Gear selection - 6 speed

[Ged]

Had a great blat yesterday, but towards the end it was getting increasingly difficult to select gears. I first noticed it when following some slow traffic, I'd changed down to 4th for a bend, but as the leading car had slowed further I went for 3rd at around 35-40mph, there's a hill on the exit. It took 3 or 4 attempts with heavy pressure to select. This continued for the last few miles home.

I checked the oil level, (Caterham branded semi synthetic) OK, and the clutch is still biting near the top of it's travel.

Tried it again this morning, once the box had some heat in it, got the same symptoms, particularly 3rd and 4th. Also had trouble getting reverse and 1st at a standstill. If you imagine the exposed metal gate on a Ferarri, it's as if this becomes too narrow for the gear lever to fit through.

The car is a 1.4 Supersport, done 30000 miles.

I've ordered some Redline MTL to try, or is a strip down and re-build the only option?

[F355GTS]

Ged

 

Sounds like the clutch is dragging, adjust hte two 17 mm nuts on the cable at the bellhousing end to move the bite point further down the pedal travel

 

Mark

[Whipsiderry]

The symptoms do sound like the clutch is dragging but if your bite point is the same I am not sure.

Park the car on a flat surface, get someone to sit in it and hold the clutch down, (with the engine off and the oil warm) put the gearbox in first and then push and pull the car forward and back and then try it in neutral.

It should feel about the same but if its harder in gear it’s a good indication that the clutch is hanging up.

 

[Mick Day]

The clutch could be dragging or it might even be a faulty spigot bearing. However when this happened to me the gears had started to pick up on the main shaft.

 

To check get in the car & start it on level ground. With your foot off the brake, & in neutral, does the car creep forward? If so your gearbox needs a rebuild or the sigot bearing needs replacing..

[Ged]

Thanks,

I've adjusted the clutch, and it appears to have cured it.

It had the effect of dropping the level of the pedal, but the bite point was still roughly the same relative to the pedal height at rest. Can I adjust the cable at the top now, to bring the pedal height back up, or will that just put me back to square one?

The box is still a bit notchy, so I think I'll still change to MTL.

 

 

[Peter Carmichael]

You can't adjust the cable without affecting the clutch actuation itself. The problem was caused by the angle that the cable meets the pedal (which is inextricably linked with the pedal position). It doesn't matter which end of the cable you adjust, you will still get the effect. You might be able to find a happy mid-position.

[Ged]

Thanks Peter,

That's what I was expecting to hear.