kiteboystu

2008 Focus 1.8td Zetec with 99,500 miles.
Cambelt and Major service dome at 90k.

From experience, how much to repair / replace gearbox / linkage?

Need to decide if my car is worth fixing or shooting in the head like a lame mule!?!?

Probably worth about £1,600 (before this happened!)

Pulled out of a busy junction and couldn’t find any gear.

Happened suddenly not gradually.

Managed to drive to a garage as it seems to be stuck in 4th, but the lever just flaps about, forwards and backwards and not left or right and can’t select anything.

Garage says it’s not the cable it’s the linkage inside the box. They’re gonna call with costs to send itboff for repair tomorrow and I need to decide what to do.

I have a campervan as a second car which I can use if this is stuffed!

Got a BIG job interview tomorrow. I’m really hoping I get this one!

If I get the job I can walk to work so won’t need the car anyway. Was planning to sell it if I got the job. Now I don’t know how much if anything to throw at it.

Or just sell it broken?

Thanks in advance folks🤞🏻🚙

haz87

Buy another box for £50.
Can fit it for free yourself, then just cost of fluids.

If you don't wanna fit it yourself im sure most garages would swap out for £2-300

kiteboystu

Thanks. Is it an easy job then?

Garage was on about sending it off for repair and mentioned possible costs of £400+.

Also said, “depends if it’s got a dual mass flywheeel”

I don’t actually know...

haz87

It'll have a DMF - dont know why that changes anything tho - it doesnt alter how you remove and/or fix a box...

Fitting a gbox on a Focus is easy for anyone who can do a little bit of spannering. Hardest part is lifting it to refit if you dont have a ramp etc. Just fiddly - but an extra pair of hands make it a doddle.

kiteboystu

Cheers.

Garage called.

Broken plastic housing around the gear lever which they said they can GLUE back together and it should hold.

Gonna try that and see.

They said a new gear selector/lever is about £300-£500 from Ford. Or get a second hand one.

Money is tight so I’m going with the GLUE option for now.

thanks again

Caddyshack

If the glue works just assume it will fail again so work on getting a second hand one anyway

haz87

Probably a fiver from a scrappy

kiteboystu

Yep that’s what I was thinking. Will have to hunt around for a replacement.

Why it’s plastic and not metal is beyond me!

Thanks all👍🏻

bigdel

If the selector mechanism in the gearbox is similar to the MTX75 box in the Focus RS then the problem could be a broken roll pin that holds all the selector mechanism together
Have fixed it twice on ours, parts cost around 50p plus an hour or so of your time
Have some pics if they are required

kiteboystu

It’s the black plastic collar that goes round the metal gear lever. See photos.

It appears to be a complete unit, rather than something I can swap out.

by the looks of it I’d have to buy the whole selected mechanism (about £25 used on the bay)?

Tou can see in the pics where the garage has bonded it. It’s rock solid resin. It works...but is not a permanent solution.