Difficulty engaging gear

if it will go in easily with the engine stopped then the problem is that the gearbox internals are turning when they shouldn't be, most commonly this is caused by the clutch plate being a little tight on its shaft. remove, clean and refit the clutch is probably the answer

"MrCheerful" wrote in news:dBUdi.16536$ snipped-for-privacy@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk:

Could oil level be a problem too?

Thanks for the advice - also checked clutch adjustment and oil level.

I think Mr Cheerful may be spot on - it does go in easily when stationary and stopped. I checked this morning - tried canging down to

- slipped straight into gear.

Now - to attempt it myself ( not a technical difficulty, but time / lack of engine hoist ) or go to Mr Clutch......

I know the older ones you could drop the clutch very easily but I don't know if they changed that.

They did indeed! You now have to drop, or at least split, the gearbox

- hence the need for an engine sling to support the engine.

Funny enough, I might be ok - it seems to be getting better, so perhaps its starting to unstick...... ( crosses fingers )

Ian

Soemtimes you get rust and/or oil buildup and slipping the clutch for a while does the trick. Or there's some problem with the activation which means the clutch isn't disengaging properly. On most cars going into 1st isn't slippery smooth unless you've been stationary for a while.

Can you change gear smoothly without using the clutch? That would tell you 100% what is wrong.

When stationary! yes.

Seems to be almost back to normal now............. if it can fix its own aircon next I'll be a happy bunny!

Sorry I meant when driving along. It should be able to do so if you get the revs dead on and slip it to next gear if everything is synching properly.

I did try double de-clutching on the way home when it was really bad, and when I got it right, yes it went in ok.

Like I said, I guess the clutch plate must have been sticking, and has now freed itself off.

Thanks for your advice everyone

Ian