i have just bought a type 9 out of a 1600 sierra. it didnt have a gear stick but i had one lying around so i have used it. it too is from a type 9 but to get the bolt hole to line up an the reverse gate on the stick to line up i had to push the stick down and rotate the plastic ball round 180 degrees so it all lines up! any way i can selet all 5 gears but it wont go into reverse is this normal as its not yet in the car its on the garage floor. you can push the stick down and it goes across and forward but it dosnt click and engage it sort of hits a dead end half way..... thanks

I can select all of the gears on my type 9 including reverse, it's not in the car yet. So you could possibly have a problem.

Have you tried turning the input shaft while you do it ? It could be the gears are not meshing.

Have you got the little plastic saddle that fits over the selector shaft for the gear lever to locate into? Have you tried selecting reverse without using the gear lever?

last time i played with a type 9 i had a problem engaging reverse. i will try to explane how i fixed it but have no idea of the technical names for the parts. There is a little cut away on the gear leaver that you have to move down so that it passes a guard that prevents you from accidently engaging reverse. this section of the gear box/lever also engages the reverse lights i seem to remember.
there was a bit of crap in the mechanism that prevented the lever from moving down all the way down and as a result the cut away didn't pass the guard properly and the gear wouldn't engage

bit of crap was found and removed and the whole thing worked fine.

could be worth a go

thanks for the replys guys i have tried turning the input and output shaft and i have got the plastic saddle but i think there could be a problem may be with the selector i took the cover off the box and there was a sort of collar that also locates in the cover with this removed i could sort of aid reverse to select will investigate more tomorrow

anyone got a strip and rebuild tech manual for a type 9 5 speed they want to sell/lend near newark??

the lever you had laying about is definitely from a type 9 yeah?
i don't know other boxes, but just thinking if yours was from a type e box, it might be a bit different?

and are you sure the upside down U shape bit on the bottom of the lever has located on the bit inside the box correctly? seem to remember i had a similar thing with my lever once, but i'd stuck the lever on in the neutral kind of position when the gearbox was in a gear

[Edited on 31/12/09 by blakep82]