Gearbox freezes

[Jarl]

My "new" 500 Abarth (10.000 km) has been standing still in a cold garage for 6 weeks without running. T>emperature belowe -15.
Today I was supposed to have a new year spinn, but I ran into trouble with the gearshift.
It was "frozen" or "blocked" to run only between 1 and second gear. It was easy to shift between 1 and 2, but impossible to get it in 3,4,5 or reverse. I took it out and drove for 10 minutes in 2 gear. Then, after running around 10-15 minutes, it releases and went back to "normal". Everything was OK.
Then I parked it for 2 ours before I was supposed to drive home. The same shit happend again.....!
Now I have backed it into the garage to be able to get it aout again later.....

Anyone with a teory or same probleme?? I saw the same Q in another forum.:icon_rolleyes:

[.Lefteris.]

Hello Jarl and

:welcomeon500:
Looks like you have to change the transmission oil, the one you have on your car has lost its properties after the low temp with out using it, it may also has some moister in the gearbox that become ice and didn't let the gears to work correctly!

Are you from Portugal ?

Regards

[Jarl]

Thanks for nice tip.

No sir, from outside Oslo, Norway lol

[.Lefteris.]

Thanks for nice tip.

No sir, from outside Oslo, Norway lol

One more fine member form Norway then! :) :icon_thumright:

[VilleV]

Hello Jarl and welcome!

I havent heard of such thing happening ever before, but what Lefteris said does make sence. Hope you get it sorted asap!

[Jarl]

Thanks again. Will try soon as possible to shift oil. Hope for success

More with the same probleme;
http://www.fiat.co.uk/Community/forums/thread/8767.aspx

[Animo]

Hello and welcome :welcomeon500:

[wreckmaster]

Hallo Jarl og velkommen til 500fans.com:icon_thumleft: What you describe seems to be a problem on the Bravo also, atleast in the UK. My cars has not had this problem( 500 and Bravo). I imagine since you car has got to be a side import car it has not got the right transmission oil that norwegian conditions has got to have. Try to change oil to an oil better suited for Norway and I am sure it wont happend again:icon_thumleft:

Hilsen fra Larkollen, Østfold:)

[minime911]

Hello everyone,

I'm not too sure that it is the oil causing your problem if you were able to change from first into second and back.
It could well be that there is water or moisture in the cables that operate the gear change or maybe the cables are greased with some kind of grease that becomes too stiff when cold or the moisture that freezes.

Also check the ball joint below the gear stick in your car, (below the leather cap), I suppose it's there where the pull cables are fitted.
I suppose that in case of too stiff gearbox oil you might have grinding noises in the box while changing the gears due to sticking synchros but gear change should always be possible.

Till now I never heard that there is different gearbox oil beeing used for cold conditions on modern cars.

Greetings:

Minime911

[wreckmaster]

Hello everyone,

I'm not too sure that it is the oil causing your problem if you were able to change from first into second and back.
It could well be that there is water or moisture in the cables that operate the gear change or maybe the cables are greased with some kind of grease that becomes too stiff when cold or the moisture that freezes.

Also check the ball joint below the gear stick in your car, (below the leather cap), I suppose it's there where the pull cables are fitted.
I suppose that in case of too stiff gearbox oil you might have grinding noises in the box while changing the gears due to sticking synchros but gear change should always be possible.

Till now I never heard that there is different gearbox oil beeing used for cold conditions on modern cars.

Greetings:

Minime911

What you are saying makes a lot of sense Minime:) I just assumed that oil could have something to do with it, since Jarls car is an import car and since this happends to a lot of Bravos in countries that are supposed to be a little bit warmer than here:) No harm in changing oil tough:icon_thumleft:

[minime911]

Hi,

Of course there is no problem to change the oil, provided they fill the right stuff in order to avoid warranty problems later on as well as synchro damage when hot and too thin then.
I'm performing winter tests in northern Sweden since 20 years now and although gear change becomes a little harder under cold conditions we never had to change the gearbox oil on none of our cars however frozen cables as well as for the gear change and for the handbrake cables are a quite common thing as we used to wash the cars with a high pressure cleaner.
This is needed as the cars arrive quite dirty on an open truck trailer while traveling for 4 days from Luxembourg to Arjeplog.:(

Just for info over here it becomes quite cold too as it does in northern Italy, Austria Switzerland and so on, OK nothing to compare with what you see for a few months in a row but we had already peaks of -15 before Christmas this year and now its about -7.:D

Greetings:

Minime911

[wreckmaster]

Hi,

Of course there is no problem to change the oil, provided they fill the right stuff in order to avoid warranty problems later on as well as synchro damage when hot and too thin then.
I'm performing winter tests in northern Sweden since 20 years now and although gear change becomes a little harder under cold conditions we never had to change the gearbox oil on none of our cars however frozen cables as well as for the gear change and for the handbrake cables are a quite common thing as we used to wash the cars with a high pressure cleaner.
This is needed as the cars arrive quite dirty on an open truck trailer while traveling for 4 days from Luxembourg to Arjeplog.:(

Just for info over here it becomes quite cold too as it does in northern Italy, Austria Switzerland and so on, OK nothing to compare with what you see for a few months in a row but we had already peaks of -15 before Christmas this year and now its about -7.:D

Greetings:

Minime911


My gearshifts also gets pretty hard when starting from cold, but it gets ok after a few km`s:icon_thumleft: But I take this as normal, and it never locks. Your tempratures are pretty much the same as here minime:) But I know for a fact that "standard" 500`s are imported with a nordic pack, which includes higher antifreeze levels, different engine oil, heated seats, extra rust protection etc..... And the Abarth is not officially imported to Norway, so I tought it maybe could have something to do with this?

After the extreme cold weather sat in a few weeks back with tempratures around -20 and more, we have actually broken two gearboxes on our Volvo V-70 4X4 ambulances:eek: Not saying that the tempratures has something to do with it, just an toughtlol

[Jarl]

Hello everyone,

I'm not too sure that it is the oil causing your problem if you were able to change from first into second and back.
It could well be that there is water or moisture in the cables that operate the gear change or maybe the cables are greased with some kind of grease that becomes too stiff when cold or the moisture that freezes.

Greetings:

Minime911


I've just had a chat with the mechanics. His tfirst hought and first test was to grease up the cables who operates the gear change. This has been succesfully tried out on some Bravos and others. But, with no success, this time. :O(
He said today that next move is to order new cables from Italy and change it next week.

[VilleV]

Hope you get it sorted!

[wreckmaster]

Hope you get it sorted!

X2! :)

Impressive collection of italian cars you have had Jarl:icon_thumleft:

Which garage do you use?

[calie]

Change your gearbox oil let the car heat up before you drive it make sure you get the best gearbox oil you can afford

[Jarl]

I've just had a chat with the mechanics. His tfirst hought and first test was to grease up the cables who operates the gear change. This has been succesfully tried out on some Bravos and others. But, with no success, this time. :O(
He said today that next move is to order new cables from Italy and change it next week.

After 2 month leadtime, new cables has arrived and been changed. The weather however, does not allow me test this before next winter:mad:

But I like summertime with summertires lollol

[.Lefteris.]

After 2 month leadtime, new cables has arrived and been changed. The weather however, does not allow me test this before next winter:mad:

But I like summertime with summertires lollol
:icon_thumright:

[wreckmaster]

Sounds good Jarl! Hope it will be fine next winter:icon_thumleft: