1. Home
  2. Car Maintenance
  3. Mazda 323 52Reg, Gear Jumping Out

Mazda 323 52Reg, Gear Jumping Out

Hello group.

I just wanted to check if my diagnosis of a problem is correct. I bought a mediocre cheap Mazda 323 52 registration last month as a runaround for the next year or so. It has had a new clutch, suggesting the recent owner perhaps had bad clutch control. It has done 60k miles, and I have replaced the two rear drop-lnks last week, and also the front offside drop-link. A second rear wheel bearing needed done, after I noticed only one side had been done from receipts provided upon purchase of the vehicle.

I don't normally drive above 65-68mph to save on fuel, but on a recent

3 hour journey on the motorway I was in 6th gear doing 75mph or so (on speedo) when 5th gear and the gear lever creaked and jumped out to neutral with a horrible noise. Being surprised I quickly stamped on the clutch and braked after checking nobody was behind me. I then done a test, which showed than above 70mph it was going to happen every few minutes of driving, scarily.

So, I then tried 4th gear, at 75mph, and the same thing happened, although it took longer.

The fact it's not just 5th gear, and at high engine load (3.5k-rpm and above in 5th gear) causes the gearstick to jump out suggests to me that it's maybe engine mountings that are the problem, and not necessarily the gearbox. The gearbox has seemed fine, and having had the work I mentioned done I was sad to realise I couldn't go above

70mph without risking the mentioned problem.

What can I do myself to ascertain the problem? I have tried to push and pull the engine, in all directions, and there appears to be no give in anything. Can anything be adjusted for 5th gear? I was under the impression the car was all fine until this started happening at very high speed.

I am really worried a synchro fault or worse has developed; I will be making two 3 hour drives a week to/from home to a work location, so would really rather drive on quiet motorways at night at around 80mph without worrying about this replicable issue.

Apologies for the lengthy post, but I wanted to give an overview of what work has been done on the car rather than just post X is happening, what is the solution ;-)

Thank you in advance for any replies.

Reply to
Robert D.
Loading thread data ...

Forgot to mention:

Applying or taking foot off the accelerator whilst in 5th gear doesn't seem too make too much of a difference, the 5th gear or 4th gear jumping out at very high speed (not possible to test in 3rd gear as it wouldn't be a smart idea...) can happen when just going at a steady

75mph or above.

Thanks

Reply to
Robert D.

How annoying, a final point:

When it happened a 3rd time in 5th gear, I tried to hold it in gear to see if that would help, but this was not possible without using the clutch again.

Reply to
Robert D.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Robert D." saying something like:

Depends what's the linkage 'twixt lever and box. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the person who replaced the clutch either screwed up the adjustment if it's cables or rods, or simply bent something.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

I would tend to check the linkages first to see if all are fully selecting the gears - thats all the rubbers/bushes etc. then have a look at the engine mounts and see if there tight and not worn. If all this is OK you have to trace it through to the gearbox.

These boxes have float, which can cause gears jumping out, in the shafts/gears they need shims to remove that end float. Not sure what box this has but you maybe able to remove an end plate to access the shims

Or you can hold your hand on the gear lever to stop it jumping out :)

r

Reply to
Rob

I can't hold my hand on the gear lever to stop it jumping out, this just causes a horrific grinding noise, but I felt it important to test if that method would work, as it could help diagnose the actual problem.

Thanks for the other information, I will start a more thorough examination when the Scottish rain and darkness disappears from the area, given my torch seems to have given up.

Thanks again.

Reply to
Robert D.

Well reset the gear linkage alignment & check it's not bent or you will have knackered syncros

Reply to
Duncan Wood

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.