Clutch, or gearbox ?

[Hightower]

All,

The gearchange down from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st has been getting increasingly crunchy as of late.  In the last week, going up from 1st to 2nd is having the same result.

I know that the clutch is on it's way out (if I lightly touch the pedal you can feel the thing slipping), but the question is this.  Is the crunchiness (?) due to the clutch going, or is the syncro going in the g/box?

What I don't want is to have to spend £300 getting the clutch changed only to find out that it's the box and have the whole lot out again.

If it is the box then I can take it to Ashcrofts and get a rebuilt box and new clutch done for around £900.

Any views would be greatly appreciated.

[Henry Webster]

Difficult one to call Simon, without experiencing!  3-2 and 2-1 are often knotchy because of failing synchros.  It is almost always 3-2 that goes downhill first.

I guess if you are not really experiencing notchyness in any other gears then it is likely to be a gearbox thing!

The other option instead of replacing the gearbox is to double de-clutch those changes or use a heel and toe technique.  I do this with everything I drive, you are not then reliant on the synchros.

[Jas278]

Sounds like the box..............