Gearbox Stiffness?

11th July 2007, 23:52

Hey i own a VTR face lift 99. Dont know why but my gearstick becomes stiffer and stiffer as i drive. When i first drive it its fine but after a while it becomes very stiff and really does make me not want to drive the damn thing. Ive notice if i turn my engine off while im sitting there for 10 min i start it back up and its freed up alittle like its had time to cool down or rest? I dont understand it, it wasnt a problem but is now as im very tierd of driving with effort.

My friend also owns a saxo , vts 2001 and hes having the same trouble. Just wounder if its a common fault or if something can be done to stop this annoying issue. Did search but nothing came up so i thought id ask. Thanks

12th July 2007, 00:09

ye i have the exact same prob mate so i hope someone can help!!I have a 99 vtr aswell so there mite be sumthing there.

12th July 2007, 09:03

Possible that there is not enough gear oil in it and when it heats up it becomes more liquid and spreads and there is not enough left to change gear.

Just an idea try topping it up for the price of gear oil (£10) may be a quick fix.

12th July 2007, 17:40

Ill try that, i was going to anyway but my dad said hes only had to ever do it once, he doubts its that but ill keep updating the topic as i think its a issue id like to solve

12th July 2007, 17:41

i get this problem too.
w reg vts.

12th July 2007, 22:02

I assume that is a problem with the gearbox oil... Not because it's less than the normal, but because the oil is not making his work... Try to change the gearbox oil ... Also inspect the operation clutch linkage. If the clutch is not releasing completely, the transmission can be hard to shift.

3rd July 2008, 17:42

For everyone out there with this problem,i had same problem for nearly a year and at last today found the problem,
gear idler its held on to chassis with 2 bolts,and is a 10 min job if you have a ramp,oh its 28pound from citroen,including vat,at last i can change gear with ease and with my pinky if ai really want to

I changed gear linkages,clutch,changed gearbox oil everything didnt make any difference until know iam so happy

3rd July 2008, 17:59

mine was llike this i would say chage youre gear oil guys i did it yesterday my gears are smooth as now

3rd July 2008, 18:12

well when i took mine of its like a kind of z shaped lever which has a nylon ball on 1 end and other end it is a metal ball,anyway when i took mine off i could barley even move it by hand it was that stiff no wonder i was having problems.

3rd July 2008, 18:24

i think we are talking about different problems,he and me are saying our gearsticks are getting stiffer,i changed everything and made no difference atal until i changed this part,know its perfect,if your problem comes back try this,

3rd July 2008, 18:58

if you mean its hard to put into gear then it was like that on my dads citroen van same sorta thing but just got better by itself somehow

3rd July 2008, 19:10

NO GOES INTO GEAR FINE JUST VERY VERY STIFF GEARSTICK WHEN GOING UP OR DOWN GEARS IE WHEN MOVING THE GEARSTICK!!!!!!!

NEVER MIND A GUESS ITS HARD TO PICTURE UNLESS YOU HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM

3rd July 2008, 19:38

ive had this problem, found it very difficult to get it into 1,2 and 3rd gears changed the clutch and it solved it.

17th May 2010, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbo232

Hey i own a VTR face lift 99. Dont know why but my gearstick becomes stiffer and stiffer as i drive. When i first drive it its fine but after a while it becomes very stiff and really does make me not want to drive the damn thing. Ive notice if i turn my engine off while im sitting there for 10 min i start it back up and its freed up alittle like its had time to cool down or rest? I dont understand it, it wasnt a problem but is now as im very tierd of driving with effort.

My friend also owns a saxo , vts 2001 and hes having the same trouble. Just wounder if its a common fault or if something can be done to stop this annoying issue. Did search but nothing came up so i thought id ask. Thanks

It does appear to be a common fault. However its fairly cheap to fix. My 99 plate vtr did the same, was fine for 10 mins or so then got worse, squeking, stiffer into gear and making it almost 'embarrasing' to drive. Sit with the car off for 5-10 mins and the scenario started again, quiet then noise etc. Got my vtr on the ramps and got my mate to move it in and out of gear while it was still warm. The noise came from a bracket at the rear left of the engine if looking from above, it is a plate bolted to the panel between engine bay and dash, it has two arms coming from it attaching to the gear linkages, one small metal ball joint and a larger synthetic one if I remember correctly,

as its hinged, and worn when the engine bay gets warm it expands causing the squeak and stiffness. It cost me £34 from citroen and was also on the shelf waiting, which makes me think it is a common problem. When I took the two gear linkages off the bracket the one with the smaller head snapped off so may be worth getting that at the same time, that linkage was £11 from citroen. Hope this helps as I know how annoying that noise is. I cant post pics yet otherwise I could show you the location of the two new parts.

1st June 2010, 16:08

I'll do the pics hopefully tomorrow, when its not raining. Now I know how to do it lol

1st June 2010, 16:49

Hi Folks,

Sounds like the item being described is number "2)" in the diagram: http://www.saxperience.com/forum/att...6&d=1274897079

If so, prices here: http://www.saxperience.com/forum/sho...97#post4417897

1st June 2010, 20:56

yes mate, it was number 2 that was the problem, and number 5 snapped off when removing

cheers fella

8th June 2010, 19:20

I have this problem too! it's so annoying, and I agree embarrassing too!! I am going to call Citroen tomorrow and see if they can help me with this, thanks for the words up guys!