Issue with gear box

[Knipples]

First of all ****ing car! Its cost me the best part of a grand the last year, and now its breaking again.

Basically it hasn't liked going into second gear for quite a few months now, but nothing that I couldnt sort with a bit of brute force. However now its refusing to go into 1st gear at times, to the point where I physically can't get it in gear, and am going round corners in 3rd gear because I cant get 1st or 2nd.

Someone mentioned that it might be the little bit of plastic that you select the gears into, which I am really hoping it is, because that doesnt sound expensive, is there anything else it could be? Surely if the gear box was dying it would be a different problem that I am having.

Need to get my Dads mate to look at it, because I just dont trust garages (being a woman) but its getting to the point I am hurting myself trying to get it into gear, and scaring myself because I cant.

Any advice would be useful. 52 plate corsa sxi (no corsa jokes thankyou please :p )

[volospian]

It looks like gear linkage issues are common on the corsa, you can buy a new part from somewhere like this (http://www.vauxallparts.co.uk/?product_id=2249&option=Prod_detail&image_id=562554).

It *could* be another issue, but if it's clutch operation, you would probably have issues in every gear (I remember that just before the slave cylinder went in my TVR 1st, 2nd and reverse were very difficult to engage, while the rest were just a bit clunky, although reverse is always difficult to engage on that car, you need to change into 5th first, or it will always crunch :)).

It could also be a 'box issue, I suppose, but from the sounds of it I'd put my money on the gear linkage issue.

[Knipples]

How much is that likely to be. I've just had a rather stressful drive to work, and as the vauxhall garage is down the road its just been booked in there so I can stop worrying. :(

[Jonny69]

Your gearstick is connected to the gearbox with cables or rods. It might be worn and need adjusting.

[Knipples]

I just (slowly) dropped it off. Can't afford vauxhall prices but better that than how shaky I feel right now after my drive to work :(

[Knipples]

Gear linkage. If they can do a partial fix of it it's £165, if it needs to be completely redone it's £220 *cries*

[volospian]

Bloody hell, the part is only about £38 from that site I linked. I'd buy the part and take it to a general garage, it can't be that difficult to fit!

[TinkerBell]

Yup. Definately gear linkage. I had a corsa and my gear linkage broke twice before I sold it. If you can get the metal gear linkage put in instead of the standard plastic one as it will last a hell of alot longer. It is more expensive though. On mine it was the ball and socket part of the linkage that broke, rubbed away and popped out eventually which meant no gears at all.

[TinkerBell]

Bloody hell, the part is only about £38 from that site I linked. I'd buy the part and take it to a general garage, it can't be that difficult to fit!

I believe that when I was looking at getting mine fixed the part alone from vauxhall was at least £100 put then it was the full linkage not the repair kit.

[Knipples]

They've done it for £165. Daylight robbery but at least it's fixed.

[Del Lardo]

They've done it for £165. Daylight robbery but at least it's fixed.

Like you say at least it's fixed but does sound rather pricey, I got it fixed on my Elise for <£100 though bizarrely it is one of the easier jobs on an Elise. I decided to get it fixed after I completely lost reverse and ended up 'accidentally' turning the car round 180° using the throttle in front of one of our Directors ;D

Still could have been worse, just after I started struggling to get my Mundano into gear the gearbox jammed solid and had to be replaced :'(

[Chuckles]

I can tell you exactly what this is because mine has done the same.

It's the gear linkage. There is a fault because the standard Vauxhall part is make partly from metal and partly from plastic. If you look on ebay you can find a "Modified" one which is all metal for around £25. My mate fitted it and it took him about 40 minutes or so so you'd be looking at an hours labour from a garage.

Edit : Should have read the other posts first!! Ouch at £165. What is the breakdown on the bill?

[Chuckles]

Also, I hate to tell you this but when mine went, I called the AA and they fixed it initially with a cable tie which would actually probably last a few months before you get it done properly. Always worth a thought if you are joined up.

[Knipples]

The bill is in the car, I think they charged me £80 for the part, and the rest was labour. I did query when I said I had seen it for £40 online, but they said they didnt know where I had got that price from (yeah right) i've got break down free with my bank.

They were also delighted to inform me they had washed my car for free as part of the fixing of the car. :shocked:

My shoulder is really hurting from 2 days of me trying to force it into gear - fooking car! :(

[Chuckles]

I've guessing you've done about 70k miles? Because yours is around the same age as mine?

The other thing that goes round that time which I've had replaced is the water pump. Symptoms are a rattle coming form the engine that gets worse as the revs rise. If you ever get that, I can show you the part you need to get cheap on ebay and instructions how to replace from Haynes. At least you'll not get charged that much again. If you can find a friendly mechanic through friends and source the parts yourself, you can make massive savings. :)

[Knipples]

Yeah my Dads mate was going to fix it this time, but his Mum died and he had to go to Canada to sort things out, the car wasn't safe to drive and I need it for work, so I had to go down the devils route this time. My Dads friend fixed my heating matrix for £90 and £45 of that was the part. Vauxhall wanted £400 to fix it due to needing to take the dash out, and it needing 4 hours labour, so glad Dads mate did that one.

Mines done 56k. I read somewhere that corsa ones go on about the 55k mark, so mines about right for that.

[TinkerBell]

If it is any consolation your not the only one to have had car trouble yesterday. When I got home I found a puncture in my tyre. Then on my way to my dad's I heard a rattling noise like something was loose. Then on my way home again a piece of coil fell out of my car!! Ha! Awesome! Not a good day yesterday. At least it isn't rattling anymore I suppose.