E-TEC gear shifter

BogMonster · 05 August 2017, 15:29

Cross post from Etec owners group to reach a wider audience.

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I finally tackled the easy water pump replacement having reassured myself that the videos made it look easy, and promised that it would only take an hour if you were good at it so what could go wrong. Got all the spares, got all the tools.

Except that there's a bolt that you have to take out to disconnect the gear linkage to the leg, which sounds easy in theory, as it always does.

It's now snapped off (threads seized in the bracket, despite patiently working it for about half an hour the head eventually went) and I am completely stuck.

Short of oxyacetylene I cannot see any way of getting it out because the leg won't come off without disconnecting the linkage, and the bracket that the rest of the bolt is stuck in is right in the middle of the engine (so can't drill it out due to access). There is a clamp bolt to disconnect the whole bracket from the shaft but it's on top of the bracket and inaccessible from any direction so you can't get at that from any direction to take it out either. Presumably they built the engine on top of it. Even if I got the bracket off I doubt it would fit out through the sleeve that the gear linkage runs in, but I'm not sure.

To make things worse I've cracked off the seal on the leg, so can't even reassemble it and just forget I started, and the nearest Ev dealer is about 8000 miles away.

Does anybody have any ideas about getting the linkage out in this situation please? If I can get the damn thing off I might get somewhere even if I have to order in parts which will take a few weeks.

Pikey Dave · 05 August 2017, 15:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

Cross post from Etec owners group to reach a wider audience.

--

I finally tackled the easy water pump replacement having reassured myself that the videos made it look easy, and promised that it would only take an hour if you were good at it so what could go wrong. Got all the spares, got all the tools.

Except that there's a bolt that you have to take out to disconnect the gear linkage to the leg, which sounds easy in theory, as it always does.

It's now snapped off (threads seized in the bracket, despite patiently working it for about half an hour the head eventually went) and I am completely stuck.

Short of oxyacetylene I cannot see any way of getting it out because the leg won't come off without disconnecting the linkage, and the bracket that the rest of the bolt is stuck in is right in the middle of the engine (so can't drill it out due to access). There is a clamp bolt to disconnect the whole bracket from the shaft but it's on top of the bracket and inaccessible from any direction so you can't get at that from any direction to take it out either. Presumably they built the engine on top of it. Even if I got the bracket off I doubt it would fit out through the sleeve that the gear linkage runs in, but I'm not sure.

To make things worse I've cracked off the seal on the leg, so can't even reassemble it and just forget I started, and the nearest Ev dealer is about 8000 miles away.

Does anybody have any ideas about getting the linkage out in this situation please? If I can get the damn thing off I might get somewhere even if I have to order in parts which will take a few weeks.

Can you post some photos please Steve?

BogMonster · 05 August 2017, 19:29

Got it off now but at the expense of destroying both the bracket and gear linkage, neither of which I have available to replace so will be out of action for a couple of months.

Next question, according to the book changing the shift linkage is just "take it off and put it on again" simple (a bit like the bracket... ho ho) is it as simple as that? Some sort of special tool needed to adjust it so not sure what I am going to do there at the moment but I suppose if I set it up at the same length above the gearcase as the old one, that will be good enough.

On the plus side, needing to change the water pump every year is a load of old bollocks, it's seven years old and apart from a bit of a set in the vanes and a bit of light scuffing on the plate where sand and grit has gone through, it still looks almost perfect.

Chris · 12 August 2017, 21:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

Got it off now but at the expense of destroying both the bracket and gear linkage, neither of which I have available to replace so will be out of action for a couple of months.

Next question, according to the book changing the shift linkage is just "take it off and put it on again" simple (a bit like the bracket... ho ho) is it as simple as that? Some sort of special tool needed to adjust it so not sure what I am going to do there at the moment but I suppose if I set it up at the same length above the gearcase as the old one, that will be good enough.

On the plus side, needing to change the water pump every year is a load of old bollocks, it's seven years old and apart from a bit of a set in the vanes and a bit of light scuffing on the plate where sand and grit has gone through, it still looks almost perfect.

Hi Stephen.

This video might help with your shift shaft. On the subject of replacing the water pump after 7 years. I think you have found the main reason it is worth dropping the gearbox off to perform a water pump inspection every year or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBNZ...9S2dSfYZz2v3Z-

BogMonster · 28 August 2017, 10:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Hi Stephen.

This video might help with your shift shaft. On the subject of replacing the water pump after 7 years. I think you have found the main reason it is worth dropping the gearbox off to perform a water pump inspection every year or so.

Yes indeed ... though all the other bolts came out very easily!

It appears you can adjust the shift height with the leg on anyway, just by disconnecting the swearing bolt, I think it should be possible to rotate the shaft by a turn and then reconnect it.