Gearbox selector rods

I've just been putting the selector rods back into my gearbox. With the top cover and detents not yet installed, they were moving back and forth quite freely but now I've finished refining the cover and detents I can no longer move them.

I can see that the gear stick will give me a whole lot more mechanical advantage, just wondering how stiff is normal without it fitted?

Very. You should possibly be able to move them. But only just. So sounds right.

thanks, I was worried I'd screwed it up somehow. The manual's suggestion that the selectors should be fitted to the rod in the middle of the radial movement (37.16.34 - 12) is a bit rubbish, and doesn't really inform where they should go in the axial direction.

In neutral the rods should be such that the gear lever slides across the cups on the ends easily.

Fit the stick and try, only a couple of bolts.