Stiff Gear Lever

[rameez]

HI all,

I drive an old lancer station wagon and the car has 4G33 saturn engine. This car is my daily runner , from last week onwards my gear changing has become stiff and this was not the case before and the smoothness has gone , where as previoulsy i could even shift from 1st to 2nd with just the palm now i really need to hold it tight and push it down,at times from 2nd to 3rd it gets stuck and then i have to put 2nd and re do the shift ......why is this ????

is this a clutch problem??

replacing a clutch plate is costly meaning over 20000 LKR am i right ?

experts pls help

[rameez]

anyone plss......this is causing a headache to me

[The Don]

anyone plss......this is causing a headache to me

Well Rameez, this problem requires some investigation by a mechanic as it could be a number of different problems.

1. Issue with your clutch pressure plate or both, when the clutch does not engage properly it does become difficult to shift gears. In this case you will need to replace the faulty items.

2. Issue with the hydraulic clutch assist if your car has one. It is possible that your clutch is just cable operated in this case this might not be the issue though adjustment might be necessary.

3. Issue with the gear selector, which is attached to the gear level. Wear and tear on this might cause problems engaging gears. Can be repaired and reconditioned.

4. Issues with gear level bushes, has a similar effect as above as too much slack due to wear will cause problems engaging gears.

Well those are some of the things I can think of, but for all you need to go see a mechanic!

[rameez]

thanks Don,

I must visit a mechanic and see as you say ........looks like i am looking at something around 20000 LKR for this anyway i might as well start of with the bushes since they will be easy to replace........but once i open up the gear box do you think replacing all old stuff including clutch and pressure plate is wise in the long run...

my car is a 1978 lancer station wagon it has got the 4G33 engine

[The Don]

thanks Don,

I must visit a mechanic and see as you say ........looks like i am looking at something around 20000 LKR for this anyway i might as well start of with the bushes since they will be easy to replace........but once i open up the gear box do you think replacing all old stuff including clutch and pressure plate is wise in the long run...

my car is a 1978 lancer station wagon it has got the 4G33 engine

Well it might be something simple to something quite complicated an expensive. As in it could also be the gearbox that is at fault and there is worn out links etc. Until you dive in its difficult to say.

My advice is if you spot something that is going to go out very quickly replace it else just wait until you actually need to replace it. There is no need to replace components in good working condition. In my Mitsubishi I have a lot of slack in the gear level which makes it tricky to engage gears sometimes due to worn bushes (I think), and that is an easy fix. But when it comes to the selector it becomes a little complicated and it can get quite a bit more expensive for other components. In mine the clutch and pressure plate are fairly new as I replaced them.