the shifter in my car will no longer move freely to the right while in neutral, thus i cant access 5th gear or reverse...this happened out of nowhere.

the transmission has always shifted fine since ive owned it for a few years. i replaced the tranny fluid with synchromesh mtf about 1k-1500 miles ago and it's shifted like butter.

This just happened today. got off at an exit, pulled up to the light in neutral, and at first the shifter would not go left or right. finally i got it to go to the left and 1st-4th gear feels normal. the shifter simply will not move to the right allowing me access to 5th or reverse.

had to cruise 4th all the way home.

any ideas? no reverse is an issue for me lol

 

Have you checked the shift linkage?

 

no sir, how do i go about doing that? i have the center console removed already if that matters.

 

Put the front end on stands and crawl under the car. Inspect the linkage for any signs of damage. Post clear pictures.

 

ok, i can do that. ill report back with pictures.

have you heard of this issue before? if so, usually linkage related?

thanks ron.

 

No. But it's important to rule out a shift linkage problem before considering the transmission.

 

well, i couldnt quite get my camera under there, but the linkage looks fine as far as i can tell.

here is what is leading me to believe the problem is in the trans, and i could be way off here.

the linkage rod that connects the shifter to the trans allowing you to select your gear. ok, when moving the shifter to the left, the end of the rod that connects to the trans rotates to the right. if i grab the end of the rod and manually turn it to the right, it will. i cant turn it the other way though, which is the stuck side.

does this sound accurate for an internal problem?

 

it's going in to the shop regardless...going to have them replace the clutch too while theyre in there.

 

When I had the exact same issue, it was the shift actuator stabilizer bolt that was threaded in too far, preventing side to side movement. Honestly though, unless you or someone else has had the transmission off the car, I don't see how that could happen.

Are you planning on just dropping the car off at the shop and letting them fix it, or are you going to at least give it a shot first? If you decide to try it yourself, while you have the transmission off, you'll see a bolt on the back of the bell housing with a hex key head on it. Loosen that bolt slowly (half turn at a time) and see if it allows the transmission to reach 5/R. I honestly don't know how that bolt can wiggle itself in/out by itself, but it's possible that it just needs to be reshimmed.

A clutch replacement is a pretty simple job, as long as you have a driveway/garage and some basic tools. The only thing you probably can't do is resurfacing the flywheel, but any machine shop can do that for you for some pocket change. Obviously if you're just going to hand your car to a shop and have them do the work, it's a moot point.

 

yeah, im just going to take it to a shop and let them do it.

i dont have much spare time to work on it, and its my daily, so i dont want to **** it up haha.

thanks for your input though man...just hoping its nothing major.

 

It's gonna be expensive.