Notchy 4th gear

On or around Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:20:58 GMT, "Steve/Aus" enlightened us thusly:

it's a Land Rover.

buggered if I know. About the only thing would be some subtle error or misalignment in the selector.

when you go 3-4 do you grip the lever or just push it? could be the spring bias is a tad out of line, if you're doing 2-4 that wouldn't necessarily apply.

Does it help if you double de-clutch it? (Clutch down, neutral, let clutch up without revving the engine, clutch down, into 4th.) I do this from 1st to 2nd on the S2a (synchro on 3 and 4 only) and it's the only way to get a clean change. If this improves it, the synchro is on the way out. Fix it, or live with it :-)

Are you new to this vehicle and unfamiliar with the gearbox or been using it for some time and the symptoms are worsening?

If you're new to it - and I don't wish to be telling mother how to suck eggs - it could be a matter of technique. I have a colleague at work who had the same difficulty through lack of familiarity.

'The gate getting in the way' seems to tell it all. Don't side load the gear lever when making changes in the 3-4 plane. Only apply force forwards and backwards and allow the centering springs to do the rest of the work. Don't try to 'steer' the lever yourself. If this is a worsening problem you may have a centering spring failure but practice should get you round that until you can find time to sort it.

Do they have the same bias spring guide plate in the later Discos?, as the old ones used to fracture and put the bias springs out of line.

Martin