I have read lots of threads and looked at images and videos but need to check something. I am replacing the gear shift for a csp one, replacing the front bush, and replacing the rear bush joint. It was my understanding that I could replace the above without removing the gearbox. I am trying to remove everything but the rear bush cage doesn’t seem to have enough clearance to come off from the rear gearbox shaft. The front shaft that the gearbox connects to also doesn’t seem to have enough clearance to come off the centre shaft. I am confused.
If you can’t slide the coupling forward enough, you need to push the shaft backwards into the box, into the 1st / 3rd position.
For the front one you have to remove the gear lever and the short front rod. Rear one try putting gear lever in 1st or 3rd, loosening the pinch bolt then putting it in 2nd/4th.
Reading your replies I have just realised that putting it in 1st or 3rd will mean it pushes the gearbox shaft further back into the gearbox. I put it in 2nd gear because I always keep seeing a warning to do that before removing the gear stick. I suppose I need to put the rear bush back together and then put it in 1st to remove the cage. What is the relevance of putting the van in 2nd before removing the gearstick? Zed what do you mean by the short front rod? I thought the front little shift rod is welded in place? Is what you you are referring to but from after 72?
Putting it in 2nd will pull the selector rod forwards (it works backwards under the van), pulling the rod out of the rear coupler. Also, when setting up the stock gearshift, 2nd leaves the base of the gear lever vertical. Just do whatever you need to do to free the couplers.
Front is held to rear with a pinch bolt. If someone has welded them together, try moving the whole lot backwards while the rear coupler is out of the way?
The front has the muff coupler which I have moved so the the front and centre rods are loose. The problem is with it being in second gear there isn’t the clearance. I can’t change the front or back as it is. From what I can see the only bushing that is on my 72’ is the top hat looking front bush that goes horizontally on the nose. Does the front not wear out in the ball socket. I’m surprised there isn’t any type of bush there.
The pin and slot does wear, the signs are the gear stick rotating. Also the "washer" looking part of the stick that interacts with the lock out plate wears, it should not have a flat on the side. Each little bit you improve takes a little more slop out of the gears.
So I have replaced the rear gear shift coupling with a CSP cast one with internals and that has removed the play there nicely. I have also replaced the front small bush with a good quality one (although the VW one in there was probably better). I have also replaced the shifter with a CSP one. The gear shift is much nicer. However, in the absence of having someone drive my van to compare/analyse it, I’m wondering if it’s normal. When going into 2nd with the original shifter and a lot of the time with the new CSP shifter, it slots in and then as you keep pushing it clunks loudly before slotting in further into 2nd. It varies all the time. Sometimes 1st goes in immediately other times it needs two attempts. Third often takes two attempts. As I forget that I have to move it across to the right distinctly rather than just heading in that angle.
The CSP shift coupler has no slop at all unlike even a new OG style one. Just a firm springiness. As a result, you need to get it lined up more precisely with the shifter plate at the front matching the pattern of the gearbox closer than with the old coupler that could give a bit if you didnt get it 100% spot on. It took me a few tries to get it right with a CSP coupler and a rebuilt gearbox - it needed a tweak of the shift plate beyond where it ended up by using the classical second gear alignment trick.. Some people have given up ...
Sounds like the clutch is dragging. Could also be the pilot bearing in the flywheel bolt as it sat in a shed for a long time.
If the flywheel O ring seal has leaked, the front half of the clutch can be oil contaminated. The oily buildup of clutch plate dust can cause dragging (and gear crunches) when its meant to disengage, and also start slipping when it is engaged, also maybe initial clutch judder on the first few gearchanges of each day. That is when the symptoms dont go away when you properly adjust the clutch. Happened to mine a couple of months back.. the O ring got pinched and took a few thousand miles to leak enough to cause problems. Wait for a GSF 60% off day and get a clutch disk for £25.., and buy a can of brake cleaner and scrape out the black crud from the flywheel.
Before putting this engine in, I replaced the flywheel seals. Clutch was clean and dry. I fitted a new flywheel gland nut. I adjusted the clutch when swapping engines. The clunking noise is at the front gearshift. It did it with the older gearshift etc. It’s as if you 2nd is tight and the gearshift is clunking against the cab floor. The clunking and noise seems at the gearshift but the tightness of getting into 2nd almost feels in the gearbox. Just wondered if that is a symptom of the bit in the gearbox that some people have to replace?
Which bit? If it's clunking under the floor then that would seem to be the obvious place to start. There's a lot going on at the base of the stick so get the manual out and familiarise yourself with the linkage and supporting bushes. Work systematically backwards rather than taking stabs at potential issues. What is the gearbox code of the box in your bus?
Once you're happy with all of that, regardless of what shifter you have, then there can be a couple of things inside the nosecone that can cause selection issues. One is wear on the hockey stick and pea bush in the relay lever. The other is that the supporting bracket for the relay lever (the bit with little hammers on that selects the gear selection rods that disappear inside the box) can snap allowing the relay lever to flap about. Understand that 1st and second gears are selected by the same rod so I'd expect to see issues with both gears if moving the rod was an issue. It 'could' be a worn synchroniser ring, (I stripped a box last month with 3 broken rings)! which are responsible for engagement but keep your fingers crossed it isnt because you've got enough on your plate at the moment without looking for transaxle problems..
I’ve replaced everything I can now without taking the gearbox out. The shift seems pretty good it’s just sometimes it takes two tries to get into gear and as I say 2nd seems to initially start to engage and then needs pushing in to properly engage it. Sometimes it goes in without doing this. In all it isn’t too bad and is driveable. I just wondered if the selection issue with 2nd sounded like a common problem with the bits in the nose cone you mentioned. I might try adjusting the shifter a little bit again.
I wouldn't say they are common problems, but it does happen that stuff breaks inside. Rarely though Most of the selection issues we see are simply due to tired components which have gone out of adjustment. Like engines and wheel bearings, transaxles wear. They were designed for maybe 100k Kms/10 years and by then you'd own a shiny new T3. There will always be issues inside the gearbox. Some way more expensive to rectify than others . More often than not we have to utilise worn parts on rebuilds coz some stuff just isn't available new. It's questionable even if modern bearings will have the life of the original factory specified ones...we do what we can but my advice is to try and think outside the box (see what I did there) rather than suspect something internal. Unless it's howling on and off load, jumping out of gear or stuck in gear then try and nurse it. These boxes like revs, so keep the revs up and don't change up too early. They aren't as fast as a modern change either, principally due to all the levers (including the stick and rods) that are involved in a change of gear. Setting up a Bay box internally is done to fractions of a mm so you can imagine what a huge impact 6ft of linkage can have down the line. Out of interest, what's the code on the box? Left hand side of the van looking forward, about 8 inches back from the nose cone on the bottom edge of the main case. 2 letters, 4 or 5 numbers stamped in, not cast
