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Tricky gear change
#1
Hello,

I got to go out and drive a Delorean again yesterday, one that I am interested in buying. Its in very good condition, inside and out.

However, I found that changing down into second gear was very tricky - even the owner had trouble. Working up through the gears is no problem at all (nice and smooth), but going from 4th or 5th into 2nd was difficult, as the gear did not consistantly engage.

Is this a common problem on a DeLorean, and is it fixable? Or is it a quirk of the car and something that I just need to get used too? Maybe I'm too used to using modern gearboxes - do I need to double de-clutch going down?

I'd like to know as aside from that issue, the car is in superb shape and I'm hoping that it can be mine shortly!


Cheers,

Simon
Simon Brewer,
DOC Member #517
VIN #4748
Reply
#2
Hi Simon,

I have owned my car for over 4.5 years and can testify that what you are describing is not how it should operate. I have heard of this before and I am sure that Martin and Dan will know the best solution. In your instance once you have a quote on the repair you then have a useful bargaining tool for reducing the price of the car or having the owner fix the problem. Have you checked the chassis out? You MUST get the car off the ground to assess this properly.

Good luck

Chris
Regards,

Chris Hawes
DOC 138
Ex owner of VIN 5255 Grey, 5-speed
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#3
Hi Chris,

Thanks for the advice. I will ask Martin and Dan about this. I should be able to get the car off the ground since it is currently stored at a workshop, but I'm not too sure what I should be looking for on the chassis . Obviously I want to make sure that the frame is in good shape and that the epoxy isn't loose or has rust behind it.

I took a couple of photos by holding my camera under the car when I went to see it. The parts of the frame I saw looked ok, but other components have rust on. I really need to find someone nearby who knows what to look for.

I know that Martin has seen the car in the past year or so, since it has a stage 1 engine upgrade on it... I'll drop him a line...

Cheers,

Simon
Simon Brewer,
DOC Member #517
VIN #4748
Reply
#4
This is typical of a snapped roll pin on the 2nd gear selector fork. According to our gearbox blokie, all modern gearboxes have a spring-loaded selector fork on 2nd because its the gear that takes the most punishment. It's there to prevent the fork itself wearing out through enthusiastic gearchanges. This spring is retained by a collar held to the shaft by a roll pin. If this breaks, 2nd is very vague and you have to rely on the synchro pulling the gear in. Sometimes it works, sometimes it crunches. Usually it has broken due to poor linkage adjustment or a loose pivot bolt on the rod bellcrank (under the accumulator).

As a bargaining tool: This requires the gearbox be removed from the car and opened up. The rebuild cost through us is £250 (which includes all new seals, plus bead-blasted and painted and new oil) plus 10 hours (standard time for a clutch) - so £700 by our price. This is a job we've done 4 times in 2 years, and I'd highly recommend putting a new clutch in "while you're in there".
Martin Gutkowski
DeLorean Cars
http://www.delorean.co.uk
Reply
#5
Hi Martin,

Thanks for letting me know...! I'll have a word and see if I can get a discount from the owner because of this.

Cheers,

Simon
Simon Brewer,
DOC Member #517
VIN #4748
Reply


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