Car won’t go into gear. 2002 Audi A4 Quattro

My car suddenly wasn't able to let me shift in to gear when I was driving . When the car is off I can easily put it in to any gear. The only only way I can get it to move is to put the car in gear (1st) when it's off and start it, after struggling a bit it will take off. But ones I get out of the gear I am unable to put it in any other gear.

My clutch pedal kind of feels ligher.
It's almost like the car is in gear and pressing the clutch doesn't disengage the gear that it's currently in.

My car has 140000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hi there – Your symptoms describe the behavior to expect when your clutch hydraulics go out (clutch master and clutch slave cylinders). Check your clutch fluid level – it may be low. If the fluid level is low, this usually means your clutch slave cylinder has worn out, not unusual with your mileage, and should be replaced. I recommend a malfunctioning clutch inspection performed by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.

How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :

The main reason the car won`t go into gear is that the level of transmission fluid in the vehicle is lower than required. If the level is low despite regular maintenance, there may be a leak. Transmission fluid, therefore, is important to ensure that the car`s moving parts are properly lubricated for functioning.
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.
With a sudden breakdown, the clutch ceases to work entirely and the car won`t move. With gradual failure, you may experience problems such as the car not stopping when you press the pedal. Sudden failure is most often caused by a broken or loose clutch cable, linkable or a failed hydraulic master/slave cylinder.
In most cases, this issue is caused by a damaged shift solenoid or perhaps an obstruction of debris inside the transmission hydraulic lines. It could also be caused by damaged inside the transmission…
Clutch Pedal Remains Stuck to the Floor. Clutch Pedal Feels Loose or Spongey. Clutch Pedal is Hard to Engage. Transmission Makes A Grinding, Whirling or Chirping Noise in Neutral.
If there is no leak, then there may be air in the clutch hydraulic system. I recommend bleeding the clutch slave cylinder and the clutch master cylinder. If you need further assistance with your clutch not working, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
To achieve this, many modern manual vehicles use a clutch switch (or clutch sensor) which is a small component located under the dashboard near the clutch pedal. Its job is to prevent the car from starting unless the clutch pedal is pressed down, disengaging the transmission form the engine.
Why Is it Sticking? Your clutch pedal connects to its operating system via a cable. If the cable becomes stretched, then it loses some of the tension it needs to work. And if the cable breaks, then the clutch loses its connection and may stay down and fail to rise at all.
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.
There are typically a few different possibilities for why a clutch pedal will stay on the floor. It could be a failed clutch master cylinder, slave cylinder, failed fluid line, or the clutch has failed.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Car won’t go into gear. 2002 Audi A4 Quattro
ANSWER : Hi there – Your symptoms describe the behavior to expect when your clutch hydraulics go out (clutch master and clutch slave cylinders). Check your clutch fluid level – it may be low. If the fluid level is low, this usually means your clutch slave cylinder has worn out, not unusual with your mileage, and should be replaced. I recommend a malfunctioning clutch inspection performed by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.

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.

Shifting from 2nd to 3rd, car stopped going fast. Now it won’t go at all.
ANSWER : It is possible that your clutch has failed. The sound you are hearing is likely due to the clutch not engaging with the engine due to it being worn. I would recommened having your transmission inspected by a qualified transmission expert to determine if your clutch requires replacement in order to resolve this issue. This inspection may require removal and partial disassembly of the transmission in order to verify that the clutch has failed.

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.

My car won’t go past 35mph
ANSWER : Hi there. From the description you provided, your vehicle has problems with the transmission again. You stated it will not shift into 3rd gear again, like before the transmission was rebuilt. If the transmission is again the problem, it should be covered under warranty. It could be a faulty shift solenoid. The shift indicator not reading properly could be a faulty transmission position sensor. If this is an overall lack of performance issue, according to your last statement, then possibly you have a restriction in the exhaust system. I recommend having your vehicle’s problems inspected and diagnosed by a certified technician from YourMechanic.

Car won’t change gears when I stop and try to put car in Park. It won’t go until I remove the key.
ANSWER : Hi there. Check the shifter lock solenoid in the shifter housing. The lock solenoid may have an issue as the ignition key is on. I recommend replacing the shifter lock solenoid. Also, I recommend seeking out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you diagnose your lock solenoid in your shifter if your vehicle still continues to not going in into park after replacing the shifter lock solenoid.

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.

Car starts, gears change, car won’t go.
ANSWER : Hello, thanks for writing in. From what you describe, it would appear that your vehicle may be having transmission issues. The symptoms you are experiencing can be caused by a wide variety of things. A few common causes are a bad shift solenoid, a bad transmission valve body, or a faulty torque converter. As the possibilities could be many, I would recommend having a transmission specialist look at the vehicle for the best diagnosis.