Clonk changing to 1st/2nd gear

[BrianSmith_S2]

Hi, i have owned an S2 (ABY) with six speed box since march. The gear change has been nice and direct but i have noticed in recent days that when i depress the clutch peddle and engage 1st or 2nd gear, although the gear change itself is smooth, there is a clonking noise coming from beneath the car when the gearstick is put into either 1st or 2nd. Is it anything to worry about on a 12 year old car, i.e. slack in gear linkage, or does it sound like a gearbox issue. Anyone else out there with the same problem???

[~Delta]

Sounds like a gearbox / rear diff mount, if it clonks on taking up drive during gearchange. If it clonks when selecting 1st or 2nd, irrespective of drive being taken up or not, it could be a linkage problem, the linkage could well be making contact with the transmission casing if the linkage has any slack / wear in pivot points.

[Greg_S]

Brian,

I have this on mine also. Personally I think it is the linkage, when you change gear as it locks into place you hear a metallic clonk as the gear engages. From what I gather this could be slack in the linkage.

If you rear diff mount/gearbox mounts (maybe) are worn when you accelerate you will probably hear a thump from the back of the car as the slack is taken up from the diff.

[BrianSmith_S2]

Hi greg, i think problem solved

Hi, i had a look under my car today to see if i could see the linkage that was causing the noise problems in 1st/2nd gear. just above the exhaust pipes there is a heat shield plate i think which the linkage is near. I pulled on it downwards just incase it was this that was contacting the linkage and all i can say is the results were terriffic. gear change is smoother and a lot less noisey. I think the cause was probably due to a few weekends ago when i took a few women to a local pub that has sleeping policeman (speed bumps) at the entrance. Cos the car was sitting low with the women, the car bottomed out and this may have pushed the heatshield up against the linkage. Give it a go tommorow Greg, its easy to do and makes such a difference to the gearchange.

Moto of the story is only take one women at a time to the pub, or three slim ones.

[BRY]

Moto of the story is only take one women at a time to the pub, or three slim ones.

I always find it better to bring women back from the pub :mischeif:

[Greg_S]

I should have my car up on a ramp tommorow so I will have a go at doing this then. Is it the shield thats screwed to the body you moved? which side of the gearbox is it?

[Ski]

i have removed this shield and still get same issue as yourself and greg.

Greg, if you sort the issue let me know how

ive changed the rear diff mounts but no joy.]

brian, get those women on a diet, that will sort the speed bump scraping

[Greg_S]

Im gonna change the gearbox mounts before the rear diff mount and when I have the gearbox out I will fit a new linkage which will have some newer bushes fitted to it

[Ski]

where you getting the linkage from? Maybe you have a part number handy?

[Greg_S]

not getting the linkage at the moment since im not planning on taking it out just yet, I need to get hold of the part number for the gearbox bushes on their own without the whole mount which I dont need though

[Ski]

I tried the same but was unable to get a part number

apparently there is a bush kit?

[BrianSmith_S2]

Its just above the two cats (see picci below). I think its a heatshield, its bolted to the body, but is quite easy to pull down away from linkage above if you pull from the centre. My gearchange in 1st and 2nd still makes a noise but its not so noisy as before(metalic).

[BrianSmith_S2]

Hi, SKI, thanks for the advice but as you can see theyre not really over weight. Maybe i should suggest they wear less clothing to keep the weight down.

[Ski]

yes that would help too