First let me explain the symptoms and the process of elimination I went through.

Over a period of 2-3 months my 1st and reverse began to slowly act up on me.

Sometimes 1st was difficult to get in gear or I would be reversing and I couldn't get it back out. Sometimes it was ok and other times not.
At times 1st or reverse were harder than usual so basically a general combination of strange things with those two gears....

Research on here led me to believe that my clutch was not disengaging properly so I proceeded to adjust the clutch and no significant changes there...

Frustrated for answers I removed the gear shifter cover and had a look at how the linkages worked.

I noticed an adjustable piece and did some trial and error...
I moved the adjustable piece forward 1 mm clipped it back in and 1st and reverse were as smooth as ever...

Here are some pics, for the mechanically inclined you will understand how it works off the bat...
If not I can make a video of before with the shifting issue the quick adjustment and the successful smooth shifts...

if you attempt to adjust, make a mark for reference in case you muck it up.. I used a yellow marker...

In the first pic i'm showing what part needs to slide forward or backwards depending on your adjustment needs...


the goal is to remove the clear plastic piece which locks the adjuster in the desired position. Prior to removing the clear plastic piece bush the white lock piece forward as its a simple piece designed to avoid the clear plastic to pop out.


here you can see the grooved shaft that the adjustable piece slides forward or backwards on with the clear plastic locking clip in place... remove the plastic locker to achieve adjustment. Push it out from this side and you can use a small socket to evenly push it out, that helps. Rememberto make a mark of the original position incase you goof it up and can start from scratch..the smallest change makes the biggest difference.. theres about 1cm forward and 1 cm backwards of travel from center



dxbtune

 

You can also adjust the linkage under the battery (if/when you replace your bushings).....Nice job!

 

To clarify: forward towards the engine?

 

^ Yes that's right, forward towards the engine.

 

wow, nice find! my first and rev are also a bit notchy! i will def do this

 

Will need to try this. First has required a wiggle on my car since I drove it off the lot, though it has loosened up a bit with miles.

 

Reminder to make a mark of the original position as reference in so you know how far your adjusting..
use white tippex its good for contrast...

Tip: for extreme notchy cases or cant get it in gear at all, when you move your gear to the extreme left orright before engaging either first or reverse use a little more force than usual as the mechanism to pull or push the left rod depends on this... as the rubber bushing gets softer over time it will hamper by fraction of mm's the travel of the rod

g luck and dont get scammed into rebuilding something that doesen't need be.

Dxbtune

 

do you think this will help people with a fifth gear grind when going in to gear fast?

 

Nope IMO thats a different ball game, defo internal gearbox related...

 

Can you do this on the 5-Speed or just the 6-Speed?

I've been experiencing a notchiness in 1st and Reverse now for a long time, and I always have to slam my shifter to the left before it gets into gear. After 5-10 minutes of driving it's smooth, but it's annoying up until that point.

Am I getting this right? The linkage housing moves forward 1mm towards the firewall?

 

Try both ways, the correct direction will show significant changes. I assume adjustment varies from car to car.

 

I dont think this can be done on a 5spd I dont think it has the adjustable linkage on it from the pictures Ive seen