elderly newby - W Sussex

[lph]

hi all - 
 Had a nice old xud estate that did some sterling work (Lister engines and stuff to and from our canal boat near Watford), but it eventually gave up its ghost so we got a nice hdi and treated it to a breath of fresh hp from Steve at hdituning in the Bristol area I seem to recall. It's great fun with tons of low down grunt and as a not pristine Y reg estate with two grey haired old farts aboard, it surprises a lot of people, especially out of roundabouts and bends.
 Coupla probs mostly age related, but main one is loss of fifth gear - guite likely stripped due to aforementioned grunt - anyone else had this prob? and would love to hear of difficulties involved and any compatibility issues with different models in case of gearbox swap. 
 It still runs in the other gears but we've obviously lost a bit of top speed and the old MPG figures leave a bit concerning the desirability factor. Even though it's done the very thick end of 200K, it's never let us down , starts first time, goes like a train and we'd love to keep it if practical.
 I'll look through all the relevant threads of course but would greatly appreciate any and all extra help to keep us Pug happy
 cheers for now 
lp

[Mattcheese31]

any 306 HDI gearbox will do fine, can usually be picked up round here for about £40

[Eeyore]

welcome to the club! Yep gearboxes are cheap and plentiful. I would just swap the entire thing. i dont think you will be able to rescue 5th on its own!

[Matt-Rallye]

Hello and welcome

Too echo what has already been said, a good condition 2nd hand gearbox should set you back around £40 and a decent clutch kit should set you back roughly £100 (For a genuine and good quality Valeo unit, cheaper alternatives are anywhere between £60-£80)

[zx_volcane]

Welcome along,

Fairly easy job to replace gearbox and pop a new clutch in if you're handy.

[lph]

my thanks to Mattcheese, Eeyore, Matt-rallye and zx for the welcomes and their advice.
I'll be looking out for the 306 hdi gearbox either locally (Sussex) or on my way to my beloved sister's place near Colchester, Essex.
when I say my beloved sister (whom I love very much!) I realise this may seem a bit weird but, perhaps if I mention my lovely sister's heated, empty, fully powered double garage with sound system and pit, anyone would find the ugly bitch attractive.
I can understand the restrictions on newbies trying to sell stuff but I assume it would be ok for me to place a wanted request in your forum? - please advise if otherwise
thanks again and looking forward to a long and fruitful wossname