[DML] GEAR CHANGE WOES

[Lance R Haslewood <lanceh@xxxx>]

While out driving this week, I could not get reverse gear (5 Speed). No
problems, the car wasn't parked in a tight spot and after a little
manouvering, I managed to drive off in first gear. After a short distance
I noticed that the gear selector was getting aprogressively sloppy and
eventually I could only select 3rd and 4th gears. Luckily we (son Troy was
in the passenger seat) weren't far from home and managed to nurture the
DeLorean home. Upon investigation I found that the two steel pins which
held the gear selector assembly to the mounting plate (under the console)
had worked loose and the lever was actually 'floating' . It was attached
only to the selector rod.

The fact that the pins had worked loose caused some concern. What
concerned me most was the possibility of them working loose again and to
determine some way of preventing a reoccurrence. When I reinstalled the
pins, I could not get a tight fit which meant they would eventually work
their way out again. To fix the problem, I drilled a hole at each side of
the mounting bracket above where the pins slide through. I then inserted
the pins and drilled into each pin to about 1/16 of an inch. The holes in
the bracket were then threaded to accommodate a small bolt. I reassembled
the the gear linkage assembly, inserted the pins and locked them in place
using the locking bolts with a small dab of medium Locktite.

Question .... has anyone else experienced a similar problem, and if so, how
was it overcome? 

Lance Haslewood
Sydney, Australia


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