I've removed the air filter and associated pipes to get access to the gear cables and linkage. I detached the left-right cable from the linkage. The cable now moves completely freely and I can't move the left-right linkage at all by hand. This would seem to prove that the problem is in the linkage at the pivot. I've removed the black plastic cover and taken off the 13mm nut. I can't find any other nut or bolt to undo - the linkage pivot is immovable and I'm too nervous to hit it in case there is another nut/bolt. I may be missing seeing something as I'm working in rather confined conditions on my driveway. Can anybody give any further advice on this? Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 You are definitely on the right track. These are sometimes so badly stuck that some force is required. Spray it liberally with freeing oil and give it a whack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtdrew Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Quite right! Application of a heat gun followed by a few good thumps sorted it - thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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