Gear changes difficult after long lay up

Agricola

Had a bmw e36 laid up in a shed for 3 years and recently took it out to blow out the cobwebs.

Only problem seems to be it's hard to get it into first and once on the go most of the other gears are sticky too.

I changed the gear oil 4/5 years ago and it has done nothing mileage wise since then. Could this be the linkage mechanism from the gearstick that needs lubrication or possible a clutch problem (bleeding) ?? I'm getting more success when I fully bury the clutch in the floor, but no real improvement after a 5/6 mile run around yesterday...

Autochange

Brake and clutch fluid is hygroscopic and it may have absorbed moisture over the years parked up. Have the hydraulic clutch fluid replaced and bled properly and see if that cures it.

Agricola

Autochange wrote: »

Brake and clutch fluid is hygroscopic and it may have absorbed moisture over the years parked up. Have the hydraulic clutch fluid replaced and bled properly and see if that cures it.

Thanks for that, I will look into it.

I pulled of the gearstick gaiter, foam underneath and rubber grommet to reveal the ball joint mechanism at the bottom of the stick. Bit of WD and some drops of 3in1 oil later and the thing is now shifting ok in all gears except for first from a standing start.

Irish Steve

Could be that there's some surface rust on the gearbox drive shaft that's causing the clutch plate to not slide freely when the clutch pedal is depressed, so the clutch is still biting slightly against the flywheel even though the pedal is down.

That will make selecting gears harder to do than it would normally be. It may ease off after a few miles running and a number of gear changes.