2001 Peugeot 1.9TD rough gear change

[kay-tel]

Hi all has anyone else had had a problem with the gearbox on a 1.9 TD Auto-Sleeper Symbol. When we purchased it, it had been standing for about 18Mths (due apparently to a marriage break - up by the person from whom we bought it). The gear change was very stiff in & out of all gears, and it was discovered by the local Peugeot garage that the previous owner had put the wrong oil in the gearbox. On their advice it drained and refilled with the reccomended grade. This was done twice and things improved vastly . However although 3rd,4th,& 5th gears seem to 'have 'Cured 'themselves with constant use, 1st & 2nd remain most reluctant to engage at times.(Iwould add not always approx 6 out of 10 are ok) Although clutch adjustment was found to be correct I feel that the problem lies with the clutch /input shaft (rust & dirt perhaps),because surely if it was a gearbox fault i.e.syncro or selector the problem would be there all the time. The big question is do we have the clutch renewed only to find after it is all assembled that the problem is with the gearbox, and then have to pay labour charges a 2nd time to remove/replace it . I have considered a repair to the box but its almost the same cost as a replacement and of course there is no warranty. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has had similar problem *-)

[colin]

There are usualy problems assioated to certain gearboxes, and I'm sure a pug expert will answer soon, but meantime I can tell you that I've had ford boxes with this problem and it has been bearings on shaft for 1st/2nd gear.

[kay-tel]

Thanks for your input Colin much appreciated . Imust admit its one problem I had'nt thought of . I'll wait & see if anyone else has any ideas. Perhaps you are right & I'll be lucky enough to hear from a pug expert :-)

[Derek Uzzell]

When your vehicle is at a stand-still with the engine running, if you are able to select all gears (including reverse) easily except for 1st and 2nd then I wouldn't have thought the problem is clutch- or input-shaft-related. (Besides which a competent mechanic should be able to spot a dragging clutch without much difficulty.) Can you always select 1st and 2nd gears satisfactorily with the clutch depressed and the engine switched off? If not, it's possible that the cable-operated gear selection mechanism isn't correctly adjusted in the 1st/2nd gear plane, that the 18 months non-use has caused parts of the mechanism to corrode or that the cables themselves are damaged. The 'use of wrong oil' is also worrying and, as you say that all gears were stiff to select initially, it's possible that water in the oil has caused corrosion to form on the gearbox's internals that is still present on 1st and 2nd gear moving parts. I'd be tempted to try two things - add an anti-friction additive to the gearbox oil (which the garage may well have already done) and heavily lubricate all the external gear selection parts at the gearbox end. This is essentially a What Have You Got To Lose strategy. If you can live with the present problem for the time being then I suggest you do so. You say that selection of the higher gears has improved with use, so, if you deliberately select 1st and 2nd gears a lot, then selection of those two gears may also sort itself out. If the problem persists (or worsens) then you are going to have to decide whether you believe your garage is competent and that their diagnosis of the fault and necessary corrective action is correct or whether you've got more faith in your own expertise/gut-feeling. The cause of an intermittent fault can be a beggar to diagnose with certainty and it's probably unkind to point out that, because of your motorhome's history, there could be a combination of reasons for this one.

[Simon]

Check Julys MMM p261. Someone had a similar problem with a 96 petrol Symphony!