Forum:
My friend's 19 year old son has managed to get his 1989 sportrak stuck in reverse gear. It will select forward gears but will not move. It will only go backwards, even in neutral. Obviously it would appear to be a selector problem. Before he scraps the car, can anyone give advice on the best approach,does it need a replacement gearbox or is it straightforward to remove the top of the gearbox and replace/repair the selectors. The vehicle is over my pit at present and I am at a loss as to what to do next? Please advise, many thanks.
John Howlett
sportrak stuck in reverse gear
hi john
there is loads written about this problem in the history of these boards it is to do with a bolt on the side of the gear box which holds the reverse gear selector in place which can come undone or has been used to top up the g/box oil ( it looks like a filler / level plug half way up the side of the box on the oppersite side to the transfer box filler the correct filler is on the same side as the transfer box filler) once undone the selector falls to the bottom of the box losing reverse or sticking the box in gear.
it is possible to remove the top plate of the box incar but because of the weight of the box and transfer box i have never tried taking the box off as it is far simpler to remove the rad,bash plate and gearbox mountings drop the exhaust and pull the engine up and over its mounts so that it is hanging with the gearbox/toward the ground and with the magentic pick up tool, some neddle nose pliers, strong coffee and 40 fags it is possible to get the offending bit out of the bottom of the box i have had to do this after transplanting a new box to my fourtrak it took less than 6 hours once we had figured out what had happened
SUCK IN REVERSE
Isuppot theprevious reply. Removing the gearbox and transfer box is not as danting as youd expect and will give complete access to the box. Use a good trolly jack or transmission jack once you have the vehicle raised. Support the back of the engine to prevent it tipping back when the rear cross member is removed and mark the two drive shafts to ensure replacement correctly. I didn't have a pit but the box is heavy and I wouldn't recommend removing it in a pit but a lot of the prepwork can be done using the pit and the assembly. Worth checking the clutch at the same time. Obviously Drain the box of oil first.
Although the box is heavy the bell housing is not that huge so it can be monuvered out from under the car and worked on.Like wise refitting is done usng a trolly jack.
I once removed a gearbox from a V4 Ford and it was lighter, about 75 ponds but an absolute "B" and then the bell housing was so large that the car had to be lifted so hih to get it out. The Sporty was a doddle in comparison. Advice...take your time and safety first.
OLDMINIMAN
M J Young