Reverse and 5th sprung ballbearing housing

[4129R]

On the 365 gearbox, there is a spring loaded 1/2" ball-bearing pressing on a cam on the rod coming out of the gearbox, which prevents getting reverse instead of 2nd, and 5th instead of 3rd, keeping the selector in the 1234 H pattern.

Does anyone know the origin of the ally housing that the ball-bearing sits in which is attached to the rear gearbox mounting plate, as I need one?

[Dilkris]

I would guess they are a "one off" - SJSportcars sell a reverse indent housing for the 352 - part number B074F0200Z - is it adaptable for the 365? Looks similar. 

[4129R]

I just found it on SJ Sportscars website. A074F0212Z.

Reverse indent housing for late 352 and all 365 gearboxes at £49.00 plus VAT and postage.

I made my own and it doesn't work. I can get reverse, but not 5th, the ball bearing will not retract for some reason. 

[Dilkris]

You did better I finding the correct one on SJ Sportscars than I did!
If your system is working fine for reverse but not 5th I would doubt the problem is the housing - I had to file the profile on the cam plate of mine so whilst the effect was the same - the spring loaded ball could roll over the cam lobe smoothly. Does that make sense?

[4129R]

You did better I finding the correct one on SJ Sportscars than I did!
If your system is working fine for reverse but not 5th I would doubt the problem is the housing - I had to file the profile on the cam plate of mine so whilst the effect was the same - the spring loaded ball could roll over the cam lobe smoothly. Does that make sense?

That makes sense. This car came with no housing on the gearbox rear mounting plate so I had to make one. I think the spring is too stiff so I am ordering a housing, spring, and ball, from SJS so I know I have a sound starting point. If that doesn't work, I will have to make the slope on the cam plate easier.

The only way I can get 5th is by pushing the ball in with a screwdriver, which is difficult to do when changing from 4th to 5th !

[Lance Swain]

Hi, Slightly off topic, i am looking to purchase a 365 gear box or parts. I really need the 5 gears as the gear box shop "lost mine" they think they sent them out to get work done but cant track them down...arg. Everywhere i try just don't have the part or they have a different number of teeth to mine.... Cheers Lance

[BDA]

They LOST your 5th gears!!!!??? That shop owes you a lot... like maybe a replacement 5 speed transaxle like an NG3 if they can find one plus some money! As I explained in the For Sale area, those gears are NLA. Of course any 5 speed tranny they (or you) find will require changes to the way it's mounted and to the shift linkage... A 352 box, which is a 4 speed, would require the least modifications. They might be available.

edit: I should note that the 395, NG1 and NG5 are all 5 speed trannies and would probably be perfectly adequate but those have two spider gears rather than the four spider gears that the NG3 and 365 have. They would thus be stronger than the 395, etc. but my guess is that unless you intend to track your car and or your motor is much more powerful - and you intend to use that power- any of those trannies would good.

I'm struggling to understand why they felt the need to send your gears to somebody...

[4129R]

Hi, Slightly off topic, i am looking to purchase a 365 gear box or parts. I really need the 5 gears as the gear box shop "lost mine" they think they sent them out to get work done but cant track them down...arg. Everywhere i try just don't have the part or they have a different number of teeth to mine.... Cheers Lance

Try these people for the gears

https://www.renault16shop.com/website/index.php?ProductCategory=4472417&Index=2&Lng=en

[jbcollier]

The stock Renault 365 comes with a 0.93 5th (same as early 395s).  Shifting from 4th to 5th hardly reduces the revs at all: great for racing but not so much so for the street.  So, Lotus got Hewland to do a run of 0.86 5th gears just for their boxes.  You may have noticed that Europa transaxles tend to leak and 5th gear, tucked high and way in the back, is the first to run dry.  Supplies of 5th gear parts ran out long ago.  That's why Banks developed kits to fit the NG transaxles to Europas.

I'm in the middle of performing some weird alchemy and will be mating various 365, 352 and 395 parts to make a transaxle with 395 cases and 5th gear with a 352 diff and a 365 gearset.  That means I'll have some 365 spares (NOS rear housing, good 5th gear set, good ring and pinion).  Don't phone and ask as nothing is available until my abomination is up and running, probably next year.

[jbcollier]

Bin the idiotic Lotus gear detent system and fit the stock Renault 5th gear detent system back in with a custom reverse lock out.  Works WAY better than stock.

[4129R]

I have just fitted my new 5th and reverse detent housing, spring, and ball, and the gearchange for all gears is precise and perfect.

I now have 4 cars roadworthy, 3 x 5 speed TCSs, and 1 x 4 speed TC. This gearchange is the best of the lot. I put Copperslip on the cam with horns and R and 5 are easy now to select.

It took a while, but the result is worth it.

[Kendo]

If you keep the idiotic Lotus gear detent system, there used to be a recommended mod to cut a bit off the stock detent spring, to reduce the force needed. I of course cut a bit too much. But you could experiment with cutting 1/2 coil at a time while the replacement spring is in transit.

Oops. Late to this party.

[Dilkris]

Bin the idiotic Lotus gear detent system and fit the stock Renault 5th gear detent system back in with a custom reverse lock out.  Works WAY better than stock.