No Third gear - Dying Gearbox?

Mark 480s · Post by **Mark 480s** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:26 am

Hi all
Just Got my 480s MOTed, but now my manual gearbox appears to of lost third gear. Trying to select it, it doesnâ€™t engage, just make a painful gearteeth on gearteeth sound. First and second engage but sometime make dragging, scrapping noise. Forth and fifth are OK. Gearstick linkage seems OK. However driving my sons 460 the gears seem much tighter than my 480. Is this gearbox terminal and is there any one you guys know who could swap the box out in the Worthing, Sussex area. As my local garage think itâ€™s a too bigger job and Hapsteads Volvo, I would have to appply for lottery funding!
The gearbox is a M46 402E from the red label attached to it.

regards

Mark

Murf · Post by **Murf** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:43 pm

ive never done it myself but apparently theres bushes in the gear linkage and if they go you'll be lucky to get any gear! its worth checking these before you buy a new box.
Either that or the linkage just needs adjusted.

I would get the gearbox oil drained and put it through a strainer and looks for particles of metal in it, this would be a sure sign of a knackered box but it doesnt sound like it to me

Have a look in the yellow pages for a local volvo specialist, like a small independant garage.

Mark 480s · Post by **Mark 480s** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 10:15 am

Hi
I'm going to drain the oil and take the end cover off the gearbox to see if there is anything amiss. There is a thread by Pol on not selecting fifth gear so I hope its along those lines. In Worthing their used to be Anca Volvo, but they close down and Hapsteads took over the volvo franchise. and moved to Hove. This meant all the indie volvo people (esp. one in Lancing - a couple of miles from me, put up their prices!). see what the weekend dicovers.

Mark

Joolz · Post by **Joolz** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:34 pm

mine were very dodgy at the beginning of this week....thought it was going to be a gear box oil change but it was just the clutch cable needed adjusting.....no lockiing nut on the end so it works loose...check your clutch pedal if its sitting lower than your break pedal it could be your prob too.

Mark 480s · Post by **Mark 480s** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:48 pm

Well heres an update

Drained gearbox oil, it wasn't very clear, infact it was grey! putting a powerful neo magnet on the underside of the plastic oil pan the oil went nearly clear, so I'm afraid the gearbox has ground up some steel. This I suppose means the synromesh is OK (as its made of phoshor-bronze) but the third gear is ground up! no teeth were found mind. Gearbox is coming out and going on the bench this week end.

regards

Mark

martinholmesuk · Post by **martinholmesuk** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:24 pm

Hi Mark,

Any chance of some pics when you open upo the g/box?

Cheers

Martin