Rover Sports Register Forum

Good afternoon. I own a Rover 1938, P2. I would like to know what the function of the button on the gear lever is and also of the wire that comes out from the interior of the gear box. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum. If the button is the same as my 1947 car then it's to prevent accidental selection of reverse gear and you have to press the button to get the lever over allowing you to select reverse

Regarding the wire, I'm thinking, if it's at the rear section of the gearbox i.e. the freewheel, this will be the freewheel operating cable. It's a length of Bowden cable connected between the control knob on the dashboard, via an adjuster under the dashboard to the freewheel operating shaft. I'd try turning the freewheel knob and watch the cable at the same time. It should pull the shaft in and out. If it doesn't, the usual procedure is to try the under dashboard adjuster but that does assume that the cable is correctly fitted to the shaft at the gearbox end. I spent about 100 miles trying to "free" a freewheel (strangely enough, a 1938 model) last year only to find I should have examined this joint in the first place as the people who put it together 20 + years ago hadn't set it correctly at the gearbox end. It was the first one I'd come across where this was the problem. Once adjusted, perfect freewheel.

There are differences in the detail of the gearboxes, from 1934-37, 1938 -1946, 1947 on its own and then 48/49. There are drawings in the RSR workshop manual which will help.

However, maybe it's another wire you're thinking of ....?

Thank you very much. Your information has been of great help.