WQ XR4 jumps out of 2nd gear

[79rallypack]

Hi there
I have just bought a 07 WQ Fiesta XR4 Panther Black with 100,000 on the speedo, I have noticed that when i change down to 2nd gear on a down hill run it will jump out of gear, put it back in and again it jumps out, But if i have been accelerating in 2nd then back off it is OK, I have been told that sometimes it jumps out because it was not put in gear properly, so on one down hill run it did it 3 times and i'm sure i banged it in gear properly each time. anyone else had the same issue ? and if so what have you done to fix it?
also i was reading on some other threads about gearbox oil issues does that mean it should also be changed ??

[Russ]

Could be linkage adjustment, but most likely will be internal wear in the gearbox :( Not sure if it will help or not but maybe try a transmission flush and fresh fluid first, if it's not adjustment and the flush and fluid change doesn't help then another gearbox will be your best bet if you're planning on keeping the car for a while

[79rallypack]

if it was wear i would expect it to jump out of gear under acceleration ?? and also the part that does not make sense is if i accelerated in 2nd then backed off then it will not jump out of gear ! also any idea how to adjust the linkage ??

[Russ]

Originally Posted by 79rallypack

if it was wear i would expect it to jump out of gear under acceleration ?? and also the part that does not make sense is if i accelerated in 2nd then backed off then it will not jump out of gear ! also any idea how to adjust the linkage ??

Not 100% certain on the linkage adjustment mate, I had a similar issue years ago with a manual box in an XC Falcon, that had been caused by the car being rear ended several months earlier whilst it was parked and in 2nd gear. The repair on that involved a gearbox rebuild to rectify the issue. I found some info about the Fiesta and jumping out of gear on a UK site - http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/po...ex.htm?t=82329

Someone suggests linkage adjustment on there but without actually seeing it I couldn't say for sure that it has any :(

Another thought I just had would be to check gearbox mountings too

[mik]

How does the shifter feel, any play in it?
When you chuck it back a cog could it be a dodgy engine mount allowing the body to clash with the shifter knocking it out of gear ? When you accelerate forward in other gears does the shift move around ?
If there's play in the shifter I would find out if there's a nylon bush on the bottom of the shift also.
with the engine off select a gear disengage clutch and give the shift a wobble around how much play does it have.

[79rallypack]

checked how much play is in the gear stick "at the knob" it has about total 6-8mm sideways and about 12 mm forward and back. the gear stick is pretty solid in all gears, have not checked if any engine mount bushes are worn.

[zabatron]

Jumping out of gear is usually caused by a worn/faulty syncro ring inside gearbox,more often than not caused by too many race gear changes,or it may have been faulty from factory.In a front drive car such as Fiesta,it may also be caused by incorrect selector cable adjustment,sticking external selector arm on gearbox,or worn/burnt or incorrect gearbox fluid.
Check condition of gearbox fluid,if it is black,thick and smelly,then it is probably still the original factory filled fluid which will certainly be rooted at 100000km,and will need to be replaced asap(gearbox fluid in my 08 XR4 was burnt at @35000km).
Xr4 uses 2 gear shift cables.The selector cable is adjustable at gearbox end,but the shifter cable is not.
Also,as stated above,check condition of engine mounts(especially lower engine mount),and condition of gearbox fluid first,and then check adjustment of selector cable(the one with the orange plastic insert on it).

[mik]

Originally Posted by 79rallypack

checked how much play is in the gear stick "at the knob" it has about total 6-8mm sideways and about 12 mm forward and back. the gear stick is pretty solid in all gears, have not checked if any engine mount bushes are worn.

Bad luck mate, its always good to check the easy and cheap stuff to fix first.