[TR] Wedge 5 speed gearbox issues

[Mark J. Bradakis]

First off a quick note on list archives - they are where they were
before, http://www.team.net/archive

So this fellow brings a car into the shop, it has a Rover SD1
V8 mated to a TR8 5 speed gearbox.  The issue is that about
3/4ths of the time the box shifts fine.  But a bit too frequently
it is really difficult to downshift from 3rd to 2nd, or to get it
into first and finding reverse can be a bit troublesome.  The
clutch system seems to be working just fine and is most
likely not part of the problem.

I'm not that experienced with this particular model of transmission
so I'm just standing around scratching my head a bit.  Does this
behavior sound like a common issue with this gearbox?  Any
hints on what to look for right off the bat?  Fluid is fine, so I'm
assuming it isn't something as simple as that.  Any ideas on
what to look for first?

Thanks,
mjb.