Car starting, but not going into gear
My car does start, but the car does not go into gear. The transmission fluid is also leaking.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
The transmission leak would have to be located and fixed then the transmission fluid filled to see if internal damage has been done to the transmission. The leak could be from the transmission or transmission cooler. Once the leak is fixed the transmission may work okay. I recommend you have a mechanic, like ones from YourMechanic, come by and inspect your transmission leakage.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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Over time, dirt, debris and other tiny particles can accumulate in the transmission fluid, affecting its fluid properties. This can cause the vehicle to die when you shift into drive or reverse, allow a loss of power, transmission slip, rough shifts or even prevent the vehicle from shifting into gear at all.
A healthy transmission will shift between gears smoothly and there won`t be any slippage. Low fluid levels can cause gears to miss, which will result in a grinding sensation.
It`s also possible that something inside the transmission broke and put a hole in the transmission, causing the sudden loss of fluid. If you`re lucky the axle may have just come out of the transmission and leaked out the fluid and this would cause the vehicle to not move.
Some people call these parts the shift lock release. A brake switch fault will likely coincide with a failure to start. However, if the vehicle is running and won`t go into gear, it might be the linkage cable that is loose, damaged, or disconnected.
Press the Clutch Pedal Down More If you have a manual transmission, try to press the clutch pedal all the way down to the floor before trying to change gears. As the friction disc down, you have to press the pedal further and further down to move it away from the flywheel.
Delayed gear engagement: When you`re low on transmission fluid you will experience a noticeable pause (2 to 3 seconds) when you shift into Drive and Reverse. This happens because there isn`t enough hydraulic pressure to initiate the gear change.
Transmission won`t engage or stay in gear
If when you put your vehicle into gear and it won`t move, this may be a problem with low transmission fluid due to a leak, the shifter, shifter cable, or it could even be a problem in the valve body of your automatic transmission.
When the torque converter starts malfunctioning, you may feel shuddering and even slipping in overdrive. You usually notice your car shuddering because it feels like it`s vibrating. Your car will vibrate even when you`re not going very fast. The shuddering makes the car lag and is very noticeable.
The number one cause is the clutch components have worn out and no longer have enough friction material to overcome the weight of the vehicle. A second possibility is the transmission can be stuck in two gears at the same time and it won`t move. The shift mechanism can malfunction and keep you from selecting a gear.
Hard, and sometimes impossible shifting into first and reverse is caused by the clutch disc not moving away from the spinning flywheel. This is commonly referred to as the “clutch is not releasing”. The number one cause is the hydraulic system that operates the clutch is leaking and has low fluid.
But a blown fuse No. 38 becomes a likely candidate causing a loss of power to the transmission solenoids.
Turn off your vehicle`s ignition and wait patiently for 5 to 10 seconds. Start the engine and allow it to idle for several seconds. Switch off the ignition and wait patiently for another 30 to 40 seconds. Repeat these steps 2 to 3 times in order to reset your vehicle`s transmission control module.
The transmission system has valves and solenoids that keep the flow of the fluid controlled when the vehicle is running. A damaged part or faulty valve/solenoid can result in a transmission fluid leak. Sometimes two components within the transmission system are simply misaligned.
If your car has an automatic transmission, the shift solenoid will shift the gears for you. The transmission control unit will take the information from the engine and speed sensors along with other parts of your vehicle to then decide when to shift gears for power and fuel efficiency.
The cause may be low engine oil or a faulty Intake CMP actuator causing a performance problem with the actuator. Both of these codes cause a computer strategy to raise line pressure causing the shifts to be harsh.
Transmission Fluid Low or Poor Condition – Vehicles low on transmission fluid or that are operating with worn out or contaminated fluid are likely to experience hard shift conditions. Lack of adequate lubrication within the transmission can cause several problems, including hard shifting.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
My manual car won’t go into gear, it turns on and the clutch goes down perfectly fine. It happened after my gears grinded, the car
ANSWER : If the clutch mechanism is releasing properly, and the shift linkage is not malfunctioning, your transmission will have to be removed from the vehicle and inspected. Once a transmission has been removed from a vehicle, if the problem is a broken or worn part or parts, and the transmission has 100,000 miles or more, the most cost effective approach is to just simply rebuild the whole transmission. There are transmission rebuild kits that are sold just for this purpose. Rebuilding a transmission is no big deal and is indeed easier in many respects than rebuilding an engine. You can rebuild your transmission right in your own garage. You can NOT rebuild an engine in your own garage due to the highly specialized, and extremely costly, machine shop equipment required. Occasionally, mobile mechanics will take on a transmission rebuild job especially as once the mechanic removes the transmission from the vehicle, it is just simply a modular unit that can be easily transported to a mechanic’s shop and rebuilt right there and then returned to your vehicle. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
My car will not start Intermittently. I purchased a new battery 2 weeks ago and yesterday the car wouldn’t start. Got a jump and
ANSWER : The issue you are having is probably due to an intermittent fault in the starter motor itself or a deficiency in the starter electrical circuit, for example a large voltage drop due to a poor ground or a high resistance connection. These issues can be readily diagnosed and resolved on a mobile basis if you request a hard starting diagnostic. If you request that diagnostic, the responding certified mechanic will get this resolved for you promptly. Based on Toyota’s Factory Service Manual, the battery should not be disconnected if the vehicle engine is running. The battery acts as a large resistive voltage sink and consequently taking the battery out of the circuit, while the alternator is still running, can create a voltage spike on the car’s electrical system which is not good for voltage sensitive components such as the engine computer. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Vehicle won’t go into gear when running, when turned off, vehicle will go into gear but won’t start. 1998 Ford Explorer
ANSWER : Hello – your clutch hydraulics are the problem here. Check the clutch hydraulics fluid level – and it may share the same reservoir as the brake master cylinder (both use brake fluid as the hydraulic medium). If fluid needs to be added, that means that probably the clutch slave cylinder is leaking – this might be visible as a clear, but bitter-smelling liquid on the ground under the engine. I recommend a clutch hydraulics inspection performed by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, and give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.
Car won’t move. I can start the car but when I put the shifter in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, ect. The car will not move.
ANSWER : The transaxle is not engaging internally to the axle shafts inside the transaxle or you have one or both axle shafts disengaged from the transaxle. The fact that the speedometer moves when gear is engaged and clutch is released shows the speed sensor in the transaxle is getting turned.
You will need to have the vehicle raised and the axles inspected for broke or stripped shafts. If the axles do not have anything visually wrong with them then hold one wheel and try to turn the other wheel while transaxle is in gear, with engine off, to see if the wheels are locked together. When you spin one wheel the other wheel should turn in the opposite direction. If it does not then the problem is in the transaxle differential gears and the transaxle would need to be removed and disassembled to find the broken internal components.
If you need some assistance with this, consider YourMechanic, as one of our mobile technicians can come to your home or office to diagnose your acceleration issue and help make the necessary repairs to get you going again.
Suddenly cannot shift car into gear.
ANSWER : Hi there:
There could be multiple problems on your Saturn that are causing this problem you’re experiencing. If your clutch is worn it won’t allow you to put your car in gear. When you step on the clutch, the transmission disengages from the engine. This slows the insides of the transmission just enough to allow you to shift gears. When the clutch is worn, the slave cylinder doesn’t have enough travel to disengage the clutch from the engine, so it wont allow you to put it in gear. It’s also possible that you have broken a shift fork in the transmission. The shift forks are what actually move the slides inside the gear box to engage the gears when you move the shifter. The best way to determine exactly why you’re car won’t shift into gear is have a professional mobile mechanic complete a car is hard to shift inspection.
Map sensor car won’t start up good ?
ANSWER : Your MAP sensor is an important input for your computer. It helps determine the load on the engine to calculate the correct amount of fuel to inject. It sometimes takes a few seconds for the vehicle to realize that the sensor is not producing a good signal.
At that point, it will use other methods to determine the fuel rate, such as pre-programmed fuel maps, throttle position, etc. I would suggest replacing the MAP sensor and retesting. If you would like to have it checked first, a certified technician from YourMechanic will be able to scan your vehicle and test components to determine the root cause of your starting issue before making a repair.
When starting RPM of car starts going down and then engine stops.
ANSWER : It sounds like you may have a fuel supply problem in getting the proper amount of fuel to the fuel injectors which may be caused by a bad fuel pump or potentially faulty fuel injectors. This can happen when the pump itself is not working properly or when the fuel pressure regulator is not maintaining the proper fuel pressure in the fuel system causing the engine to starve for fuel. This can also happen when there is insufficient connectivity to the fuel injectors which can cause an intermittent fuel spray pattern into the intake system resulting in a lean fuel condition or the motor otherwise starving for fuel.
Battery and oil light come on when trying to start car, take keys out try again car starts no problem and lights go away
ANSWER : Of course, don’t switch gears without being fully stopped, unless your Owner’s Manual or the manufacturer has alternative advice. However, the gear shift issue has no relation to the no-start problem you are describing. Inasmuch as you only have 6,000 miles on the car, the "constant on and off" that you believe has occurred is meaningless in comparison to the expected total vehicle service life. That is, assume what you perceive as "constant on and off", during merely 6,000 miles, might be equivalent to using the car "normally" for three years. A new car should be trouble free for at least 5 years, unless there is a defect, so your "constant on and off" is not a causal factor for any fault on the vehicle. What you might have is a defect in the ignition switch, or perhaps the immobilizer system, but if the problem is not in the switch itself, clearly there is an electrical problem.
If your vehicle is under warranty, by law the dealer MUST repair the issue you are describing within a prescribed time frame and number of "attempts", otherwise the dealer will run afoul of Federal and state Lemon Laws that give you very specific rights, and recourse (contact an Attorney; we are Mechanics, NOT attorneys). Consequently, if the vehicle is still under warranty, to save yourself money do be sure to seek a resolution from the dealer. If the vehicle is not under warranty, obviously a certified Mechanic from YourMechanic could identify the electrical fault and resolve this for you. If you want to go that route, please simply request a no start diagnostic -electrical system and the responding certified mechanic will get this taken care of for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
