I have a '97 Impreza Sport 2.2 5-speed that I just love!!!  It was running and shifting fantastic.  There was no grinding or slipping noises in the tranny or clutch at all.   

 

Well...here's the mystery...I was coasting down a hill in 4th gear when my Bulldog (yep...my dog) kicked it out of gear and into neutral.  (Shouldn't have been a problem...right?)

 

Somehow, without any warning, I LOST ALL GEARS and the car goes nowhere!!!  The shifter moves through all the gears, but does not connect or make ANY noise at all.

 

My mechanic (30 years experience) is baffled as well as my other Subee friends.  Has this ever happened to anyone else???  Is there some kind of linking pin or shifting rod that could have snapped???  Is there anything else we can check without tearing the tranny out???

 

THANK YOU for your time and input as I really can't afford to replace the tranny especially if it could be something else.   

 

 

 

 

It certainly sounds like a linkage issue, but I am surprised that a mechanic with 30 years experience would be baffled by that.  Have you removed the interior plastic trim pieces around the shifter to examine it?

+1 Or looked UP @ the linkage from underneath?

GL,

Td

Yes...thank you...We have both taken the plastic hood off the shifter, and looked underneath while someone went through the gears from the inside.  Nothing looks out of the ordinary.  The odd thing is that there is NO engagement noise, or ANY noise as it goes through the gears.  And it had no warning grinding or slipping....Just BAM...NO gears..NO go!!!...Is there anything else we can try before pulling the transmission?

 

Thanks for any help or input you have!!! Has this ever happened to anyone you know???

A little more description so I'm clear

 

Shifter pushes trans into each gear but car will not accelerate? Look for broken clutch fork.

 

Shifter moves but does not fully engage transmission into gear? Look for the rearmost section of the linkage that sits BEHIND (As memory serves) the shift boot opening from the interior. If it was hit hard enough/bushing worn enough for the rod to push forward and free, the shifter will move but not engage all the way. Had to chase that one down on a 96 Impreza a few months ago. Thought the clutch or trans was bad and that rear rod had just popped free.

 

Either way the trans is probably fine.