Greetings, While adjusting the shifting mechanism on my 81 308 GTSi, it appears that the detent ball of the 4th & 5th gears has slipped past the shaft detent and dropped in the housing that supports the ends of the three shift shafts. At least this is what I think happened. I was having difficulties engaging 4th and 5th, even after replacing both bushings and careful alignment. So in attempt to adjust the 4th and 5th fork spacing , I losened the split clamp which then permitted the shaft to translate further than normal. Anyway, not to bore anyone with my stupidity ....the question I have is if the ball did actually drop in the cavity , is it a problem ?? It looks like accessing the cavity would require removal of the bell housing and spacer , not exactly what I want to do. From the parts diagrams, it is difficult to determine what is happening in that area. Thoughts?? Regards, Mike
I think you should get it out. Can you reach into the cavity with a magnet on the end of a snake of some kind ? I am a big fan of using "surgical" techniques when I drop stuff into the engine, We get so much "FOD" (foreign object damage) training at work, I am paranoid about it. I always retrieve parts I drop, especially in or near the engine.
I would drop the pan and retrieve the ball that way. At least gravity would allow it to drop out from the cavity, or if it's really wedged in there, like Andy suggests, a thin rod/snake with a tiny magnet on the end can help it out. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Andy / Peter, Thanks for replying. Looks like I need to clarify the situation a bit more. The pan is off. I had the three detent balls, springs, and spacer in place with a tool . Then while adjusting the clamp on the 4th and 5th fork, the shift rod associated with these gears moved past the detent position that the spring loaded ball was pushing on, thus allowing the ball to move upwards and align with the rod end. Then the movement of the rod in the opposite direction pushed the ball "somewhere" ! From what I can see, it probably made its way in the space shown in the attached picture. To me , it appears that this is a cover plate that provides recess for the three shift rods. I cannot ascertain if there are any rotating parts in this area that would be affected by the stary ball. I'm trying to find a magnet that will fit in the gap between the block and cover. Thanks again for your help. Regards, Mike Image Unavailable, Please Login
This may be a long shot, but how are you supporting the car up in the air right now? Jack stands or two/four post lift? If just jack stands, take out the jack stands on the passenger side of the car and let the car sit up on the driver's side only for a while. Hopefully the slope will allow it to roll out of the shaft recess (crossing my fingers for you ).
