Rear derailleur doesn't have full range

[Blu3Fish]

I've been working on getting my bike back in shape (Spc. Stumpjumper m2 comp - 2001) and I can't seem to get my rear derailleur adjusted correctly.

Even after making all the adjustments on the screws in the back and cable adjustments in the front, it doesn't seem to have full range through all the gears (8). The best way I can describe it is that as I shift through all available gears it runs out of tension (or has too much tension and no further range available) before I get to the final gears.

=Could something be broken inside the housing mounted on the handlebars?
=Could something in the derailleur it's self be amiss?
=Maybe something as simple as new cables?

It worked fine in the past but now I only have partial gears. Components are Shimano XTR. ANY help is greatly appreciated as I now have to choose between setting it to go fast downhill or be able to tackle climbs, but not both... thank you in advance!

-Erik

[cyclerUK]

First I would loosen the cable at the derailleur end and move the derailleur, by hand, to see if it will go the full range.
Next I would hold the end of the cable and operate the changer to see if there is full movement.
I would also strip the inner cable out of its housing to check for loose strands, kinks etc.

[Blu3Fish]

(09-10-2011, 05:36 PM)cyclerUK Wrote:  First I would loosen the cable at the derailleur end and move the derailleur, by hand, to see if it will go the full range.
Next I would hold the end of the cable and operate the changer to see if there is full movement.
I would also strip the inner cable out of its housing to check for loose strands, kinks etc.

Thanks! I checked it all over and ended up taking the cover off the shift pod. Turns out the shifter inside the pod (don't know the technical name) wasn't catching after the 4th gear and could only change 4 gears. Ended up having to replace the pods... oh well.

Thank you for your help!