Clunky gearchange (vito 639)

[pfarre10]

Hi all

Just did 1k miles in my 2012 vito.

Since purchase I've had dodgy shifts, put down to new van etc.

Also when driven like "miss daisy" its been a joy,
so, obviously It's my ham fistedness thats caused the probs.

Low speed smoothness has certainly been improved with experience, but accelerating up hard though the box always seems to stick from 5th to 6th.

Meaning i have to let go of the stick, then attempt 6th again, as it jams from 5th to 6th.

Is this me, or does a warranty visit seem required?

I don't think I'm particularly hard on the box, to that end i made my wife drive it, and she had the same difficulty.

Strange.

 

[C36fan]

Mine changes all gears just fine so I would suggest to have it looked at.

 

[Giantvanman]

If it changes freely between all gears except 5th and 6th, it sounds like somethings not quite right.

 

[C36fan]

If it changes freely between all gears except 5th and 6th, it sounds like somethings not quite right.

do you struggle to shift gears in yours?

 

[Giantvanman]

do you struggle to shift gears in yours?

Nope. Mine's an auto.

 

[C36fan]

Nope. Mine's an auto.

i know just pulling your leg!

 

[pfarre10]

Cheers guys

I thought there may be an issue, though as you know if you dont approach confidently they'll fob you off.

On a related note I have a funny, as I describe as a "squirrelling" noise when you drop to second, that is a high pitched "squirrelling" sound as the prop spins up on downshift .

Again may be me being too aggressive on the box, but seems to catch me out on whats an otherwise silent van drivetrain.

Cheers C63fan appreciate the advice

Paul.

 

[Flying start]

Hi mate I'd get your van checked out I bought my 2011 110
And after a month of owning it the bearings went in the box just as you say a squeal / wining noise on down sifts 3rd 2nd up shift was fine
My gear box does feel a little cluncky now but its from 1st to 2nd

Luckily I got it sorted on warranty it needed new bearings and some sort of shaft??

 

[pfarre10]

I havn't had a chance yet to book it in.
But i do think its getting worse, having trouble sometimes selecting first at lights.

I was planning to have a go of another in sales before I report it, as mostly it seems fine.

cheers for the info.

paul.

 

[Giantvanman]

Another simple thing you could check is the state of adjustment on the gearbox linkage cables. I read somewhere that that this commonly causes difficulty with gear changes.
Another possibility is the gearbox selector could be worn?

 

[pfarre10]

Yeah I'm hoping its just something minor like that.

Been speaking to some guys at the post office, they have a fleet of sprinters.
Not sure if the boxes are the same, but they were on about something similar with cables.

Reckoned it was mostly when they were new/ low miles.
Mine is at 16k now and has till febuary till the warranty is up.

Soon as i can i'll get it in, maybe see about extended cover too.

 

[Giantvanman]

Fair enough and good luck. With that low mileage, I wouldn't even expect selector fork problems (they can break) unless someone has been really ham fisted. I bought mine from new and extended the warranty straight away to six years for peace of mind so I know where you are coming from there.

 

[pfarre10]

Update,

Took awhile to get it in, but if any others have probs here's what was done.

I left it a few months, as often it wouldn't seem so bad.

Yet it progressed so 1st to 2nd would be difficult, especially when cold.

Developed to regular 1-2 issues and 5-6. Both up and down the box.

When it went in I emptied it, and naturally the 25m drive was much better. To the point I thought they'd dismiss my points.

The only point they did take notice of was 1 out of 3 times I wouldn't get reversing lights, though reverse was fine.

Anyhow whilst I was convinced something serious was apparent they gave me a new 3000 mile 116 sport, which, to be honest, didnt initially seem much better.

A clunky vito gearchange seems normal, but if you stick from 5-6, or much more prevalent, as I found, hard to drop to second and first (I'm in south wales with 1:14 gradients common)

You may have similar issues that can be corrected. As usual the dealers were vague as mud on what they did but my van is transformed!

honestly it now shifts better than the new 116 sport they gave me!
Apparently it was adjusting shift cables.

Take what you will from this, but for a long time I thought it was my driving style, yet a new van seems badly adjusted from new, as mine is much better.

cheers

paul