BobSaget

Posting for a friend. He has a MY04 with over 131K miles. The problem started a few days ago. I hope the title explained everything...the car drove normally until now. Gears 1-4 feels normal, but moving to 5th is impossible...the transmission doesn't grind, it's like there is no 5th at all.

Moving to 6th engages reverse....is it worth trying to adjust the gear lever or is it something more sinister?

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses.

RESOLVED

edit: pulled out the shifter and found the plastic ring already broken. Very odd, proceeded and found the spring bent. Removed, regreased, assembled back...voila, she presses down, rows through 1-6 like butter, reverses like astroglide and is an otherwise healthy transmission.

Billman250

Sound like you have no 5th and 6th.

Are you say it will go into reverse, even if you dont push down on the shifter?

Sounds like a damaged 5-6 gear collar from skip shifting. Fixed two in the last month.

dwight

A little off topic, but I've heard that skip shifting is bad. If I accelerate in 1st and 2nd, and then get to a suitable speed and want to cruise in 4th or 5th should I clutch between every gear?

Which is/are correct?

1. Depress clutch pedal, shift 3rd, shift 4th, (shift 5th), release clutch pedal
2. Depress clutch pedal, shift 3rd, release clutch pedal, depress clutch pedal, shift 4th, and so on
3. Skip gears, but only if you double clutch
4. Other

emdzey01

1 won't help, 2 is best, but 3 might be acceptable.

Skipping gears has a lot to due with the abuse that the syncros will take. When you're at a certain rpm in 2nd gear for example, and you skip to 5th, the syncro will be the one to match the flywheel speed (rpm) to the gear.

Pretty much the same concept on why you should rev match on downshifts (to keep the car's balance AND to minimize wear) is applied to upshifts.

Maybe someone can chime in regarding syncro wear when you release the clutch at the correct rpm range if you skip shift (letting the flywheel slow down to the correct rpm before you release the clutch) if that still prematurely wears your transmission's gears.

2003AP1

I always wondered the same thing. I do method 2 just to play it safe.

BobSaget

That's correct.

Should we look for another tranny or try to salvage this one? How complicated is it fix? Would you say any reputable transmission shop can do it for less than a price of a used transmission?

spets

#1 will work fine.. you're physically rowing through all of the gears so the syncros are not getting abused. You don't have to clutch out between gears.

dwight

Is he in Arizona as well? SoS does transmission work. No clues about pricing, but I imagine they are reputable.
http://scienceofspeed.com/about_scie...facility_tour/

icemans2k02

Does he have a short shifter? Try to pull up on the shifter and see if it is "stuck" down. Like Billman asked does it go in reverse without pushing down on it?

BobSaget

No short shifter. Yes it goes in reverse WITHOUT pressing down.