Routine servicing to gear change linkage

Hi All,
As part of my ongoing servicing I thought I might lubricate the top end of the gear change mechanism. i.e. that located under the rubber gaiter at the base of the gear stick. Having  unclipped the gaiter I suddenly thought that I didn't really know the best lubricant to use.
The vehicle is a 1998 Symphony with a 2.0L Peugeot petrol engine.

Any advice would be most welcome.    

Mick

Unless there are grease nipples just squirt plenty of engine oil on the linkage.....

Roli used WD40 on his and others have used 3in1 oil.

PB

WD 40 isnt really 'tough' enough for a job like this. and 3-in 1 is very light and great for the cupboard hinges.....

Thanks for the suggestions I am now even more confused.

Mick

I'd suggest that the heavier the oil/lubricant, the more likely it is to stay where you put it. WD40 may be fine to loosen up a linkage where the lubricant has dried out but it won't leave enough residue behind to be effective long-term. 3-in-1 would be better but still rather low viscosity.

When I installed a Getrag box in one of my cars I used moly grease on the upper linkage because I had easy access and could just smear it on - knowing that most of it will stay where it's put. If you only have access to squirt lubricant in then I would choose the heaviest oil you have to hand - new engine oil probably wouldn't be a bad choice in that case.

I use WD40 White Lithium Grease where a heavier lubricant than 3in1 or WD40 is required.

It sprays into tight corners, sticks well and doesn't run off, and has good lubricating performance.

I used exactly this for the gear cables and ball joints on our new van, and it made a noticeable difference.

In fact this has reminded me that I need some more:

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If you suspect the gear linkage is stiffer than it should be, the problem is far more likely to be at the other end of the cable. When changing the clutch on my 2005 Mk2 Boxer I disassembled and greased the mechanism on the gearbox which translates cable movement into operation of the selectors: situation transformed!

Bartfarst

meanchris wrote:I use WD40 White Lithium Grease where a heavier lubricant than 3in1 or WD40 is required.

It sprays into tight corners, sticks well and doesn't run off, and has good lubricating performance.

I used exactly this for the gear cables and ball joints on our new van, and it made a noticeable difference.

In fact this has reminded me that I need some more:

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Exactly what I would use for that application. White Lithium spray grease. 

Just another thought: at the top end if I recall correctly the bearing surfaces are metal on polymer of some sort. As proposed by others, I would have thought white Lithium grease could be OK, but some lubricants may cause the polymer to swell. The most cautious approach is to perhaps redistribute what's on the joint already and leave it at that.

Bartfarst

Bartfarst wrote:If you suspect the gear linkage is stiffer than it should be, the problem is far more likely to be at the other end of the cable. When changing the clutch on my 2005 Mk2 Boxer I disassembled and greased the mechanism on the gearbox which translates cable movement into operation of the selectors: situation transformed!

Bartfarst

I forgot to mention that I lubed both ends of the mechanism on both my vans, with good results.

Thanks everyone.  My gear change is perfectly fine. All I'm am doing is trying to keep it that way by a little judicial  lubrication.
I have ordered some White Lithium Grease from Halfords which I will pick up shortly.

Mick     

Manufacturers, Fiat, Peugeot etc, all use the white lithium grease as standard, so glad you eventualy got a can to do the job. Once lightly sprayed on the linkage operate the gear stick a few times and spray again for good measure. I spray the linkage every couple of months.