3rd gear problem

[Synergietom]

Hi all sorry ive not been on for a while
Ive recently bought a Berlingo 1.8 diesel with a problematic gear box.
It will go into all gears without any crunch and drives really well except 3rd
It goes in with a crunch and jumps straight back out as soon as you bring up the clutch pedal.
I am personally of the opinion that it is the gear linkage but i just disconected this with it in 3rd started it up with the pedal pressed and when i bought up the clutch pedal it jumped straight back out of gear again so now im wondering if its maybe something else
Any sugestions would be great

[RichardW]

3rd Synchro always goes first when these boxes are dying.... you need to be on the look out for another I think

[Peter.N.]

I would concur.

Peter

[Synergietom]

peter what would you recommend i spoke with an indipendant cit specealist yesterday and he said prob 3rd gear syncro ive ben looing on ebay but all on their are advertised as 1.9 not sure if this would fit a 1.8. Can anyone shed some light.
Allso discovered a bigger problem on sunday whilst making a temp repair to the air filter box i spotted deisel on top of the pump ive irderednew seal rings for the acc shaft at £12 anyone know if this is an easy job.

[Peter.N.]

To be honest I don't know of a 1.8 diesel except the early XUD used in the BX and 205, does it have a type number?

Peter

[RichardW]

It's presumably a DW8 which is 1868cc. Pretty sure it uses the same BE3 box as everything else.... Post up the last 8 digits of the VIN and I'll check.

I think sealing the Lucas pump top is easy (ish) - have a search there are some threads somewhere!

[Synergietom]

have had a quick look at gearbox for type markings but couldnt find anything have currebtly got lodger looking for the vin no now. Ive got the seal rings for the fuel pump so i think ill have a goat that on sunday.

[Synergietom]

aha vin num VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]

[RichardW]

In fact it would appear to be the good old 1769cc XU7 engine - didn't even know they fitted those in Berlingos! It must be an early one?

Anyway it says BE3 gearbox - but it does appear to be fitted with a specific box. I suspect that any of the BE3s will fit, but the ratios might be a bit different

[CitroJim]

If you cannot find a replacement 'box it's not a massively hard job just to replace the synchro cone from a decent donor. I believe they're much the same from all late BE3 'boxes and one from a 1.9TD should be fine as a donor.

In fact a 1.9TD Xantia or 90 HDi Xantia 'box should do as a replacement anyway. The gear ratios may be a tad taller but that's no bad thing.

I know of a 1.9TD Xantia happily running with a 90 HDi 'box...

If you fancy overhauling your existing 'box then here's a guide...

Be warned that if you try to buy a new synchro hub they tend to be quite pricey - hence why I say use one from another donor 'box...

Lucas pumps are indeed easy to reseal. Depending on how well armoured it is you may even be able to do it in-situ. Basically all you need to do is replace the gasket just under the lid and the O rings around the throttle and cold start shafts. You do need to determine the exact pump type to ensure you get he right seal kit. Look for the pump part number on the blue label wrapped around the pump body...

[Synergietom]

Richard thanks for checking that out for me it is much helpfull
Jim i dont think ill be tackling that job myself due to time constraints however if anyone knows of where i can get a decent used box from for around the £50 mark i will be fitting that myself and replacing the clutch whilst he box is off as i dont know how long this one will last again depending on cost.
I dont mind collecting the box myself as long as i can do so on a sunday.

[CitroJim]

Tom,

A duff synchro will go on and on for ages. It's going to kill the 'box or let you down any time soon.

My old 205GTi had this problem for at last 20,000 miles...

[Synergietom]

oh i know but the issue eing that the van has allready done 210,000 and is now losing a lot of power its really slugish up hill and with me using it every day covering around 150 on a daily basis i really dont want to risk it. On top of this a lot of driving is around farm lanes and it struggles in fourth.

[Peter.N.]

Its probably the lack of power that has brought about the synchromesh failure, you tend to change gear much quicker and that is what wears the synchro out.

Peter

[Synergietom]

ok so what would you suggest to combat the lack of power issue