My Stick is floppy.

Is that just when cold or after a while mate. The megs are renowned for selection issues when cold

 

Might be a gearbox mount

 

Someone might correct me but I'm pretty sure the gearboxes are pretty good in these cars, on the 250 one of the gearbox mounts is a weak point. It might be the same on the 225

 

if it's a 225 phase one then a quick short shift mod is going to be your first option.
If it's a phase 2 then it will have to be machined to get the short shift mod done, the standard gear shifts are a bit woolly.

 

not known a mk2 gearbox mount to fail

 

Ah, not a mount then. My 225 gearshifts were fine though so it's not a normal thing

 

I don't think it's normally it sounds like something is wrong, maybe mounts aren't known but doesn't mean it can't happen. I would take it to a garage and get it checked out

 

Didn't know if you wanted to do it yourself or not. I'd check the gearbox mounts first

 

Been driving Fords then

 

Ford owners have a ramp reserved at their local garages

 

First port of call is to get the actuator out,to see if its seizing up.
There is a small bush that gets tight over the years,and will need to be opened out a little to make the actuator run smooth again.

Once you have done that,a simple modification of the very small actuator on the early phase 1 cars like yours,
which requires you to move the position of the ball stud on the actuator slightly.

Sounds like nothing,but it will massively improve the feel,and throw of the gearshift.
taking it from one of the worst,to one of the best things about the car.

contact phil watkins on here,to see if he has any rebuilt phase 1 actuators,or can do yours if you are unsure what to do.

he runs the shortshift service on here,and on the facebook page.

links are on here for how to hone out the bush on the actuator,and in the how to section is a guide for creating your own shortshift on a phase 1 car like yours.

 

Ohh dear, you weren't the guy i took around Bedford were you, he thought the RS was the dogs, until we passed one that he said he knew was running 400hp

 

@twinturbo, you are going to have to get in there to see where the issue is. I'm not 100% sure on the Phase 1 since I have a Ph2...

Remove the battery, battery tray and then the airbox. You'll have plenty of space to see/work then. Let someone move the shifter in the car and then you can see and feel for play on the cable ends. Each cable has a balljoint end on both sides, maybe someone broke one and jimmy rigged it to just make it work to sell.

I broke the plastic cup inside my shifter units side cable and could obviously not select gears. Replaced the whole unit since Renault doesn't sell the $.5 plastic cups separately.

Another thing that plays major part is all the engine mounts, if 2 out of the 4 mounts are knackered you'll start having shift issues. Best will be to remove and inspect each mount individually. The two biggest culprits are the dog bone against the firewall (right side of bay, left side if looking at open bonnet) and the bottom mount at the bottom rear of the engine. These two control the front and rear "rotation" of the engine. Heck grab your engine and try to move it around in the bay. If it aint solid with just a teeny tiny bit of movement (like when folding a piece of stiff rubber) there's an issue.

Lastly there might be worn out parts inside the gearbox selector mechanism but I've never opened one of these to even say how it works.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll be able to sort it out with some hands on diagnosis. Forum will only take you so far then you have to get in there (or take to garage) and report back so we can see if we ever seen anything like what you might present.

 

You know, some guys here have given advise that might really help you out.. a Thank You goes a long way.

 

I could not find any in my country (RSA) and it's my daily driver so did not have time to look around and find alternative solutions. You might just be able to get something similar. Could make some with a lathe and mill if you have access to them.

Let us know once you have investigated on the car. Quite interested to know what you find.