Gear selection problem!

CMB

New Member
Hello all I’m having some issues with the gears of my 1972 Commer Wanderer. I’ve changed the master and slave cyclinders and have the slave cylinder on the correct side! It’s initially difficult to get into 1st however the other gears change ok when I’m on the way. I feel like it’s the linkages or something to do with the gear lever box (by my feet). Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated. I can drive it quite successfully as is but I’d like to get it right.
 
Hi CBM and welcome to the Madhouse :)
Was selecting 1st OK before you did the work or did you change the cylinders because of the problem? If so then you may need to bleed the system some more. Failing that you can adjust the throw of the lever on the linkage underneath.
The trunnion assembly (16 in the diagram) is threaded onto the change speed rod, by screwing this along the rod you can alter the throw of the lever. You will need to undo the bolt holding the relay shaft assembly onto the trunnion then screw the trunnion a turn along the shaft towards the back of the van (this will push the rod forward and move the gear knob backwards) and see if that works when it's back together. While you're under there check the bushes in the relay shaft assembly support bracket, if this is badly worn then it will give the symptoms you are experiencing. Martin Maltas does the bushes really cheaply but you will need to strip the holder to fit them (drill out tree rivets) If necessary it's best to do this before you adjust anything.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Gear Change 1.jpg
 
Thank you so much for your replies. I’ve already learnt so much from them.

I’d initially changed the master and slave cylinders as the clutch wasn’t disengaging properly (which led to some pretty embarrassing moments out on the road!). It turned out that the master cylinder was leaking so I changed both that and the slave (as wasn’t convinced that was in particularly good condition either) and that solved one problem. I think the gear selection problem was there for a while however was masked by the dodgy clutch cylinders.

I am currently following the guidelines you guys have very kindly given me and will report back soon.
 
Hi SOupdragon thank you!

Thanks again also to Panky and jimberlake for the helpful advice. Just got back from a much nicer trip. Having adjusted the trunnion assembly along the rod the gear changing has definitely become easier. It’s not completely solved however a very large improvement. I also checked out the screw under the gear lever assembly and it seems right but I will have a closer look again.
 
When setting off put it in second and then slip it into first. If it goes in easier then it's probably a worn syncro on first gear. Don't worry about it it should last a long time like that.
 
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