I have a 55 plate renault trafic i use for towing my caravan.
There is a problem with the gearbox where selecting 1st or 2nd can sometimes be very stiff (hot or cold) and requires releasing and depressing the clutch again to select the gear. This occasionally effects reverse as well.
The reason i am asking on this forum is that the problem is massively increased when towing and can spread to the rest of the gearbox. Eventually getting to the point where selecting any gear can become an issue and i have once had the 'stirring porridge' feeling.
initially the garage suggested that the gearoil level was wrong. Right enough the box had been totally over filled by teh previous owner. Once that was sorted the problem pretty much cleared up (over winter - no towing). The problems with selecting first and second have since returned and i am due to be towing again this weekend. I had the oil level checked again yesterday but the problem still persists.
I realise that this question might be better asked on a car forum but i thought as it seems to get a lot worse while towing some one here might have experienced a similar issue.
did you just drian to the correct level, or replace the oil completly before?
If you didnt replace it, I would suggest replacing the gearbox oil, the old stuff may have overheated when the box was overfilled, leading to it getting worse as the oil heats up (which obviously is more under towing conditions)
make sure you use the correct grade of gearoil for your vehicle.
Next time you can't select a gear, keep your foot on the clutch and the gear lever trying to go into the gear with moderate pressure on it. Then turn the engine off. If it slides into gear when the engine stops you can bet it's the clutch dragging.
Usually a dragging clutch causes lower gears to be difficult to engage, ie first, second and reverse. Worse case will affect all gears. Often caused by contamination of the clutch lining - for example by oil getting onto it.
Grad Sailor has hit the nail on the head in my opinion.. Does sound like a Clutch Problem to me. here's another way of checking if its the clutch.
1, Drive along in 1st gear then change to 2nd if it wont go in gear keep the pressure on the gear stick and slightly lift the clutch if it drops in gear your clutch is dragging..
The oil has been changed the first time around and i just got him to do it again (as i thought there was a leak and the level might have been low - belt and braces). Will take it back again but hoping to attain a bit more knowledge before i do so.
had a play with the linkage and the bigger of the two levers that is moved when the gear level is moved forwards and backwards seems to be loose with around 1/8 and inch of travel where it connects to the gearbox. There doesn't seem to be any sticking of the linkage and it is very easy to move with fairly gentle finger pressure.
Intersting that you mention the clutch. The bite point does feel very low but the van has always beeen like that. i have nothing to compare it to other than different cars and vans so don't know if this is normal for a trafic.
A lot of Renault cars have a self adjusting ratchet on the clutch pedal. I'm not sure about the vans though.
If the self adjusting system is not working it could be the cause of your low clutch biting point.
If the bite point is low it could well be the cause of the gears being difficult to engage.
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My Clio has a very high biting point compared to the other 2 cars we have, when I queried it on a forum I was that Renaults generally have high biting points.
It's either the pressure plate worn or weak on the clutch causing the clutch to drag, or possibly the bulkhead cracked where the cable comes through, allowing the bulkhead to flex rather than apply the clutch. Possibly the clutch cable is breaking, but that is usually accompanied with a lumpy feel on the pedal which you did not mention.
It's not out of the question for it to be worn syncromeshes on 1st and 2nd gears, but thw others (fortunately) are more likely.
a renault traffic of that age for a start wont have a cable it will be hydraulic, this follows on to a hydraulic clutch cant be adjusted. may be worth getting the clutch hydraulic fluid bleed incase there is any air in th system causing the clutch to not be fully engaging.
also there was a known problem of traffics of that age todo with the gear selector rods that go into the gearbox, theres a needle bearing that doesnt have a dust cover on an they were prone for getting dirt an debri in causeing them to jam up