steptronic gear shift

[Pmill52]

Hello yet again guys.

Regarding my Steptronic, i have changed the Lamda Sensors due to rough idle issue, that sorted, i have pumped up the suspension, that sorted, it started not shifting up in Auto mode, so i changed the CVT fluid, that sorted that, or so i thought.
Just been out in it to settle the suspension after pumping it up and its started its old non shift issue "again"
What have i got to do to make this bloody car happy????
Does anyone know why its still that unhappy it will not shift up gear in Auto Mode??

Regards

[Reckless Rat]

Have you shouted "Change up you Bastard" at it very loudly?
Failing that are all the connections good?

[Pmill52]

Hi.

Lol, yes i have shouted at it very loudly, and the sob still won't do as i ask.
Can you please explain what connections i have to check??
I know very little about these cars but have done loads on classic cars, any advise and pointers would be appreciated!!

[Geoff.F]

"Not shifting up" is not enough info to diagnose a fault. Do the gear lever rainbow lights show correctly ?? What is the Speedo head indicator showing ?? have you checked/cleaned the gearbox sensor connections ?? Is the car driving in default mode ?? Is the gearbox controller fuse in the boot OK and clean ??. and more.
Geoff F.

[Reckless Rat]

what he said...

[Pmill52]

ok here goes, the lights that come on red on the right side of the shifter work "Intermitently" there are no codes when scanned, so i assume that the car is working in standard mode, and not Limp home mode, don't know why the light on the left that tell u what gear you are in work intermitently, they just do, would this make a difference to the shifting up operation??.
I thought they were for display purposes only.

Regards

[Geoff.F]

ok here goes, the lights that come on red on the right side of the shifter work "Intermitently" I thought they were for display purposes only.

Regards

No , they show the selected gear which then controls the gearbox.
Failed Gear Selector Rainbow Switch UGD100010 £182.51 from Rimmer Bros. and a pain to change.
In 2005 when MG went Bankrupt, a Dealer put a complete gear control leaver assembly on E-Bay with a starting price of £50 , nobody else wanted it so it is in my loft.
Geoff F.

[Pmill52]

Ok, have stripped out the mechanism to check it over and got my hands on a good selector rainbow.
How the bloody hell do you uncouple the gear stick from that small plastic peice under it??
Got everything else out for checking.

[Geoff.F]

I do not know how you are aattacking it.
Give the gear knob a sharp pull and it will come off.
Prise the ring of the boot from the tunnel and remove.
The switch is on top.
To remove the front screw, remove the lower dash.
To remove the rear screw, cut a small "V" in the rear of the tunnel aperture.
Geoff F

[Pmill52]

I have got everything out, just need to get the bottom of the gear stick off that little alloy bit that connects the stick to the cable.
It's some kind of rivet that has a collar on it, no thread to unwind it, just riveted through, how does that come appart??

[Geoff.F]

My best suggestion would be to put it all back together and then use my method.
T replaced the switch, cleaned the old one and carry it as a spare. I am now able to change it in half an hour in some desolate part of Europe by the roadside.
I did not go any further however the assembly in the loft includes the cable so I will investigate later today and let you know.

[Pmill52]

Yeh ok thanks, looking at it the only way i can see it will come apart is to either drill the pin out, or tap it out with a punch.
To be honest i would rather just replace the whole shift unit, i have a replacement one on its way, the way its been connected to the cable clearly has not thought out in terms of repair or replacement, silly bloody rivet through the link from the stick to the cable, you would be well screwed if you had to changed the whole shift mechanism out on a limb. They should of used some sort of spring clip set up.

Regards.

[Geoff.F]

t. They should of used some sort of spring clip set up.

Regards.

That is exactly what they did. On the RH side there is an arm with a clip that goes around the cable end rod.
Looking from the RH side, rotate it 90 Deg anticlockwise to dis-engage the clip and pull it out.
Geoff F.

[Pmill52]

Decided to put all the mechanical bits back together and just change all the electrical switches and components around the shifter.
It's just too problematic trying to change the lot. Even trying to reassemble the mechanical's is proving a nightmare. why the bloody hell did they not put a captive nut under the three shifter mixing points??
One drops out you have zero chance of getting the bolt back under that mounting section, as has happened with the top one on mine. i never ever want to work on this part of the vehicle again!!!