Can't engage gears whilst engine running, manual gearbox

[DanUK]

Hi,

This is the second time this has happened to my partner's manual drive bongo.

18 months ago my partner broke down in traffic when she suddenly couldn't engage any gears in her manual bongo. It was taken to a Bongo specialist garage and the clutch was deemed to be faulty and replaced.

Today I took over driving duties on a 4 hour trip up country. I have driven it a number of times and noticed that on the approach home along B roads with roundabouts i.e. requiring slowing down and use of gears, it seemed very difficult to get it into any gear, requiring quite a bit of force. I thought it was odd but put it down to not having driven it for a while!

As we reached the final T junction I had to come to a full stop but then could not enage any gear at all. My partner tried and couldn't either (so not just me!) and we both remembered that this was pretty much the same symptoms as last time although it was very sudden when it happened to my partner 18 months ago.

We've just managed to free wheel it in to our drive as it was all downhill and noticed that we can engage gears when the engine is off and the clutch depressed. We put it into first, started the engine and managed to postion the vehicle where it is normally parked but noticed that it was difficult to pull it out of first gear, my partner had to pull it quite hard to disengage it.

I'm assuming that we can't have knackered a brand new clutch in 18 months and wondering if this points to something in particular?

Thanks for any pointers,

Dan

[the laird]

Does the clutch pedal seem to have normal pressure when depressing even without starting up!if the clutch pedal doesn't seem to be (loose or slack)lack of pressure it would appear your clutch pressure plate has failed.i presume there has been no clutch slipping etc,it may be the slave cylinder or master cyl has failed
Has the clutch fluid level dropped?

[Simon Jones]

My money is on the clutch slave cylinder which is an easier / cheaper fix (hopefully).

[DanUK]

Thanks for the responses.

The pedal felt quite normal, not slack unless it's a subtle difference that I can't notice. Not noticed any slippage either.

Whereabouts is the clutch cylinder? I couldn't see it under the bonnet so I'm guessing it's near where you put the oil in i.e. under the passenger seat?

Thanks

Dan

[the laird]

Did you check to see if the clutch fluid has dropped?the slave cylinder is attached to the gearbox you've got to get under to see,it has a dust cover(rubber boot)it should be dry if you pull it back,the master cyl is up under the bonnet positioned roughly in front of your pedal.if you look under the steering column upwards from the pedal you will see a rod coming from the pedal forward it should also be dry at the bulkhead.if the pedal feels the same and the level is ok you'd be better having it checked.it could still be a hydraulic fault
Hope this helps you out a bit

[Northern Bongolow]

look under the van on the drivers side,mounted on the side of the gearbox is the slave cylinder,get someone to press the clutch peddle while you look at it, if it moves you are ok to there. if no movement seen the master cylinder is suspect, or fluid, this is a shared res/master with the brake res/master, but it works separate. if the slave and gearbox rod is moving then the problem could be internal clutch.

when i first got mine years ago i had to renew every component including the fluid to get mine to work correctly.

check the gearbox selector cables on the box and lubricate up at the stick end so it will run through, this wont be a fix but it will help with smoother gear changing when its fixed.

[DanUK]

Thanks guys, it'll be tomorrow before I can have a good look under the van.

Dan

[teenmal]

Hi Dan,a long shot,make sure that the pedal travel is not obstructed by carpet etc.

[briwy]

Does the pedal pump up and then go into gear OK? If it does then it probably needs bleeding but then you need to find out why air is getting into the system.

[David Edwards]

check the gear selector as well, make sure something hasnt slipped and is obstructing it or that it isnt knackered, mine is a little notchy at the mo and soon as my back will allow I am gonna investigate it, mine is a 96 manual.

[DanUK]

Hi everyone, just a quick update. It was carted away to the Bongo Specialist before I could have a look at it and it turns out the clutch fluid level was a bit low and after topping up and checking there were no apparent leaks it was handed back to us. It's been ok since.

I'm mindful that the same could happen again and especially as we're on a reasonable trip over the weekend. I have a couple of questions:

1. What type of clutch fluid does a manual gearbox bongo use?

2. How do I fill it up? I think I clocked the reservoir when I had a look underneath but I couldn't see how one fills it up easily, looked quite far up to reach.

Thanks

Dan

[Northern Bongolow]

it shares the same fluid as the brake system, so is topped up in the same res. top left above the starter battery as you open the bonnet.
if the clutch fluid was low how are the brakes, and did the low fluid light not come on.

[DanUK]

Thanks, brakes are allright, no difference. Lol, my partner doesn't even know what the low fluid light looks like and I wouldn't have noticed

I must be blind as that reservoir didn't look low at the time, it was the first thing I checked as it was the only relevant looking reservoir I could see when I opened up the bonnet. There's no way that can appear ok yet the the slave cylinder you pointed me to under the vehicle be low? If it shared then wouldn't the fluid have been low for all the reservoirs?

Dan

[windywatson]

Hi,
Bear in mind that it is unusual for clutch/brake fluid to need to be topped up by more than a very small amount. Most vehicle owners will struggle to remember when they last had to do it. The level will drop by a small amount as break pads wear and the pistons move in a little further. However I would keep an eye on the level over the next few months, if it drops check the system thoughly for minor leaks. If it was correctly topped up/checked at the time the clutch was replaced, I find it hard to believe it had dropped enough to effect the opertation of the clutch.

Cheers