Dear All, Got the F355 back from a major a few months back and gear engagement (manual) has not been as smooth as it used to be. Ive got baulking in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and its bad when cold. I changed the transmission oil out with fresh 90NS, my usual gear oil, and it made no difference. No leaks in the hydraulic system. Bled the clutch- no bubbles. The gear linkage at the rear of the car near the transmission is clear of the cross member. The clutch seems to fully disengage as usual- no perceptible dragging. 4th, 5th, and 6th gears engage smooth as silk. Car has low miles and Ive owned it for nearly 10-years so know it well. After a bit of reading and learning about the system, I adjusted the linkage near the tranny- the small plate with 3 screws that sets the rotational position. This junction is disconnected during the engine-out service so a likely target. It made a world of difference, but its still not as it was. Id prefer not to continue to fiddle with the adjustment, but learn more about how to properly set it up. Would someone share the proper procedure to get the adjustment in the absolute correct position as opposed to the whole adjust, drive, and repeat exercise? Ive heard there is a procedure that includes placing the gear selector in 2nd gear and but Ive not been able to uncover it. Thanks in advance. Jim
If it worked before the major (motor mounts okay), it probably needs more "fiddling". Small changes make a big difference. If you can put the car on a lift and have someone work the shifter while you "fiddle", it probably won't take too long.
True about it just needs a little more fiddleing. It does not take much to adjustt the rod to make it wrong or correct. If you have no joy from this thread, let me know and i will email you a link to a video i made showing the 6 positions of the gear selector rod at the gear box end. This will give you a better understanding of how the system works,and what each gear selected looks like in position. Thats if you dont already know, becsuse its imposable to see this ooeration when your doing the adjustments by your self while from the cockpit..
The procedure is described in the service manual. Also, before adjusting the gear linkage, go for a ride and make sure the car is in its operating temperature. I checked and there was a 1mm difference in the gear lever position from cold to operating temp.
Try flipping the bushing over where the shift rod meets the transmission. When I changed the shaft seal, I put mine on upside down from how it was before and the shifting was exactly as you describe. The rubber seems to wear or form in a particular way and if you switch orientation, the shifting gets difficult.
Ive got some time set aside tomorrow to sort this out and will post the results. Ron, it would be helpful to review your videos if you would not mind sending them. PM sent. Ive read a number of comments regarding how worn engine mounts or linkage part orientation affect shifting. As far as I can tell, the shift linkage simply rotates and moves for/aft to select the gearing. As long as the shift linkage is not being interfered with between gear selector and transmission, how could this affect shifting? Finally, I can grab all the gears when shifting, I just get temporary baulking in gears 1-3, and its a bit inconstant even when warm. Im not fighting the shift gate as far as I can tell but Should I remove the shift gate and see if she moves into the gears smoothly while driving? If so, I assume that means another small adjust of the linkage rotational adjustment. Pete: I will look very carefully at what you suggested- its certainly possible. Thanks everyone. Have a great weekend! Jim
Ok mate I shall send you the link to my videos in the morning when I am back home. I shall keep them up for you all tomorrow By the way it won't be the rear bush being upside down. You will see in my videos that I always have mine upside down for ease of removal (so the nuts ar at the bottom). As said before its just a little adjustment that's needed. Ron
Got it! First, thanks to Ron for the helpful videos and to everyone for their comments. I placed the car on the ramps and then moved the gear selector into 2nd since 1st and 2nd were giving the most inconsistent engagements. I set the brake and blocked the front wheels. There are centering springs in the selector mechanism, so I placed a 2-3mm shim between the gear selector post and the rightmost portion of the gate in order to center the post within the 2nd gear slot. I wanted 2nd gear to engage when I slide the selector into the middle of the 2nd gear gate slot- not off to one side or the other. The shift linkage rotational adjustment plate is located near the transmission. All three 5mm bolts were loosened by ¾ of a turn to allow the two halves to slide against each other and thus provide rotational adjustment. The linkage heading forward to the gear selector would hardly rotate, indicating a solid linkage- at least from a rotational standpoint. I noted that gently rotating the transmission side of the linkage back and forth allowed me to determine the extremes and a center position for 2nd gear engagement. I then marked a reference line across the 2 circular adjustment plates and evenly tightened the 5mm bolts while holding the plates in position. The adjustment made was maybe 2-3 degrees from the original position. This was a slight but deliberate adjustment to locate the center position of 2nd gear on the transmission side and lock it to the gear selector. I went for about an hour drive (in between rain showers) and the car is shifting beautifully. If anyone has a copy of the adjustment procedure from the workshop manual, it would be interesting to know what the official procedure says. Thanks and Happy Holidays to everyone. Jim
Hello, I'm a newbie and don't yet own a Ferrari (I'm looking to get a F355). I found this great site and it has the owners and workshop manuals - I hope this helps you. -Dave http://www.ferraridatabase.com/
Hi Dave, That is a good find. Thanks very much for posting the link. Good luck with your 355 search. 355's are a hoot! Jim
Shootfighter, I wanted to share a couple of things with you. First, there is a procedure in the service manual that describes an approach to adjust the linkage. I recall that one unscrews the shift gate, places the car in 3rd(?) and then notes the movement left and right from center. Adjustment is made on the linkage to assure equal throw to each side. This procedure works. Follow the link from Dave above. Second, the rotation of the shift linkage is in line with the rotation of the engine associated with torque during acceleration and deceleration. When the F355 motor mounts age they tend to soften and let the motor move around too much during acceleration/deceleration. The rotation screws up the shift linkage alignment so the car may shift well when under light acceleration/deceleration but poorly when under heavy acceleration/deceleration. Please make sure your motor mounts, and to a lesser degree the transmission mounts, are in good shape. You can change these out in your garage in an evening or two if necessary. The issue I experienced above was completely resolved when I replaced the motor mounts. It was the last thing I did and should have been the first. I followed up with the transmission mounts but no noticeable additional gain there. Another benefit (as others have noted here) is that new motor mounts also reduce vibration felt in the cab. I was really surprised how much vibration crept up over the years. Oh, and I replaced with stock 355 mounts and not the challenge mounts. Third, I've noticed that the car baulks a bit more now when shifting into 1st when cold than it did when it was new. I just skip 1st for a few minutes after a cold start and it shifts fine once the car warms up. I've not been able to adjust that out of the linkage and I don't worry about it. Good luck to you. Jim
Brining this thread from the dead, but I need some help with adjusting my shifter linkage. A lot of people are not active anymore here to answer or help. Does anyone know where are each positions of the gear linkage. How the proper way to adjust it? It's a 95 model and My manual does not the procedures.
Great video. Thanks! Note that the WSM mentions adjusting the gear lever slightly aft of neutral (towards the rear slots) to compensate for expansion due to heat. Image Unavailable, Please Login
So it is in the manual! Cool There's really only ~1 or maybe 2mm of total room forward/ aft between the gates anyway. Kinda of odd they said adjust it a "few millimeters" aft. I've never seen the gap fluctuate during a drive.
The 1995 shifter linkage does not have the 3 Allen key bolts for rotation. I wonder if it’s beneficial to change the linkage to the updated one for more adjustment. There must be a reason for the change.
If you lock in the length (fore/aft adjustment) by tightening both lock nuts, wouldn't that allow you to independently adjust right/left on the 5.2 car using the allen bolts? Image Unavailable, Please Login I would imagine you would have to juggle the locknuts and sleeve on the older type. The axes are not independent.
Yes and that has to be the reason for the update, if you tighten the locking nuts and the sleeve moves you affect the smooth operating shift action on the older style linkage.
Great vid, thanks Ken. Cute kid. Apropos, the 355 shift linkage is a total Rube Goldberg machine. There are like 100 individual pieces. For a shift linkage!
On the 95, you adjust the angle by rotating one side of the turn buckle. On the 96+ cars, you adjust the angle of rotation by loosening the three allen bolts and turn one plate wrt to the other plate
