Locked out of 1st, 3rd and 5th gear

[Shinerbock]

I have a '92 coupe with 5 speed manual transmission. I have had probs for about a year now shifting. Sometimes it would be hard, sometimes normal. over the last two months I sometimes couldn't shift into 1st. It's not like I was feeling heavy resistance, it's would go up into where the gear should be but it was like the gear wasn't there and it had a springy feel to it. If I shifted easy it would sometimes go into 1st.

About 2 weeks ago, my 1st, 3rd and 5th gear all started doing this.

Three days ago, I was backing up and my car wouldn't shift out of reverse. It was like trying to shift a gear shifter that was welded to another piece of metal. It wouldn't move.

I then turned the car off and it shifted out of reverse, but would not go into 1st gear. I had been just starting in 2nd for a couple weeks so I started out in 2nd and went to shift into 3rd and it I couldn't. it wasn't like before, it was like there was something blocking me from shifting into 3rd. Same with 5th.

So now it's like my car was built to shift into only 2nd, 4th and reverse. They all feel normal. If I first drove the car, I'd think my shifting pattern looked like this:

TTT
2 4 R No 1st, 3rd or 5th.

My bro (who I bought the car from a while ago) said he had to have a synchronizer or something replaced once and said it sounds kinda like his problem. I searched "synchronizer" and didn't find anything useful on the forums. Maybe I searched for the wrong thing lol.

Anyone have any ideas what my problem is? I don't want to buy a new tranny because I'm getting an H22a fairly soon and I want the LSD tranny for the H22a. Thanks for any help anyone can offer. I'm off to bed now and will check back tomorrow.

[deevergote]

The synchronizers are inside the transmission, and the ensure smooth shifting. Without them, you'd have to match gear speed to the RPM of the engine to shift without grinding. If he had a synchronizer replaced (just one wouldn't be a good idea...) then it probably cost him a lot of money, as it's pretty much rebuilding the transmission. If he didn't pay a whole lot for it, then whoever did it probably got one over on him.

Without replacing or rebuilding your transmission, your best option is to just change the fluid, using GM Synchromesh (worked well for me) or Honda MTF (Type 2, I believe... synthetic). It MIGHT help the problem, but it's not guaranteed.

I had a similar problem. When I tried to shift, I would hear a sound like small chirping birds. It turned out to be my throwout bearing failing on me. It didn't do much damage right away, and it continued to work for a while... but when it failed, it nuked everything associated with the clutch.

My F22's transmission also had grinding issues due to the synchros... and that's when I decided to swap to the H22.


I don't know that the synchros would result in locking you out of gear... just grinding when you do shift. If you're locked out, it could be a bent shifter fork. Either way, if fluid doesn't fix it, and the clutch/throwout bearing stuff isn't bad... then you need a rebuild or replacement.

Oh, and if you drain your fluid, and it smells like (as my friend put it...) eggs and shit... Then you've had gear oil in your transmission, and that caused the damage. It's unlikely, but it happened to me. Just in case there are two such stupid mechanics in this world...

[gloryaccordy]

Ur shifter cable might be on its way out. I had probs shifting on my 2nd CB into 1/3/5, and the day I sold the car the dude hit me up like 'yo the tranny died take the car back'. Turns out it was the shifter cable; it just broke in the middle.

I'd say look at the shift linkage on the tranny and just have someone in the car move the shifter around. I can't imagine all 3 of ur syncros goin out at once

[DJ metadelic]

Could be the shift assist cable, could be out of wack. But, it could also be syncro's. I've lost 2 gears at once, then a 3rd one soon to follow before. They do go bad, and it is possible you're losing multiple gears at once. Do you have grinding, or are have they simply been lost?

[deevergote]

It's unlikely that they'd just go without significant grinding first... but I suppose it's not impossible. It's more likely that a fork went bad. I'd have to look at the gear layout, but all the missing gears may be on the same shaft.

glory's cable suggestion is valid as well. If a cable is loose, broken, or improperly adjusted somehow, then it's possible that it's just not moving things into place properly. If that has been happening for a while, internal damage may have occurred... so it depends on whether or not the cable IS the problem, or CAUSED the problem.

[Shinerbock]

I never had any grinding. Sometimes if I let off the clutch too early I'd get a brief grind, but that was me. I guess I'll change the tranny fluid and hope that helps. I don't have to drive my car very far, so can I just use 2nd and 4th for a couple months? Or are those likely to go out soon as well?

Thanks for the info!

[deevergote]

Using 2nd and 4th only can be a bit of a strain on the engine... but you can do it, sure.

Without knowing why the other gears are such a problem, it's hard to say if the gears that work will have a problem anytime soon.

[Shinerbock]

Ahh, ok. Guess I'll drive like granny and keep the RPMs down. I only have to drive it to and from work and to the grocery store once a week... and to Gamestop this Monday night for Mass Effect2! hehe. But, anyway, I'll change my tranny fluid and have it checked out. If it's more money than I want to spend then I'll try to baby it until I can get my new motor.

One more question which, I'll have to read after I get back from work:

Can I use an H22a LSD tranny on an F22a6 motor? I plan on spending the extra cash on this transmission when I get the H22a anyway, so perhaps I can knock this out now? or could my F22a6 damage the tranny if there's something wrong with my engine? My F22 has 240k on it if that matters.

Thanks again, deevergote! Again, you're always there when I have questions hehe.

[cb7 dohc]

Just replace 5 speed manual transmission

[plee3]

I wanted to add some closure to this issue. I was experiencing the same problem, no 1st, 3rd, and 5th gears. I did a search on this topic and I came across this thread. It is very important to check your shift cables first! This is done by removing both ends from the gearbox on top of the trans and remove the other ends on the shifter. Pull and push both cables. There should be NO HESITATION at all when pushing and pulling the cables. If there is, then you need new cables. I have enclosed a couple of pics on what I have discovered.







At the very end I noticed that the plastic insulation was broken and this specific cable was VERY hard to push in and pull out. That gave me an indication that I needed cables. I installed a set from the J-yard. It costed $18.23. This should be the first step to take when you experience this problem. It will save you alot of money if you are suspecting you need syncros.

[Shinerbock]

Thanks for the info, Plea3. My transmission just went out completely last night and I have 2nd gear only. So I'll give this a shot. If it's not cheap to fix, then I'm done sinking any more money into the car. The hail damage I took a few weeks ago made sure that it would be pointless to restore and boost my cb7...

Thx again for everyone's help.

[gloryaccordy]

I will bet money it's your cables