difficult to put transmission in gear
06-19-2010, 08:29 PM
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difficult to put transmission in gear
Basically, I can't put the transmission in any gear when the car is running. It's not grinding or making any odd sounds. When the car is off, I have no problems putting it in gear. I bled the clutch again aand and there was no air in the system.
Any ideas of what would be causing this problem?
Any ideas of what would be causing this problem?
06-20-2010, 04:56 AM
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Re: difficult to put transmission in gear
The gears go in the transmission, the transmission doesn't go in the gear. 
Probably a clutch problem. If it was a syncro problem, you'd grind. If it was a shift linkage problem, it wouldn't work with the engine on or off, same thing with a selector fork or something like that. So it has to be something that only affects the trans when the shafts are moving obviously.
If you put it in gear with the engine off, can you then disengage the clutch (without taking it out of gear) and start the engine like that? I'm trying to wrap my head around this, but something isn't adding up right.
Probably a clutch problem. If it was a syncro problem, you'd grind. If it was a shift linkage problem, it wouldn't work with the engine on or off, same thing with a selector fork or something like that. So it has to be something that only affects the trans when the shafts are moving obviously.
If you put it in gear with the engine off, can you then disengage the clutch (without taking it out of gear) and start the engine like that? I'm trying to wrap my head around this, but something isn't adding up right.
06-20-2010, 06:00 AM
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Re: difficult to put transmission in gear
If it feels like the shift lever is resisting your efforts to engage it into any of the gears, there are several possible causes.
Do you have a hydraulic clutch or a cable operated one? if hydraulic, you may have a leak some where in which case you simply aren't disengaging the clutch enough to engage a gear. Commonly it's a leaky master cylinder. Feel around in the foot well around the clutch pedal for moisture. Obvious signs of this problem are an empty reservoir...
If it is cable or mechanically operated, then that's not it.... So it could be that the spring 'fingers' on the pressure plate on the clutch have gone soft over time. This would cause a similar response, since you are not disengaging the clutch enough to allow for gear selection. This a slower process though and something that would get worse over time... not overnight.
Do you have a hydraulic clutch or a cable operated one? if hydraulic, you may have a leak some where in which case you simply aren't disengaging the clutch enough to engage a gear. Commonly it's a leaky master cylinder. Feel around in the foot well around the clutch pedal for moisture. Obvious signs of this problem are an empty reservoir...
If it is cable or mechanically operated, then that's not it.... So it could be that the spring 'fingers' on the pressure plate on the clutch have gone soft over time. This would cause a similar response, since you are not disengaging the clutch enough to allow for gear selection. This a slower process though and something that would get worse over time... not overnight.
06-20-2010, 06:17 AM
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Re: difficult to put transmission in gear
While we're on the topic, what would cause a cable trans to grind, downshifting from 5th to 4th but not when upshifting from 3rd to 4th?
06-20-2010, 07:07 AM
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Re: difficult to put transmission in gear
Synchros. The relative shaft speeds are different while downshifting than upshifting, so synchro problems might not be the same going in each direction (upshifting and downshifting).
06-20-2010, 07:13 AM
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Re: difficult to put transmission in gear
Many thanks.
06-20-2010, 06:46 PM
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Re: difficult to put transmission in gear
I had a friend who had the same problem. He had a vr4 with an aftermarket clutch. It wouldn't go in gear when on, but when it was off, it would go in. If you turned it on while a gear was engaged, it would jump forward. I told him to switch out his pressure plate. It worked after that. It turns out that the pressure plate had too much resistance for his hydraulic system to push the throwout bearing in.