Gear Selector Misbehaving

[pbui19]

bicycle teflon spray chain lube ? I've thought about covering up that open space in the rear, mainly for aeromode, now I have another reason. Though I was wondering if the opening helps with cooling the motor ? but the motor is cooled with coolant right ?

 

[PV1]

Yeah. Everything back there is liquid cooled, so you shouldn't have any thermal issues with closing that in. Should help considerably with range, as the rear bumper looks like it acts as a parachute.

There is a thread regarding aerodynamic mods. Perhaps you could continue on in that thread with your project.

 

[Easycarex]

My iMiev has had the stiff gear selector problem 3 times, fixed under guarantee twice, the last time I just used wd40 on all the rear pivots and it works well.
now carry a tin of WD40 in glove box.

 

[JoeS]

Ummm, need to be cautious with WD-40, as it is a solvent not a lubricant. Great as a short-term fix but not as a long-term solution as it may actually clean out any residual grease or oil in there.

For mechanical parts with no rubber component, then a petroleum-based light grease or oil is just fine. Clean first to get rid of dirt/grit.

For anything with rubber, unless it is synthetic, then a non-petroleum based lubricant is advisable (e.g., silicone grease). Thankfully, most automotive products (except tires) are designed nowadays to live with petroleum oils and not deteriorate on contact.

For sheathed cables, depending on their composition, a light oil works ok. Bicycle shops seem to favor Tri-Flow, but it is a bit too 'runny' (low viscosity) for my liking, but is also useful instead of using WD-40 if you just want to be quick-and-dirty and spray things.

My 2¢, FWIW, although I personally haven't crawled under there to see exactly what all the linkages and cable are that need to be lubricated.

JoeS.

 

[SyCo]

...In desperation I try some WD40 on every joint/pivot on the cable/switch/rod mechanism at the rear of the car. And the selector now works beatifully.....

Wow, so you've shown that it is simply a lubrication issue and not an alignment problem or loose hardware. Thank you for your follow-up posting.

Now that you have temporarily addressed the issue (I never consider WD40 a permanent solution) perhaps need to consider all the moving parts (sheathed cables, levers, etc.) and figure out the best lubricant for each and carefully clean the surfaces and apply it? I can see this being a future issue for our friends in snowy northern climes.

I've also had an issue wit the shift lever. Almost every time I put it in reverse, I was getting RBS light + the exclamation mark. Then I needed to cycle the ignition so it can return to normal. My wife also got it once in drive and she got RBS light with also the turtle. I noticed that the shift indicator in the dash was not showing the correct gear.

I went under my i-Miev at the transmission, disconnected the shift cable, cleaned and lubricated everything. It was working a lot better but I also needed to slightly adjust shift sensor as per the manual.

Everything is find now ! I must say that where I live , the put a lot of salt on the roads in the winter.

 

[Phximiev]

Also found this regarding a sticking or stuck gear shift:

https://youtu.be/ykSDe7FCjhk

 

[kiev]

Park locking pawl

 

[Markus Paul Mathis]

The problem is not uncommon. In most cases the gearswitch mechanism needs some cleaning and lubricating, if it stucks. In most cases a few spray shots with WD40 does help.

 

[stoatwblr]

The problem is not uncommon. In most cases the gearswitch mechanism needs some cleaning and lubricating, if it stucks. In most cases a few spray shots with WD40 does help.

DO NOT USE WD40!!

This will cause more problems ithan it solves. Classic WD40 essentially destroys Belden cables because it rapidly gums up, attracts grit and jams things

It's a water displacer which happens to be useful as a "get things unstuck" penetrating fluid but it is not suitable as a long-term lubricant and usually makes things worse than when you started

Use a silicon or teflon spray - and if you have used WD40, you'll need to get it cleaned out with brake cleaner before starting over

Belden cables are highly sensitive to grit getting into the sheath. You don't want anything on the cable which attracts contaminants even if there's a boot in place

 

[martinwinlow]

DO NOT USE WD40!!

This will cause more problems ithan it solves. Classic WD40 essentially destroys Belden cables because it rapidly gums up, attracts grit and jams things

It's a water displacer which happens to be useful as a "get things unstuck" penetrating fluid but it is not suitable as a long-term lubricant and usually makes things worse than when you started

Use a silicon or teflon spray - and if you have used WD40, you'll need to get it cleaned out with brake cleaner before starting over

Belden cables are highly sensitive to grit getting into the sheath. You don't want anything on the cable which attracts contaminants even if there's a boot in place

Do you mean Bowden cables?

 

[stoatwblr]

Yes I do

 

[greenovertone]

The shifter on the I-MiEV is connected by a cable to the transaxle. The switch that tell the car what direction the car is going to travel (i.e. reverse, neutral, forward) is mounted on the transaxle. There is an alignment pin that can be put in the switch to confirm that it is synchronized with the "gates" in the floor shifter. Like another member said, the cable can get out of adjustment. You really need to look at a service manual because you don't want to mess up the crazy key/brake interlock which is also located in the floor shifter. All that being said, the car should never be able to shift out of park by itself. It sounds like something is loose and going to fall off. If you remove the cover over the shifter (console first with screws under the rear and a couple of pushpins) you will see the two small cables out of the front of the shifter and one large cable going to the rear. The large cable the one you are interested in. Make sure the cable anchor is firmly locked in place in the front clamp and the cable end is tight where it attaches with a pin to the plastic part at the bottom of the shifter. Pull on the cable jacket to make sure it is not moving in the clamp. The cable then goes through the floor near the rear of the front passenger seats and comes out just above the left side half-shaft at the transaxle. You might be able to see it with a mirror from the top, but the battery charger will block your ability to really check it out by touch. You will most likely have to get under the car to complete this. You will see the cable jacket is anchored to a clamp (holder) on the transaxle then goes to an arm attached to the shifter shaft that passes through gear selector electrical switch. See if you can find anything loose (cables, clamps, switch mounting, nut holding the arm on, etc.). Have someone move the shifter slowly back and forth and see if you can find any slop in the linkage. The key is synchronizing the switch and the shifter gates with no slop in the system to make it work properly. BTW, the position switch is easy to remove by taking the nut off the shift arm on the transaxle. Then you remove the mounting bolts and the connector and the switch slides off the shaft if you need to replace it.

I had too- typical shift symptoms : car icon, flashing gear indicators, turtle mode. As a full remedy I have avoided using the D gear.
...
That removal mentioned above of shift position sensor [ SPS on the same bolt as the steel shift lever ] may 1st appear impossible. Note the black SPS position.
...
With vise grip brace the lever against rotation of more than 10° to protect the Fragile plastic cable anchor! Better detach cable anchor
[ by removing steel "paper clip" cotter pin at its joint above ].
...
Remove the one 14mm nut and its lock washer [ tight -- I needed a long wrench ],
and the lever then two 10mm bolts. The black plastic SPS has some rotary play, ~3° limit.
Clean the exposed bolt all you like. But prying off the SPS was tedious. After experiment I used table knives and forks, and their handles, 3 places at once, trying to not twist and bind the perfectly snug SPS.
...
The data harness above for removal needs a lever pinch near its top, and excessive effort for a healthy adult.
...
The 8 small screws on SPS right side are rust- prone and soft Philips #2. Good luck. Inside SPS I may find grease
[ what type -- conductive ?
I wonder ] and offending copper debris to remove.