Td5 stiff gear lever.

Can anyone shed light on my problem please.
The gear lever on my 2004 td5 manual is fine when I "waggle" it side to side before starting and changing gear on the move but after a hour or so on the motorway it's very stiff. It comes out of fifth gear no problem but is very tight across neutral and into a lower gear. Fine again after I've had a coffee but same problem after nexr stage of my journey when I need to change gear on by roads.

Anh thoughts would be welcome.
Mac.

Hi Mac
Firstly are you sure it has the correct oil? MTF94 But usually its the other way round, wrong oil means stiff when cold, ok when warm.
Have you had a look at the bias plate?
To get to it from the top you will have to do a little bit of work.
Remove centre console, gear levers, drill out 9? rivets.
My gear shift was a total pig, after Ashcroft fitted a new gearbox.
After accessing the bias plate I found it had not been correctly set up.
Proceedure is in RAVE, quick version, remove stuff as above, loosen 4 off bolts holding bias spring plate, dont remove the bolts!
Put car in 4th gear, not 2nd! use your fingers to very lightly push the plate to the right, tighten bolts.
Spray lithum grease over springs and top of ball around shaft.
Reassemble and enjoy gear changes using two fingers, hot or cold!
If above doesnt fix it then it could be bushes etc but do the simple stuff, oil first, then bias plate.
Mark

I have this problem and never really sorted i even change oil every 5000 ATF.
Thought about adjustments
But if its adjustments why is the problem not there all the time.
I struggle with first gear hot or cold but not all the time.
Nobody i haven spoken too can solve it they just say adjustments, but as above its intermittent.
And it drives on the synchro in all gears

Worth trying and cheaper than delving into the guts of the g.box.
As things get hot they change how they move in relation to other parts, sometimes makes things better sometimes worse!
Certainly my gearshift was a pig, easy to convince myself there was a more serious issue but ultimately it was just the bias plate.
Mark

I guess in my case id best bite the bullet and look at Bias plate
Thanks Mark
Mark

it wont be bias plate if its heat connected,most likely pivot or yoke on the end of selector shaft

Hi Mark
Its fairly straightforward, you will need a drill to drill out the rivets, and new rivets with a gun but thats about £15 from DIY stores, use wide flange rivets.
Also change the rubber shroud underneath if its split.
Double check you are in 4th not 2nd, its easy to get it wrong!
Have a vacuum to clear up the swarf from the rivets, before you take the rubber shroud off, you dont want any metal bits to get into the top of the gearbox.
Do a test drive before riveting it back together!
Its a satisfying job, if it solves your problem!
Mark

Mine can be a pain to get in first sometimes just coming off drive, then the next 3 x say it will slip in fine its odd
I have all the gear so will have a peep in when i get five
Thanks

gjmac said:

Can anyone shed light on my problem please.
The gear lever on my 2004 td5 manual is fine when I "waggle" it side to side before starting and changing gear on the move but after a hour or so on the motorway it's very stiff. It comes out of fifth gear no problem but is very tight across neutral and into a lower gear. Fine again after I've had a coffee but same problem after nexr stage of my journey when I need to change gear on by roads.

Anh thoughts would be welcome.
Mac.

Click to expand...

As James says, the nylon cage at the end of the selector rail ....it swells when hot ... (oo err missus)
Remove the gear lever assembly and clean the 'ball', then re-assemble with new nylon bush... The steel ball gets dirty and the nylon bush swells ...

Many thanks boys
would just like to say sorry feel i have hijacked Gimacs thread

Mark Ormond said:

Many thanks boys
would just like to say sorry feel i have hijacked Gimacs thread

Click to expand...

you have a funny way of gaining knowlage!!!!!!!! ATF wrong stuff!

Yes MTF94, its not expensive, even from an LR dealer.
Look for red oil dripping from your gearbox, most do drip, that usually means its MTF94

markomate2 said:

Yes MTF94, its not expensive, even from an LR dealer.
Look for red oil dripping from your gearbox, most do drip, that usually means its MTF94

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red is dexron atf mtf is more goldy brown

Not doing very well here tonight am I !
The MTF94 from my LR sourced container is def more red than brown, buts its been a few months since ive had to look at it!

I've been getting bottles of Land Rover branded MTF 94 from Paddocks, and it's definitely got a reddish tinge to it.

A goldy brown colour is usually a mineral oil based fluid ... that said ...
ATF is usually red and goes a darker almost browny colour as it gets older, it also smells slightly burnt ...

Dippypud said:

A goldy brown colour is usually a mineral oil based fluid ... that said ...
ATF is usually red and goes a darker almost browny colour as it gets older, it also smells slightly burnt ...

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i know what colours they are ,atf is a vibrant red mtf isnt red

jamesmartin said:

i know what colours they are ,atf is a vibrant red mtf isnt red

Click to expand...

I wasn't telling YOU, it was info for the unenlightened ...

There is a known bush issue also so oil and bush

jamesmartin said:

red is dexron atf mtf is more goldy brown

Click to expand...

Curiosity got the better of me and a popped over to my lock-up.
Sure enough, the LR stuff is more goldy brown not red!!!
Stuff I bought before from an indy was def redder!
Pic below! Anyway thats put that to bed without, too much of a thread hijack!