Commodore Gearbox Replacement

One day after reversing my vk out of my carspace, i went to chuck it into first but she still went backwards instead of forwards. I tried 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears but all continued to drive the car backwards. I later discovered that my transmission had a broken reverse linkage. Fixing this required me to remove the gearbox.

Removing the gearbox from a 202 holden commodore such as the vk is not a difficult job. I bought a Gregory's service manual to give me a rough idea of how to go about it. Basically you have to remove the starter motor, the driveshaft, a few bolts and bits and pieces and she comes out. If you are going to do it at home i would recommend using a trolley jack to put the box on as you take it out, to help support it and get it out from under the car. After i had it ripped out i decided not to the box apart because i dont have a shed or anything where i live. Instead i took it to a gearbox specialist, who stripped it, cleaned it, and replaced the reverse linkage, for $100.

Then i had to chuck it back in. Putting it back in there are a few things to watch out for. Make sure you put the clutch release gear in the right way round. I didnt do this the first time, but realise before i got too far into things. Also be very careful reinstalling the engine timing sensor. This senses the position of the flywheel for the EST in non-efi black motors of vk commodores. It must be positioned so it doesnt get taken out by the flywheel or the pins on the flywheel or it will be mashed. Mine got mashed when i tried to start the car, so it wouldnt start and they arent cheap to replace. Other than that everything goes back pretty easily, adjust the clutch and your away.