How To - Fix Vauxhall / Opel Gear Box Linkage Fault, Repair Replace And Set Up
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
- How to replace and set up your gear linkage on most small Vauxhall Opel cars such as Corsa, Meriva, Combo Van and Tigra.
On Vauxhall Opel cars and indeed most front wheel drive cars if you begin to find the gears difficult to engage and even start to loose gears all together it is unlikely to be the gearbox itself but the gear linkage from the gear lever to the gearbox.
This video shows me changing and setting up a new linkage on my wifes Vauxhall Meriva,
A thoroughly good and easy to follow video. No silly background music, just sound advice from an obviously very knowledgeable and skilful man - well done! 👍👍
I really appreciate your time to post this video, my son's Vauxhall Corsa has just developed the problem were it will only allow second and fourth gears to be selected. I'm sure the problem is with the linkage, so in the coming days I'm hoping to get a good look at it and either repair or replace the linkage. After watching this I feel confident that I can do the job myself rather than pay stupid money to someone else. Many thanks. ATB... Billy.
Hello, thank you for this excellent video.
I would like to add another helpful hint. For me, the main problem was the allen screw on the original gear linkage to gear lever rod which someone has kindly rounded out before me. A quality set of Mole grips solved that problem.
The troublesome pin was easily removed by using a pair of long nose pliers to compress the tab as the bottom and move the pin up.
I had a similar problem when reassembling because it is difficult to locate the allen key correctly from the top and also to be able to tighten the clamp up enough to stop it slipping round on the gear lever rod. I solved this by throwing away the allen screw on the new linkage and using a 10 mm hexagon bolt instead.
Unless this is properly tight, the clamp will rotate on the shaft and make setting up the gears impossible.
I hope this helps someone as much as this video and comments have helped me.
Im always comimg back to this video to refresh my mind with the Gear linkage set up 😂😂😂. Awesome Thanks Man. 🙏🏽
🇿🇦
Thank you, did my inlaws one yesterday and worked a treat.
I used a piece of strong wire to lift the wire on the difficult pin, then force it sideways until the wire slid off the end - seamed to work ok.
Only real issue I had was getting the knurled bit to stop moving when I did the bolt back up - takes a lot more force than I'd expect. (also, why on earth did they elect to put it that way up!?!)
These cars should have been recalled and holders here in Australia. I’m about to change mine out as I’ve only got 3rd 4th and 5th. I do have to say though it’s only just gone with 200000kms on the clock.
Such a straight forward fix and with your explanation it’s very straight forward. You’ve saved me plenty and many others I’d say with this video.
Mechanics thought I was stupid and said I need the gearbox replaced. I then explained my knowledge and they said oh wait actually you’re right. I told them to suck one and explained ripping people off is filth. I got a reply of “go rope ya self loser” wish I recorded it and slammed the business to the ground
Great video mate! My son has bought a Barina Combo and it has this gear selection issue. Local Holden Dealer (might have guessed I'm an Aussie), advised me that they would need to remove gearbox and replace linkages and then re-install and then set up the new linkage $$$$, (think I saw the Service manager rubbing his hands together), now I know why, bastards! I had checked out via Haynes manual and I couldn't see the need to remove gearbox, after watching your video, I am happy to do it myself. I won't even buy the parts from Holden, I will search for them on Ebay, cheers mate.
Mike Casey-Ransom Hi Mike, I think they are exactly the same as our Corsa van in the UK so it should be exactly the same as this video. Why they said they would have to remove the gearbox I dont know as there is no reason to at all. Well I do know why, they thought you would not know any different and could make some easy money That is why I do these videos, even if you dont want to tackle the job yourself you at least know if your mechanic is being straight with you or not
Thank you for your video . I've just successfully completed the same job on a combo van 1.7 had to drive from Portsmouth to Edinburgh with only 3rd 4th 5th. No reverse 1st or 2nd. But your video helped massively. Just a future tip on how to remove those black top hat retainer. Prize under the linkage bar with a couple of extension bars and it pops right off .
Thanks again .
Thanks for this guide I'm about to attempt this job after I watch the guide a few more times. If I manage to do it you will have saved me some cash.
Finally sorted the linkage my hand looks like the cats savaged it, the space in there is tight. One thing I learned and would like to pass on is, I used a small plastic tie to keep the pin spring depressed then levered out the pin. Thanks again for the guide.
nice video pal great help.... if only all cars were so easy to set up my clio 182 is a bloody nightmare!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this helpful video. Followed your instructions with regards adjustment. Gears now working fine. No need to replace linkage,at the moment.
Hi thank you. I am from South Africa and your video helped me a lot.
This vedeo really helped me, no way is could have done it without it.
My gears have gone fro too loose to too stiff now, hopefuly they loosen up over time.
telecomboring Thanks for the kind comments it is much appreciated .
Many thanks, a very helpful video. The gear selection on my Corsa now works a treat.
This is where a laser pointer would be very useful!
nice video,, rebuilding my engine gearbox etc this weekend after the diff went on my astra was worried how to get correct gearsafter refitting this was very helpul, good stuff :)
The Holden Barina (TK and later) as well as Daeowoo models use the same linkage.
As an American when I hear your accent describing what you're doing, you sound like a heist film.
"Right. Here we have the split pin. I'm going to remove that, yeah. Then I'm going to disconnect the link and remove it from the spline shaft. That will disable the security system and the boys can get in the vault."
Thanks for the info really helpful. The only thing thar confused me was the red button wouldn’t seem to push in. Maybe I missed something in the video. Anyway, I gave a slight twist to the assembly that comes from that box where the pin goes through and, hey presto in pushed in. Thanks again
Well....my 1st and 2nd gear (sometimes reverse) are terrible at times. 36K on the clock...done the calibration once and all was fine for about a week. There Is a bit of play on the plastic torsion bar and the linkage. The one I bought off eBay looks identical to this. The local garage advised me to save money and talked me out of them fitting it....so tomorrow I will do it myself!
Let's see how much skin I have left on my hands..
Great video, saved me a lot of time and head ache.
Thanks for the comment, I'm glad you found it useful
how do u set up the gears on a 1.6 vectra A? it somehow got stuck in our arctic winter when i wanted to start reversing and now when i have manually changed the main rod's position on the gearbox, it still starts moving forward and basically kills the engine - so, me trying to put the reverse gear in somehow put a 3rd or 5th gear in? and i cant seem to be able to change the gears anymore...
2012isRonPaul Hi, The early Vectra has a similar linkage to the one you see in this video. Without being able to check it myself it does sound like it is still not set up correctly and the first thing I would do is to go through the set up process again just to confirm everything is still ok as it is very easy to set it up properly and then accidentally move the linkage slightly when tightening everything up, and after all it is free just to double check. If this does not work I would suspect that the linkage its self is excessively worn or damaged and may need replacing which is not an expensive part if you buy from e.b.a.y.
Good Luck
2012isRonPaul It is very difficult to give you any further advice without examining it myself but If you cannot change the gears properly by using the rod on the gearbox turret then the problem is inside the gearbox. If you have no nasty noises coming from the gearbox then the most likely fault is bent or worn selector forks and that means a new gearbox I am afraid.
I would get a local mechanic to check it out first before you go as far as getting a new gearbox.
Old750
thx, but i managed to fix it myself via google couple of days ago :p
i think the selector fork was the issue if you call it that way because there were 3x2 'blades' on top of the gearbox and the most top one was shifted to the right... wonder what gear was it in then? 3rd or 5th? some dude had the most bottom one shifted and he said that was the first gear
Ive just done mine, the black cap is the hardest, it took me about an hour to get off. I had to use big pliers to break the top bit, then junior hacksaw on the bottom, you cant get anything under it to prise it, I had the car on ramps to get to the allen key bolt it was a lot easier.
Great and brief and to the point ,most informative .
great, thanks for taking the time to post it up
Great video
Thank you
Hi
I have a Opel Astra h 2005 the problem is that won’t go into the reverse gear before that when car was on won’t go all gears but when car was off all gears was okay then I replacement the clutch and pressure plats now all gears is okay without reverse gear so what is the problem plz help me
Can you show the link of the linkage you bought? Also what the name of the housing. The pin and spring pop in and out of called
bolt and gear selector in the first place to check.
I had it in the Astra f :)
Hi my vauxhall agila has lost gears only first two gears are working would it be the same linkage issue
Thanks for the video... Am considering purchasing 2006 Meriva and noticed on test drive it would occasionally buzz going from 3rd to 4th on raising the clutch and there seemed to be no positive feel to the gear stick going into gear and no difference in gear stick location between in going into 4th gear OK and buzzing and not engaging 4th gear. Good to know it is a known problem with this family of cars! And not tooo difficult or expensive to repair. Will help with negotiating the price! From the look of it would you say for a mechanic to source and fit professionally would be around £100 parts and labour?
Im a tad confused if anyone can help me. Do i need to put the car in third gear when pushing the spring in? Or just lock the gear lever in place, loosen the tx50 bolt, wiggle the selector whilst pushing the spring in?
Thanks brother
Ive replaced the linkage.. and done the spring button step and locked the gear stick in place but when i tighten the bolt and try to select a gear its still all wrong..
How did you get the plastic retainer cap off
Thanks for your video, given me some courage to do it myself and save £150 :P
Dave Parsons Thanks for the comment, I'm glad you found this video useful. This should be fairly simple to do yourself but is one of those jobs that are a bit more difficult than they should be because of the limited access. The hardest part is removing the pin from the gearbox end of the linkage and you will probably end up breaking it getting it out so I would get a new one of those ready before you start.
are all of the pins standard or are they different for different cars.. I have a 2001 Corsa-C
and thanks again for your help
Dave Parsons The pin is the same on all cars with this linkage and they only cost pennies so when you order your linkage you should be able to order the pin at the same time.
PLEASE HELP! I hope this description makes sense; after replacing the gear linkage with the modified one, I set up the gears exactly as in the videos, and they work fine, however when I push the gear lever from neutral all the way to the right (as if to go into 5th) and let go, it doesn't return to the same neutral position, and the gears no longer line up ( i.e. i get reverse in '1st' gear), To get the gears back into the right position I have to put it into reverse properly then neutral. It's as if there is too much travel to the right. Did you encounter this? If so, how do I resolve the issue? Thanks
David Graham Hi David, It sounds like the linkage is slipping slightly on the shaft from the gear lever. I would undo the clamp and slip the linkage off the shaft and give the shaft and the inside of the clamp a good clean to make sure there is no oil or grease on them. Then go through the set up process again and make sure the clamp is tightened up firmly.
Let me know how it goes
Old750 Thanks for the speedy reply, going to have a crack at this in a few moments. One of my mechanic friends thinks there is too much travel to the right, so we will tweak a few things and post the results here later. Thanks for the help, and the fantastic video.
After much fiddling, I decided the modified gear linkage was garbage. Re fitted and correctly aligned a genuine part in just a few minutes, and it worked first time, with no re-adjustment. The clamp for the shaft was twice as big for the genuine part than that of the 'modified part' with the bolt being almost twice as long. Someone will be getting some bad feedback on ebay later!! Once again, top marks for the video, it is very clear and helped me a lot. Thanks
David Graham Glad you got it sorted in the end, your right about ebay though, it is a great place to find parts at a good price but it can be a bit of a lottery finding a honest seller and you dont always get what you think you are getting.
Very helpful video, thanks for sharing :)
Thanks for the kind comment.
Great help thanks! Great video!
Nice video, thanks for sharing info. I have just a doubt, when refitting the gearchange mechanism, regard the mechanism adjustment. Working in the engine compartment, with the selector mechanism in neutral, TURN THE SELECTOR SHAFT anti-clockwise against the spring pressure towards the third gear position, and lock the selector mechanism by pressing in the spring-loaded locking pin which is located on the top of the trasmission unit ... etc. etc.. My concern regards the angle to turn the selector shaft ... how much turn the shaft before pressing the locking pin?
Ezio Rossi Hi Ezio, The button will only push in when the selector is in the correct position and no where else, the easiest way to find this position is to apply a bit of pressure to the button whilst you move the selector and you will feel when you are in the correct place and then the button will push all the way in.Just remember when you have finished tightening everything up check the button stayed in as it can sometimes pop out on its own. Hope this helps
Old750 thanks very much! I really appreciate your fast and thorough reply! Next week I'll try by myself, I'll let you know :). Again thanks.
I tried to install the new gearchange linkage, without success. Unfortunately every time that I locked the two levers (one in the engine compartment, and the other one inside the vehicle), while trying to tighten the selector rod clamp bolt the locking pin pops out on its own . In the end I decided to refit the old one (the original Opel), and at first try it worked. For sure before before refitting, I used some silicone spray on its junction points. After the oiling and refitting, the old gearchange seems to work better than before, at least it works in acceptable manner.
I don't know why I found a lot of trouble with the new gearchange, maybe its bad quality ... however I am just a newbie
what's the labor rate for this job
Hi, My Vauxhall Astra 1.7DTI reverse gear will not engage.
All other gears engage normally. Can someone please tell me what is wrong and what needs to be done.
great help thank you
that was a very helpful video cheers hope i can manage it now lol many amounts of skin missing i imagine lol
Once I remove the clip towards the right hand side, I can’t lift the gear linkage up/away. It’s seized and so tight. Does anyone have any suggestions so pop it off
Hallo Sir, i am facing shifting problem in opel Corsa c 2004 , since 4 month ..1 2 3 4 gears are very hard to change why so .. please advise me
Hi, If it is 1,2,3,4 gears then it is unlikely to be an internal problem with the gear box. First I would try resetting the gear linkage as in this video and if that does not fix it then try checking the clutch.
How did that crown cap thing come off?
Hi, guys! Great video! I have problem with the retaning cap (top hat). I remove the pin, remove the torx from gearstick, but cannot remove it the caop. I do my best, push, squeeze; press, compress, but doesnt fell. Anyone can give me some advise? Thanks!
chefo chefov Hi, The cap has 4 small clips that you can see as a slot on the outside of the cap. These clip on to the center shaft and to remove the cap these need to be bent outwards using a small flat screwdriver and then you can firmly pull the cap off. You will probably end up breaking at least one of clips trying to get it off as they are not very strong so I would recommend buying a new cap before you start as they cost very little to buy.
Good luck
Old750 10x-a-lot! I finaly remove the cap and change the gear linkage. Now i have one more thing to do. I must tune up the new linkage. When my old linkage blow, the car was at the first gear, and i drive back home with only first gear. Now the gearbox is still set to the first gear. Is this a problem? I set the pin to the gearbox. Set new cap. Whats next? I watch video very carefully. Now probably must press the spring button on the gearbox, then inside the car i must lock the gearstick? M i right? Thanks for the help i appreciate it very very much!
chefo chefov Yes, have a look at my other video on setting up the linkage,
czcams.com/video/njmCrogDUFs/video.html
it might be a bit clearer but basically you will need to :-
1, Loosen but don't remove the bolt that holds the linkage to the rod from the gear lever.
2, Press the button on the gearbox and move the linkage until the button goes in and stays in.
3, Inside the car align the holes at the side of the gear lever and secure in place with a suitable rod or screwdriver, then check the button on the gear box has stayed in
4, Tighten the gear lever linkage bolt
5, Remove the rod from the side of the gear lever and shake the lever, this will cause the button on the gear box to pop out again.
6, Thats it you should be done, Try it and see if it is OK if not just repeat the above as it is quite a small amount of miss alignment will cause problems
Good luck
Wow thank you sir
I bought the replacement part on ebay with the modified bar. Easy to fit, set the button into the gear box, lined the gear lever up and tightened nut. Gears in wrong position. tried several times but same problem. Kept metal bar same size as original plastic one. The metal bar can be lengthened so I am wondering if this needs to be extended to obtain right gears. Ended up refitting old linkage, resetting up and obtaining gears no problem. Any ideas ? is part slightly different from vauxhalls part, thanks
+briggsy malone
Hi, Thats strange, You have already checked the length of the bar. Are any of the gears in the correct place or none of them ?
any body can help please with combo van gear box fault . i have only 5th gear any hepl would be grate fell for
I brought one of these but the metal rod is loose and can be put to various lengths. how do I know how long to have it
Measure it against the old linkage and set the rod to exactly the same length and it should be fine
Thanks that's great
I can't seem to get the yellow plunger to stay in .. The gears aren't adjusting right
+timar davis
Yes its very sensitive and if you move the linkage at all it will pop out again. If you can, get someone to hold the plunger in whilst you set up the linkage.
car had a funny moment earlier, trouble going into gear whilst driving then stopped completely, then my dad tried it after rolling to a space and said brakes were funny.hour later its okjust came back from a proper drive and gear changes don't seem as smooth and not sure if I was imagining the brakes being a bit off at crawl. but this wouldn't effect the brakes would it?
+nunchuckerz
Hi, No the brakes are not affected by the gear linkage so you may just need a brake service. Try realigning the gear linkage, this should improve the feel of the gear changes.
+Old750 cheers done a bit of research and think it could be low brake fluid as it shares a resivoir with gear hydraulics
Hello, me again! Finally, I've removed the black top and now I cannot take it off the complete part... help, please!
Jeimmy Suárez Martínez Hi, It should just slide off but it may need some light oil or spray to make it easier to remove
I have gaerbox problem
hello, I am having problems removing the black top hat. I have already done the other two points. Any advice?
Thanks
Jeimmy Suárez Martínez Hi, Yes it is difficult, there are four small tabs on the side that hold it on, you can try to bend them out with a small flat screwdriver and then try and lever it off with something. It will be easier to remove with the clips bent outwards but it will still be quite hard to get enough leverage to get it off.
Old750 Thanks, I will try tomorrow again! PD: Thanks for the video, it is very helpful
I have troubles setting the 1st gear. When I do it manually from the linkage it works well, but when I set the gear from the gear lever it doesn't work properly and it is like something is not alinged properly. It is like there is looseness somewhere in the linkage or its support.
Do you think that it could be the linkage or just its support frame?
I would try resetting your existing linkage first. If that does not work then replace and then set up a new complete linkage.
change the plastic and rubber bush set that's located underneath your gearstick
Hi, I changed the linkage and then did the set up, but the shifter is stiff and also getting into 3rd gear is almost leading into 5th gear, any ideas as to why??
Being new it will feel stiffer for a while but with a little use it will soon start to feel normal again.
As for the 3rd and 5th gear it sounds like it is still not quite set up correctly. If the rod on the linkage is the adjustable type then double check it against the old one that it is EXACTLY the correct length then go through the set up process again and it should be ok.
cheers, will defo check it...great video by the way
hi, i have the same problem, when i take it in gears it clunks, and sometimes it won't go in 1st gear, goes right into 3rd, i am from norway ,so i dont know what the word is in norwegian, i own a opel astra 1992 gls 1,6l. do you mind sending a link to me ?
As per my reply to Sunette Wernich It costs nothing so I would try setting up your existing linkage first and see if that works, they can sometimes move slightly over time.
tanks for sharing !! ant info !!!
Hello 👋 can anyone tell me roughly how long this job takes ?
Just to adjust the linkage? Less than 30min
Can you reuse that split pin or should I buy a new one?
It is recomended that you never reuse a split pin so for what they cost I would always replace it.
hi ive got the same problem on my 2004 meriva how difficult would you say the job is ?
Hi, It is a fairly simple job, The hardest part is removing and replacing the retaining pin as access is quite limited as you can see in the video.
help! my car makes a mental grinding noise (Astra H 1.7 SRI cdti) when changing from any gear to 2nd (unless from 1st) and it also throws itself out of gear (unless you force the gear in by holding the lever firmly down) when doing faster than 10mph and popping the clutch and letting it back up. anyone know if this is linkage or gearbox?
+Herr_Steve
Sounds like a gearbox problem. A worn 2nd gear syncro will make it grind when engaging the gear. General wear on the gear teeth or bearings are the most common reasons for popping out of gear.
my opel corsa 1998 top gears do not work. I only can drife in 2& 4 refurse alsou do not work
It costs nothing so I would try setting up your existing linkage first and see if that works, they can sometimes move slightly over time.
i love youtube
My corsa not cheeng the gear so hot
Failed to mention how difficult it is to remove the old linkage off the centre pole thing! Was a nightmare and my hands cut to shreds.
Is the new linkage meant to be stiff? Bought a new one, but hoping it will wear in?
+ANekii
Yes it can be difficult to remove sometimes. Your new linkage will feel a bit stiff compared to the one you took off but it will soon feel fine.
+Old750 Thanks for the video. Are you a mechanic or do you just dabble?
+ANekii
I was involved professionally but now I just do the odd job now and then, its much more fun that way.
My new linkage i think same as yours, i thought was pretty stiff! After installation the shifter in neutral is stiff and if moved sidewards, seems to stay there rather than spring back. Did you hagve any stiffness problems?
Old750
Dillon Hamill Hi, You should have free movement at the lever if it is set up correctly. I would go through the the set up procedure again and see if this helps.
Would it be a similar process for a 1.0 corsa c ?
Hi, Yes it is basically the same process and I think if I remember correctly you have a little more room to work in the corsa engine bay.
Thanks alot very helpfull