Stiff gear lever 1965 S1

[ColinRob]

I am reviving my Fulvia after the winter - long story! A no-start was resolved by priming the fuel lines from the mechanical pump and topping up the float
bowls that were dry. Next issue was that I could only engage first and second gears and am reluctant to remove the car from storage if I cannot reverse it back into place
as space is very restricted.

After looking at an old post on here I have tried lubricating the gear lever mechanism from the front of the car and by removing the rubber gaiter to get access from inside. Squirts of WD40 have loosened it up but it remains reluctant to move in the horizontal plane to move from second to third and equally difficult to engage reverse. I plan to get the car out, jack it up and give it better lubrication with some grease.

I have the parts diagram of the gear linkage assembly but am a little puzzled as to how it actually works.

Can anyone here describe it or point me to a good explanation? Also, is it possible to properly lubricate and examine it without dropping the subframe?

Thanks for any help.

[lancialulu]

I think you will need to take the external shift mechanism off the car and dismantle. There is a steel rod that goes through an alloy housing and this corrodes due to different metals. Over time this makes reverse in particular difficult to select as you need this rod to rotate. Wd40 will not get close to this corrosion, if this is the fault.

[ColinRob]

Thanks for the reply.

Is it possible to remove the shift lever mechanism without dropping the sub-frame?

[lancialulu]

it is unless the nuts (one of them is a countersunk hex) are seized. You might want to put a jack under the gearbox and remove the rear mount. and also loosen / undo the central mount to tilt the engine / gearbox rearwards/down. Care not to do too much as it wll strain the water hoses and fan may foul the radiator.

Easier to drop the gearbox not the subframe if you can get the car on a lift and have a transmission jack/cradle

[ColinRob]

Thanks. I have got the lever to engage all gears but it is not exactly slick so will see how best to tackle it further - I don't have a lift.