Rattling noise and wont go in gear

It wont go into gear when started, It will when its off, The clutch peddle seems fine, Nothing leaking, Ive had it for one year and it has Never needed clutch fluid as if its not used any. The rattling stops when in neutral. What could it be and how's the best way to pinpoint the problem without a garage charging to replace the clutch if it isnt the real problem.

My car has 260000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
If you can put the transmission in any gear with the engine off easily but cannot get it in any gear when you start the car with the clutch in, then you have a clutch system problem. You will have to see if the clutch hydraulic system is full and then see if it is moving the clutch every time you push in the pedal. If the clutch travel is moving the clutch pressure plate in and out enough, then you have a defective clutch pressure plate. The rattle is most likely the pressure place release bearing also going bad. You can have the gear issue inspected by a mobile technician from YourMechanic. They can diagnose the faults and pinpoint exactly what is causing the issue.

How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?

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

A loose center console cover, broken glove box hinge, or even an item resting in the door panel pocket or cup holder can suddenly start rattling at idle. So, if you hear rattling when your car is idling, check carefully around the interior, including the trunk or cargo area.
Many issues can cause rattling noises when accelerating, including worn-out suspension components, loose heat shields, and low transmission fluid. Worn-out suspension components, a misaligned driveshaft, broken or loose heat shields, and low transmission fluid can all cause a rattling sound when accelerating.
If your car`s transmission is poorly lubricated, metal components inside of it will grind against one another. This can lead to a rattling sound as gears wear down inside the transmission. Even worse, these gears may eventually make the transmission unusable.
Bearing, gear and shaft wear are the most common causes of noise. As gear tooth faces and bearing races wear, they develop groves and small pits. While these are only small at first, they will gradually become larger, and as they grow, these imperfections will cause even more noise to occur.
Beware a shake, jerk or grind

Automatic gearbox telltale signs include hesitation, slipping, or “trembling” during gear changes. Manuals are more likely to grind. Jerking and clunking noises are more likely to be caused by failing engine and transmission mounts.

You usually hear this noise when accelerating the vehicle. Most people call this a pinging or rattling sound. This noise is caused by an air/fuel mixture in the engine cylinder being ignited prematurely by the heat of compression as the piston is moving up on the compression stroke.
A loud noise coming from your vehicle when you accelerate, particularly one that sounds similar to a lawn mower is most likely due to an exhaust system leak.
If you hear a humming noise in all gears, you may be dealing with a worn or damaged shaft or bearing. If you hear a growling noise specifically while moving, it is usually caused by a bad input shaft bearing. If that`s the case, you will be able to hear grinding in any gear, at any engine speed.
Transmission Makes a Growling Noise

So start there, if necessary. Frequently, a low, growling type noise may appear because of a low transmission fluid level. The growl may turn into a whining sound when the teeth of the gears become worn because of a lack of proper lubrication, contamination, or high mileage.

If your car makes rattling noises when stopped in drive it could be due to loose parts, an item stored in your car or a more serious problem that`s cause for concern including: Failing catalytic converter. Loose heat shield. Low oil pressure.
Here are some common culprits of rattling noises and where the sound should be coming from: Loose exhaust system: you`ll hear rattling noises toward the back of your vehicle. Failing catalytic converter: rattling will come from under the car. Defective heat shield: noises will be coming from under the car.
Idle rattle or neutral rattle is noise at idle caused by fluctuations in flywheel speed that result in speed variations at the input shaft. This condition can cause the internal gearing to contact both the drive side and coast side, creating a continuous noise.

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.

Car in park shifter will move through gears but wont shift through the gears its stuck in neutral have emergency brake on so it wont roll
ANSWER : From what you’ve described, it sounds like the shifter cable came off at the transmission or the shifter. I’d suggest checking the shift linkage on the transmission to see if the cable came off. This is due to the connector end bushing falling apart and not being able to hold the cable on any longer. Some cables have to be replaced as a whole and as with others the bushing can be replaced to fix the cable. I’d suggest contacting a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, who can come diagnose your shifting issue and make the necessary repairs to your vehicle. Good luck.

Just bought a used Forester that started rattling when I’m not accelerating and the wheel is straight. Any ideas on what it could be?
ANSWER : Hey there. The most common source of rattles on Subaru’s are the exhaust heat shields. They can rattle under all sorts of random circumstances. Whenever you turn, accelerate, let off the gas or brake, the motor experiences torque that is dampened by the engine mounts so the passengers won’t feel these vibrations. This torquing will affect the exhaust as much as any other component on the car. Checking for exhaust shield rattles is fairly simple. Use a soft mallet hammer to tap on the shields to see if it rattles. If it does, repairing this is more challenging than locating it. It’s a creative process that can only be decided in person. Of course, you will need to get under that car to access all of the shields.

Other than the exhaust shields, it could be a dust shield on the brakes or a sway bar end link. Both of these are far less common as determined by your description of your symptoms. If it is a sway bar end link, it will rattle most often when you go over bumps. If it is the brake dust shield, you will need to remove the wheel to see if the shield is loose.

If you need further help having this done, a certified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose the rattling noise so that this can be corrected.

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.

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 truck wont go in gear and the pedal feels very weak. Just replace the clutch. It was running for 2 days till my gears wouldnt
ANSWER : This can be related to many potential issues; however, one that is somewhat common is the deterioration of the transmission gear synchronizers. These are small fork-shaped components that assist the transmission from going in and out of gear. When these are damaged or worn out, this can cause the shifting into and out of gears to be very difficult and in some cases impossible. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home to diagnose and repair your transmission.

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.

Rattling noise from front left during left turns or while going over bumps.
ANSWER : Hi there. Base on the information you’ve provided this may be a result of the leveling kit installation. I would check the caliper on the left front and make sure the mounting bolts for the caliper and pads are proper tightened. Then check the installation of the shock to see if the nut is overtightened and squeezing the bushing flat; simply look a the top of the shock and see if the bushing is flat and allowing the metal washers to make contact. Also check the sway bar link for similar signs as noted for checking the shock. The last thing that I would suspect is a wheel bearing that may not have been properly tightened or may need to be torqued. YourMechanic has several technicians that can provide you with a proper suspension inspection for the noise and advise you further on repairs.