Gear selection shaft dust boot

[frankxhv773t]

My gear selection shaft dust boot (item 15 on Tav.43) needs replacing as it has fallen to bits. I have a replacement but am unsure of how to fit it.

It seems improbable that the tiny hole in the outer end can be forced over the knobble on the end of the gear selection shaft (item 4 on Tav.45) and the workshop manual says virtually nothing about repairing this part of the gear system.

Can anyone advise how this should be done? Do I heat the new boot up in boiling water and force it on from outside or am I supposed to remove the gear selector housing, disassemble the selector mechanism and feed the new boot onto the selector shaft from the back?

Any guidance would be gratefully received.

[lancianut666]

Hi Frank
My take on it was to dismantle the linkage and fit from the rear. I had discounted a frontal assault because as you have observed the hole in the front of the boot is a lot smaller than the end fitting. On my car the seal is leaking badly so I will have to remove the linkage casting and remove the shaft to replace the seal and the boot can be done at the same time.
Clarkey

[frankxhv773t]

Thanks Jim. As the gears still seem to be stuck removing the selector housing and disassembling the selector mechanism is probably going to be necessary anyway. The next quandary is do I try to do it in situ or face the major task of removing the transaxle. I may have to resort to professional help again. It will have to wait till next week though as I am off playing soldiers over the bank holiday.

[Dave Gee]

  Frank
  Depending how deep you get into the box I have a set of tools to take strip the box
 

    Dave

[frankxhv773t]

That's a very kind offer but stripping the box would be rather beyond my abilities. I'm too old with too limited facilities to even remove it from the car myself.

It's frustrating that the problem didn't manifest itself to this extent while the car was at Omicron.

[frankxhv773t]

I've got the boot replaced and the gearbox is working passably now. I had some fun with reassembly by fitting some seemingly inconsequential external parts in the wrong sequence. Three parts later I found out I was short of a vital eighth of an inch to insert a bolt! Still, it gave me lots of practice at disassembly and reassembly.

[lancianut666]

Hi Frank
Did you find anything wrong or was it the gummed up selector balls and springs
Clarkey

[frankxhv773t]

It just seems to have just been gummed up. I'm assuming the selector forks weren't returning properly to neutral which was blocking selection of the next gear. The plungers and balls needed a bit of soaking with WD40 before I could extract them for cleaning. The car has only done about 150 miles since restoration prior to 2018 and could have been standing for years before that.

[frankxhv773t]

Moving on to new jobs; I took the fuel gauge sender out of the Birmingham Berlina to see if it was any better than the one in the Contessa. It very much isn't. The Birmingham Berlina is eighteen months younger than the Contessa so I suspect the Contessa's current sender is a later, improved version. Picture of both below.

The Contessa came with carpets only in the rear and on the transmission tunnel so I've been making paper templates with a view to having mats made up for the front. The original rubber floor mats are crumbling away. 

[lancianut666]

I know what you mean about the rubber mats! Strangely the Appia mats 10 years older are lasting a lot better. I think your plan to get some carpets made makes sense as the price of the new mats is high.
Clarkey

[frankxhv773t]

I seem to have skipped a groove as my last post should have been under the Contessa. I'll try and pay more attention in future.