Loose gearbox that won’t find 2nd or 5th gear, sometimes hard to differentiate between 1st and 3rd.
The gears work fine and there seems to be no grinding of gears, the changes are all still smooth but it will not go into second gear at all, it is like the place for the gear lever to go into 2nd does not exist, the same applies for 5th, I try put it in gear and it just falls into neutral. All gears were fine the other day but now this has occurred. Also the gearbox seems very loose and there is a lot of give when in gear. It's very hard to distinguish which gear you are actually in. Any idea what this could be? I think it could be the gear linkage but haven't had time to get it looked
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
There are a couple of possibilities. The first thing that comes to mind is of course the shifter itself. There is a nylon ball and socket joint at the base of the gearshift lever that sometimes falls apart, making the feel of the shifter very vague. Additionally, there are links to the transmission shift linkage that involve nylon bushings and joints that can fall apart. Both problems are very common on your car. The other less common possibility is that you have a bad motor mount that is allowing the transmission to move around too much when you try to shift gears. either way, it’s not a big deal to fix, and probably won’t require expensive transmission work. If you contact Your Mechanic, they can send a technician to your home or office to check out you shifting issue and let you know what repairs it will take to correct it.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
The most common reason a manual transmission would jump out of gear is due to low or contaminated fluid, worn synchronizers inside the transmission, or improperly adjusted shift linkage.
Misadjusted, damaged or stretched shift linkage or cables can keep an AT from going into gear when moving the shifter. Check your owner`s manual, because some vehicles have shift cables that are adjustable. Adjusting a cable is a one-time fix you can make before taking your car in for service.
This is often times a sign of low transmission fluid or a faulty transmission control solenoid. As you know, automatic transmissions use pressurized hydraulic fluid to change gears.
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.
The Transmission Range Sensor tells the PCM the position of the transmission shifter. The PCM uses this information to control which gears of the transmission to enable or disable. When the TR sensor fails it can cause wrong gear starts, no upshifts, or what feels like a falling-out-of-gear condition.
In manual transmissions, slippage is frequently caused by a worn-out clutch. Replace the clutch, and often the problem goes away. For automatic transmissions, damaged or worn clutch plates, transmission bands, or solenoid packs are often the culprit and one or more of these need to be replaced.
In most loose clutch cases with a hydraulic system, it is a probably an issue with the master cylinder. Internal or external damage to the cylinder can cause the hydraulic fluid to leak out and it simply will not perform properly once the fluid is too low. Sometimes, it is simply a worn seal that needs to be replaced.
Transmission gears wear out and start slipping.
Over time gears can wear out – especially if they have been running hot and inefficiently due to lack of or worn out transmission fluid. Slipping gears are usually due to normal wear and tear, which causes them to not engage properly and to slip in and out of sync.
Slipping gears are usually due to normal wear and tear, which causes them to not engage properly and to slip in and out of sync. It is rare, but there might be a malfunctioning set of gears in the transmission, which is usually due to bad original manufacturing.
To put it briefly, no you should never drive your vehicle if you believe there to be an issue with your transmission in any case. Once a transmission starts slipping it needs to immediately be repaired. Every time you drive it after you feel your transmission slip, it is a risk.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Loose gearbox that won’t find 2nd or 5th gear, sometimes hard to differentiate between 1st and 3rd.
ANSWER : There are a couple of possibilities. The first thing that comes to mind is of course the shifter itself. There is a nylon ball and socket joint at the base of the gearshift lever that sometimes falls apart, making the feel of the shifter very vague. Additionally, there are links to the transmission shift linkage that involve nylon bushings and joints that can fall apart. Both problems are very common on your car. The other less common possibility is that you have a bad motor mount that is allowing the transmission to move around too much when you try to shift gears. either way, it’s not a big deal to fix, and probably won’t require expensive transmission work. If you contact Your Mechanic, they can send a technician to your home or office to check out you shifting issue and let you know what repairs it will take to correct it.
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.
trouble getting car out of 1st gear , sometimes into 1sr gear aswell
ANSWER : Hi there. Typically this issue is caused by a malfunction within the clutch system. In some cases, it can be as simple as the clutch pedal being out of alignment or needing to be adjusted. Sometimes however, it can be an internal component; such as a master or slave cylinder that is not fully engaging. I would recommend having a professional mobile mechanic come to your location if possible to complete a car is hard to shift inspection first. This will allow the mechanic to find the source of your issue and recommend the right repairs be completed.
car hesitation in 1st and 2nd gears , its totally fine in higher gears . hesitation means light jerks , what’s the issue?
ANSWER : Hi there. You may be having an engine misfire since it is only when you are accelerating. The misfire may be due to worn spark plugs or the ignition system coil failing. The ignition system includes the spark plugs, wires, and coils which need to be checked for signs of failure. I recommend having the engine completely diagnosed and scanned for codes to see what is causing the misfire in the engine. You may only need a tuneup or may need more ignition components. I recommend having a technician, such as one from YourMechanic, inspect for trouble codes and replace any failing components.
Gear problems when changing from 3rd to 2nd end up in 4th and 1st ends up in 3rd.
ANSWER : Hi there. Yes the selector is not working and needs replaced. The selector rod or spring could be damaged causing the shifter to be too wobbly or out of alignment making the shifter go into other gears. If you need further assistance with your shifter issue, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
Hard to put the car into 1st and 2nd,a tiny bit hard in 3rd, rest are fine.
ANSWER : The transmission internal gears have these special rings that synchronizes the gears using a special blocking ring that work together to help the gears line up and make them go together without grinding. If these special rings are worn out, then the gears will not align unless the gear you’re are coming from and going to are turning at the same speed and align up to change. Your transmission would need to be removed and the transmission disassembled to replace any worn out parts. One other problem you may be having is the transmission clutch not completely disengaging the connection between the engine and the transmission. This may be caused from the clutch hydraulic system or the clutch itself.
Have a certified mechanic inspect the clutch to see if it is fully releasing by measuring the amount of throw the clutch lever is moving to determine if it is working properly. If the clutch is releasing then the transmission is the problem.
I got sound when I shift to 3rd gear and it’s get hard to put shift to second gear when car is in 3rd gear.
ANSWER : Hello. It sounds as though the synchronizers in the transmission, which are used to adjust transmission internal gear speed when upshifting or downshifting are possibly worn out or you are shifting a bit too fast. It is also possible that the clutch is not releasing fully when you press the clutch pedal. In some conditions, utilizing synthetic gear oil in the transmission can help the quality of gear shifting. If the clutch is not fully releasing an inspection of the clutch hydraulics is a good idea. I would recommend having an inspection of the hard shift completed 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 for repairs.
Powerful resistance when shifting into 1st, 3rd or 5th gear
ANSWER : Hi there. To be blunt, I can’t figure how making any adjustments to a fuel system component would impact the transmission. The only time this would apply is if the engine idle speed has increased; which can impact the transmissions ability to shift correctly. Your issue is possibly caused by an electrical fault or speed / shift sensor problems that is faulty. I would recommend that you start by completing a diagnostic scan with a digital scanner, to download any fault codes. This might give you a starting point as to what’s causing this issue.
