Hello everyone,

Today I experienced the dreaded shift problem... I tried putting it in reverse only to find it wouldn't budge. I pulled a bit too hard and broke the plastic shift piece... Turns out my problem was with the brake interlocking switch (not sure if that's what it's called, but it's part of the gear shift assembly).
I ordered the metal repair from Welsh Enterprises kit but has anyone replaced this? If so, do you need to remove the entire gear assembly or can it be done with it left in the car? If the assembly has to be removed, is it fairly straight forward?

For those not familiar with how the brake switch works, when you put your foot on the brake it sends 12V to the solenoid. This activates a tiny electromagnet which releases the pin that blocks the shifter from moving back. It's very similar to the DCC Valve in the engine area for the heater.

Oh, and since I could't find the switch sold by itself, I decided to just take it apart to see what's inside. Two rivets hold it together. Turns out there's a contact inside that was dirty. If anyone works on old ignition systems, it was similar to dirty points. After cleaning with some emery cloth the piston started working fine thus releasing the little tab to allow the gear shift to move.

Unfortunately, I wish I figured this out before breaking the plastic piece... But from what I read it's not IF it breaks, its WHEN it breaks.

Thanks in advance!
Steve

 

It's been a few years, but I don't remember any problems when I replaced the plastic block on my '02. I'm pretty sure the J-gate had to come out, but that wasn't very difficult. When you remove the cable from the J-gate, unthread whichever adjustment nut is easier to reach, and leave the other alone. I'd suggest marking this second nut with a sharpie to be sure it doesn't spin. When you reinstall the J-Gate, complete with new slider block, snug up the first adjuster nut you had loosened, without touching the second one, and in theory all should line up again.

Check the adjustment after installation, in case the cable has stretched slightly. I forget the official procedure, but with my foot on the brake and engine running, I moved the lever back and forth to find the center of the neutral position. I'm talking about finding the point in the middle between the transmission pulling forward and reverse, not the actual lever position. If the cable is still in adjustment, the lever will now fit the N detent perfectly to match the transmission. If not, loosen one adjustment nut and tighten the other to bring the lever to the N detent.

Add a few drops of light oil to the round rail on which the block rides. After several years of daily use, the new aluminum block galled lightly to the steel rail. A few drops of oil took care of this. If I had known this, I'd have oiled the block at installation.

 

Just wanted to update my post with the solution... The repair kit arrived in the mail this past weekend. It is a very fine piece of engineering and almost identical to the original plastic piece. All that was required was to remove the right side plate held in with four screws. I might have been able to do this with the gear shift in situ but I decided it was easier to remove it since it was only held in with 4 screws. Removing the shift cable and key lock cable was a piece of cake. As Karl mentioned above, its a good idea to oil the round rod that the block rides on. In my case, the rod was pitted with rust and corrosion, probably from the PO spilling soda or something... Anyway, a light sanding, a bit of white grease and it goes back together quickly. In fact, the entire process took less time that me typing out this post.

Hope this helps someone!
Steve