1994 Daihatsu Feroza-manual Gears hard to engage when cold Improves when gearbox oil is warm but changes still notchy?

Answer 1

In older cars it can be normal that gears are a bit notchy when the transmission is cold, like shifting around corners, but this should go away when the box warms up. If it doesn't, there may be a problem in there.

1. If your clutch is new or still good, the problem could be with a lack of transmission oil in the gearbox (= transmission). It should be checked and, if low, oil should be added. You could go to a mechanic and have him do it for you. (It is not that costly, unless you're really low on oil or he's a crook.) If you do it yourself, you need a hydraulic lift or some such device, but the car must be up and level. Wait till the transmission has cooled off. (If you don't, the oil could come shooting out once it's opened, as has happened to me! But I think the previous owner overfilled the box by filling oil when the car was on a slant.) Now have a set of wrenches or ratchets about 22 to 26 mm, I can't remember the actual size. Have a pair of pliers on hand, too, you may need them later. Have a few gaskets (actually washers) around, more than one in case you may want to check the transfer, too. The original Daihatsu gaskets/washers were made out of aluminum but copper is ok, too, and they should be 16.5mm X 26mm X 1.5mm (or 2 mm). A width of down to 23 mm is acceptable, if you can't find any that are 26mm wide. Finally, have 75W-85 or 75W-90 GL3/GL4 transmission oil handy. That's what my specs are here in Europe for my Feroza F300 HDE 1994 - it's probably the same there, but check your manual. I can't tell you how much oil you'll need and this oil is costly, but whether you check the oil yourself or have your mechanic do it for you, it costs about the same for the oil and the mechanic charges labor, too. If you don't have enough oil on hand the first time around, because it was that low, you have to put in what you have, close everything up and repeat the process until the gearbox is full. But always let the transmission cool down first and the car should be level before going back to work on it.

The process itself: Remove the undercover plate under the transmission, if you have one. (Mine's missing.) Now locate the large filler bolt halfway up the transmission case on the driver's side (US driver's, not British!!). DON'T FIDDLE WITH THE LOWER BOLT, THAT'S TO LET THE OIL OUT! Also, leave the other protuberances alone. Remove the filler bolt with a wrench or ratchet. Then reach into the hole and check the level with your finger or other suitable tool or implement. The oil should be up to about 5mm (0.20 inch) under the bottom of the bolt hole. If it's not there, add oil until it is (when very low, proceed as described above in stages or have enough oil on hand from the beginning.) Use a large pipette, like for basting turkeys or cleaning aquariums out, or a squeeze bottle, to add oil. Make sure it's clean, whatever it is! The transmission holds 1.7 liters of oil. When finished, close the bolt with a new gasket/washer to a torque of 29.4-49.0 Nm (= 3.0-5.0 kgf-m). Put the cover plate back on (if you have one) with the 8 bolts tightening to a torque of 39.2-58.8 Nm (=4.0-6.0 kgf-m).

If the oil was low, especially if it was very low, or you have the inclination, check the transfer oil, too. That's the box attached to the right of the transmission when looking at it from behind facing forward. Approaching this box from behind, here again, it's the upper bolt that's used to fill the oil, NOT THE LOWER ONE. With the pliers, you may have to remove the tacho cable, or just push it aside, if you can, but then do so being sure not to damage the cable. The bolt, the washer/gasket, the oil and fill levels are the same as with the transmission but the transfer case holds only 1.4 liters of oil. When filled, reassemble in like manner and attach the tacho cable, twisting the nut on with the pliers, torque not specified. Attach the cover plate, if present and had been taken off.

(If the oil was very low, you may want to also check the two differentials. I won't describe that here, except to say that the process is similar. I think the bolts, washers and torques are the same, too, only the oil is SAE 90 or 80W-90 API- GL5 with a 0.9 liter capacity in front and 1.95 liters in the rear.)

2. If this doesn't solve the problem, (but I hope it did), check the clutch or have it checked.

3. Finally, if all that didn't help, you may have a larger problem on your hands with parts in the transmission like synchronizing rings, gears or other parts, and that may be costly. You may sooner or later even need another transmission then. In any case, leave that to the experts and get advice from them. On the other hand, used transmissions are sometimes quite reasonably priced (eBay, etc.) and that may be less costly and better than having a mechanic repair the complicated, time consuming thing. On the other hand, if this worst case scenario is the problem, you may want to just drive the transmission as long as possible and save for a new one in the meanwhile till the present one gives up the ghost. Nevertheless, get professional advice. I hope this worst case is not the problem here!

I wish you the best and good success!

Dennis

P.S.: The complete Daihatsu Feroza Repair Manual is available on line free at a Daihatsu club site. Seek and ye shall find.