I have the car up on the ramps / stands to replace the complete braking system. Whilst I was under there applying penetrating oil to all the unions, I had a wiggle of the shift mechanism. The only significant play I could find was in the union between the lower gear stick and the selector rod (14). However, the play I was feeling was lateral, rather than longitudinal so foam pad preload might not be the issue.
Firstly, do I understand this correctly; removing the tension bush/clip (20), pushing out the dowel pin (19), removing the foam rubber washer and pushing in a new one, secured by reinsertion of the dowel pin will apply pressure between the pin and selector rod, preloading the knuckle joint? If so I don't think this will solve my lateral play but is probably worth doing (especially liking Brucey's spring idea).
I need to spend some time tomorrow having a proper look at where the lateral play is. It might be the bearing (9) or the connection between the gear stick and the shift mechanism. What I cannot tell from the two separate drawings (the one below and the other showing the
Gear Shift) is; how does the gearstick end attach into the mechanism below? Does it connect at the RH end of the selector rod, held in place by 12 and 13? If so, I assume our foam buddy cannot be replaced without dropping the transmission...?
Cheers all. I love this forum....
Ian