Hello everyone!

I am having a problem with my 2001 Civic manual transmission. 120k miles.

So the transmission does not go into any gear whatsoever. I go into the car, turn the key, does not start. Hold down the clutch and turn the key, and it starts. With, or without, the clutch depressed I can move the shifter anywhere and everywhere within the restrictions of the walls. I can move the shifter in the shape of a big square, like I am just moving a stick in air. It feels as if there i no shift cable connected, or it is extremely loose, but that is not the case.

I go to the engine bay and remove the air intake, and I can see the shift cables that run to the transmission. I have a friend go in the car and move the shifter, the cables are able to move the mechanism that connnects to the transmission. Even though it rotates and moves up and down, it still feels like there are no gears whatsoever.

I was thinking that maybe the shift lever that the shift cables are connected have failed. Not too sure what is underneath the shift lever, but possibly that is where it may be broken off and that is why it feels like there is nothing there.

Thanks for any help! Being a college student with a broken car jut means more time on the bus, and less time studying!

 

It's supposed to do that. There's a switch on the back of the clutch pedal. It's so you don't start your car while in gear and end up plowing into something. (or someone)

Sounds like something broke between the cables and the shift forks / shift arm / interlock / change levers, etc. Click here to see what I'm talking about. Worse case scenario - you need to remove the transmission and split the case open.

Nonsense. You can't study when you're driving, but you can certainly study while waiting for and riding on the bus.

 

Thanks for your input, I removed the shift lever(number 10 on the diagram) and was able to pull it straight out. I do not understand how it works, it is just a metal cylinder with a tapped hole on it. Is it not connecting to anything? How would rotating and moving up and down create a shift in gears?

Looking through the little hole that was given to me by removing the shift lever, I saw other metal pieces with openings just big enough for the cylinder of the shift lever to enter. These pieces are quite loose, moving freely from left to right, but with some sort of tension as they weakly wanted to go back to a stationary position which did not line up properly with the hole.

Well, whatever the problem may be, it would not help unless I drop the transmission and split the case open.

And have you tried studying on a moving bus? That's just asking for a headache!

 

Before you do anything else to it, buy a service manual. Click here. You will want 61S5C01, but you can probably find a used one online somewhere.

I haven't worked on one of these transmissions at all, but that just doesn't sound normal to me. I very well could be wrong, maybe it's supposed to just slip out like that, but I certainly am not going to go try it on my own car just to find out. Where's Paul when you need his input?!


I always get nauseous when trying to read in a moving vehicle.







EDIT: I'm going to go ahead and move your thread to our Transmission & Drivetrain forum in hopes that someone who has experience with these transmissions can chime in and fill in the blanks.

Again: After three days and no answers, I've decided to move it back here.

 

Update
After trying various screw drivers to pop open the shift arm cover, I could not get it. I went out and got a small pry bar, and was able to pop it open no problem.

Once it was opened, I saw 2 pieces that were just laying there on vacation. I removed them and played with them until I figured out how they would go back together. I then realized that the threaded hole on the shift lever was for a washer and bolt in order to hold everything together. It now made since how shifting would occur. I went and got a flexible magnet tool and fished for the washer and bolt(number 13 and 14 on the diagram)
After 15 minutes of abusing the transmission with my magnet, I got the bolt and washer, put everything back on, and put it in first... it moved! Problem solved!
Thanks for your help!!! Just wanted to come back and post what happened incase anyone elses transmission decides to take itself apart from the inside!

 

Ah-ha!! I had a sneaking suspicion that was the culprit! Glad you got it sorted out!

Thanks for the update!!