How the chuff do I get my linkage off.?

[Robsey]

As the question asks.

I cannot get my central pivot pin to come out.
I have tried everything, even a jemmy bar / breaker bar, but to no avail.

Am I missing something?
Possibly a circlip hidden underneath, next to the rear mount bracket.?

I cannot get underneath to see.

[Mk3alan]

Away at the moment so can't look but would a mirror help?

Alan

[Robsey]

I will have to see if I can get a mirror.

I tried using my phone to look, but it is such a rediculous place and silly angle to get at.

[Robsey]

I have given up for now.

I will have to drop the whole rear gearbox mount out of the car.

I have no choice but to attempt to strip it down at work, in the workshop.

Plenty of facilities (and big hammers) there to tease the pin out one way or another.

[ilovedmymantas]

A technique I use for seized bolts etc might work.

Spray a couple of times with engine/brake/clutch cleaner to remove the glue that accumulates with age ( boiling water might help as a rinse in this case ).

Saturate it with penetrating oil over a couple of hours, It's usually WD to hand but I have no preference and I'm sure there's better .

If there's still no joy It's time for the big guns

Put a dome-headed bolt (I have a cut down one with a 3/4 head, best all-rounder for minimal damage ) in a hammer drill, stick it on hammer and zero torque then (hopefully) vibrate the part loose

I would try parts around the pin first as this method may damage the swivel action of the pin

[Robsey]

I have two large tins of plus-gas, so I could give a good dowsing with that.

The spring clip spins on the top when released. The centre pin is solid in there.

The mild re-alignment of the linkage appears to have improved things a lot.
2nd is now easier to engage than 1st.
All other gears are spot on.

[Robsey]

For those who want to remove the gear-stick, I thought I would put up a few pictures.

Your first job is to release the gaiter from the centre console.
It is just clipped in, so pulling up on the plastic shell inside the bottom of the gaiter should get it out of the console.

The top of the gaiter is secured to the gear stick with a zip-tie / cable tie.
This needs to be snipped off, if you want to get the gaiter past the gear knob without removing it.

I have removed my front centre-console and the whole gaiter assembly to allow me to look at problems with my selector shaft...
You should not need to do this - simply pull the gaiter up to the top of the gear stick to allow you to access /see the fixture pin below -

These pictures with the console and gaiter removed give a better view.

I do apologise for how grubby the car is under there. I really do not know how it got so dirty in just two years since the resto.

This is where my photos will look odd...
I have an Astra-G gear stick (shorter than the Cavalier stick)
The Astra gear stick does not have a rubber ring... it has slots cut into the ball, that starts out life over-side, and so compresses the slots to allow a snug fit.
Because my selector shaft end piece is worn, the ball is no longer a snug fit.

Only proper repair is to replace the whole selector shaft, or fit the Cavalier stick with a new rubber ring.

Despite differences in the ball, the removal and refitting is the same.

First image is the gear stick in situ.



Looking towards the base, you can see a metal clip.
This is sprung around the base of the lever.
Push towards the passenger side to free it from the lever.



Then pull the pin out.





Once the pin is out, the whole gear stick will pull up and out.



Now then - there are a few reasons why you may have excess play at the lever end of the selector shaft.
1- There is a rubber ring that goes around the ball part of the Cavalier gear stick.
This can wear giving excess movement.
Replacement rings are available for around the £9 mark from the Vauxhall superstore on ebay.
Or about £7 plus post from Genuine Parts Search.
Strangely Auto Vaux, the sister company to GPS do not stock the ring...
Part number is- 90 250 175

2 - The plastic end on the selector shaft can be worn to a concave profile inside.
(Mine is like this after 25 years of wear).
Part number 2 or 3 in the diagram below.
Mine resembles No 2. (straight shaft), but the plastic piece looks like No. 3.



After sorting your slack lever issue, refitting is a reversal of the removal process.

[cavalier1990]

I have two large tins of plus-gas, so I could give a good dowsing with that.

The spring clip spins on the top when released. The centre pin is solid in there.

The mild re-alignment of the linkage appears to have improved things a lot.
2nd is now easier to engage than 1st.
All other gears are spot on.

Robsey

I remember doing this on my LS, it was a total bar steward because the pin was stuck dead. I tried to remove it by getting underneath the pin and breaking it's hellish grip that way, BIG MISTAKE!

I ended up breaking the rear box mount alloy and had to source a new mount, it would have been simple had it been the rubber bit of the mount, but this was the bit that bolted onto the box. I also had to get a new pin as well as it was still stuck solid!

Now and again I remove the pin and give it a grease or schoosh of oil to stop it welding itself back in there.

I think 25 years of rain, snow, cold, hot, grit and all the rest welds this pin absolutely solid in place with on chance of moving it, especially as it sits in an alloy hole, 2 different metals are usually adept at self-welding themselves together!

[Robsey]

The car is drivable at the moment, but what I will probably do in the spring, is remove the whole mount and separate it in a vice at work.

I think it is just four or five M8 hex head bolts (13mm spanner / socket), so not too tricky.