this apply's to some, multipla,stilo,punto,Alfa147/156
This problem occurred on a 5speed multipla, in that the gear lever became increasingly floppy when driving in 5th gear only, It would apply to many other vehicles using the same gearbox inc Alfa 147/156. I thought i had engine/gearbox mount issues at first
It turns out that the 5th gear is a separate gear in a casing at the end of the gearbox and it is held in place by a 30mm nut and locking tag , as this nut comes loose the gear lever begins to flop about until it drops off and you lose drive in 5th only but for the next bit of driving( in other 4 gears) the remaining gear wears through the case until it exits stage left, stop using the car if you are in a safe place to stop.
the best approach is to buy a new nut when the gear lever is loose and remove the end case and fit the new nut then refit the cover(no gasket needed just sealant)
part number 55205025 about £5.00 plus a small tube of sealant
If the casing becomes damaged it would cost about £60.00plusvat or find another gearbox that has the same case end which in my case was an Alfa 156 twin spark.
the gearbox i removed the cover from has a higher 5th gear by 15% if i fancied changing the gears over it would cruise at lower revs giving 34mph per 1000 revs in 5th instead of 29.5mph.
This repair can be done with the gearbox in the car so it can take less than an hour depending on your abilities, in many peoples eyes a gearbox issue like losing 5th gear sounds like it would cost £1000s so would effectively write the car off, but the repair if caught early would cost you less than a tenner.
An established issue with the 5 speed boxes of recent times. My 2002 Doblo has the exact same situation at the moment.
And Ive been driving it for about 9 months thinking " I really should crack open the end casing to put the nut back on" but havent got round to it - no doubt the end casing is wearing a bit thin now !.
Its only a spare car (In case the first spare car isnt working) which gets used very rarely but I know its only a matter of time before something drastic happens if I dont sort it out.
Plus I'm allowing an ever increasing amount of aluminium grinds to enter into the oil sump which will be shortening the life of bearings and gears in all the gearbox.
New nut and oil needed (But I'll wait until it gets warmer ! )
