subyboy Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 This one has me stumped. Started the car this morning and it just wouldn't go into any gear. So I turned the engine off, still wouldn't go into any gear. The shift lever would move left to right ok but not up or down. I played with it for a while and managed to get it going. Everything felt fine until I stopped for petrol. When I drove off, I tried to shift to from 1st to 2nd but, again, it didn't want to go into any gear. So I stopped to adjust (tighten) the clutch cable but it still wouldn't got into gear, engine on or off. I fiddled with the gear linkage and it worked so I was able to drive it home. Now, correct me if I'm wrong but I think I can rule out the clutch since it happens whether the engine is on or off, correct? I thought maybe something was blocking the gear linkage but I can't see anything and it's intermittent, which makes me think it can't be the gear linkage but has to be something inside the gear box? Hopefully I'm wrong because that would be expensive! I've just drained the gear oil and it seems pretty normal. Any suggestions? BTW it's a '91 Legacy, 5sp manual, dual range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 How many miles? It sounds to me like all the bushings in the linkage are shot. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 8, 2009 Author Share Posted August 8, 2009 Hey Nipper. It's got about 170,000 miles. I thought it might have been the bushings but I replaced them recently. I didn't have the right size bushing, so I had to use a plastic sleeve inside the metal bushing. I thought that might have slipped out and caused the problem but I just had a look and it seems fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 8, 2009 Author Share Posted August 8, 2009 Also, and for what it's worth, I had a good look at the gear oil and found a small chip of what seems to be plastic (wouldn't stick to a magnet) Could that get stuck somewhere and cause and intermittent problem like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgambino Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 crazy thought...did you put new gear oil back in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 8, 2009 Author Share Posted August 8, 2009 Yes, i did. I only drained the oil to have a look at it after the problem started. I can't see anything at all outside the gearbox that could stop the shifter from moving. Is there anything inside the gearbox that could jam somewhere and cause this problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 It's possible that the shift forks inside the transmission are getting jammed up on something. This was a pretty common problem in the transmissions Ford used in the Escort back in the mid 90's. Little filings of metal from the gears would collect in the area where the shift lever sticks through the case of the transmission and it would cause it to stick. Usually a fluid change would cure the problem, but in bad cases the trans would have to be taken apart and thoroughly cleaned. Try changing the fluid a few times. It might be all it needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Thanks Fairtax. Might pickup some gear oil today and flush it a fw times to see if it helps. I've driven a couple of times after draining the oil and putting it back in (minus the plastic chip) and it feels fine. I'm hoping it's just a clutch issue. Could anyone tell me if it could be? Or is it definitely a gearbox issue since it jams whether the engine is on or off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Can you shift the car from underneath, by moving the linkage at the transmission? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Hey Nipper, Haven't tried that when it happened but pretty confident that's not the problem. I had a good look at the linkage both inside the cabin and underneath the car and couldn't see anything at all that could get jammed in the gear linkage. I wish it was just a linkage issue though... Will try it next time it happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 No no no. By grabbing the linkage and shifting it, you get an honest feel for the condition of the shift forks inside the transmission. It will take a little force to get them in gear, but they should go in. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Ah, I see. I'll try it and report the findings ASAP. It's kind of in a tricky spot though, isn'it? But if one of the gear forks was damaged/jamming, how come I can't get any gears (except maybe reverse). If a fork was jamming, wouldn'it affect 1st/2nd or 3rd/4th only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Ah, I see. I'll try it and report the findings ASAP. It's kind of in a tricky spot though, isn'it?But if one of the gear forks was damaged/jamming, how come I can't get any gears (except maybe reverse). If a fork was jamming, wouldn'it affect 1st/2nd or 3rd/4th only? Thats what i was thinking. Thingd have to be very bad to affect all the forks. Is your transmission and engine mounts in good shape? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Yes, trans and engine mounts look fine. Not much filings on the magnetic plug when I drained the gear oil, either. Gears shift fine (except reverse who tends to grind a bit sometimes) The clutch fork (where the clutch cable attaches outside the housing) moves from side to side quite a bit though??? Other thing is, there's a grinding noise if I'm ever under 2000 rpms and I step on the gas, but it's been doing it for ages so I don't think it's very relevant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 OK, so I had a very, very good look at the gear linkage (inside and out) and couldn't find anything wrong with it whatsoever. As Nipper advised, I tried changing gears from underneath the car. It felt OK to move the shaft coming out of the gearbox lengthwise (in and out) but I couldn't work out how to move it sideways. (A bit strange since it's the exact opposite of what the problem was, but then again it was a bit awkward to do it from underneath.) I'm completely out of ideas. I think I might have to take it to a mechanic to see if they can work it out. Unless somebody's got another idea of what it could be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 Well, I took it to the mechanic today (not a Subaru specialist) and he couldn't find anything wrong with it. He adjusted the clutch slightly, that's all. He also said there's a small chance it could be one of the two electrical switches (reverse and low range, I'm guessing) that come into the gearbox and could potentially jam the gear change shaft. But I doubt it, too, as I took them out to have a look and they seemed fine. The fact that even a professional mechanic is stumped makes me feel a bit better. We'll see how it goes... Thanks everyone for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 BTW it's a '91 Legacy, 5sp manual, dual range Just noticed this in your original post. Are you in Australia? Might help if you put that in your location information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 STOP THE PRESSES! DUAL RANGE? You get stuck in neutral in the dual range? Here i thought it was in the forward gears. Next tiem this happens try jacking up one wheel of the car off the ground. This relieves driveline stresses (torque bind) and should fix the issues. Do not use 4wd on this car on pavement or packed dry surfaces. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 OK, first of all yes Olnick, I am in Australia (Melbourne, to be precise) I thought I'd put that in already? Will have to check. Nipper: yes, it is dual range. As in I've got a High/Low range selector, but no fwd/awd selector (permanent awd). Sorry if I didn't make that clear. You were right: the problem is definitely with the forward gears (main gear selector 1st-5th) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 OK, first of all yes Olnick, I am in Australia (Melbourne, to be precise) I thought I'd put that in already? Will have to check.Nipper: yes, it is dual range. As in I've got a High/Low range selector, but no fwd/awd selector (permanent awd). Sorry if I didn't make that clear. You were right: the problem is definitely with the forward gears (main gear selector 1st-5th) hrmmmm so make it tough on me. Is this a push button low/high? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 The dual range shouldn't affect the transmission going into gear. The clutch shouldn't have anything to do with it if it still won't go into gear with the engine off. Not ruling it out altogether, but it seems pretty unlikely. The reverse crunch... I've heard many a car do this, from as far back as I can remember. A little trick is to bump the synchro on first gear before you throw it into reverse. I'm not sure if they're the same ratio in the Subaru, but on most cars first and reverse are close enough that it gets the gears spinning close enough to the same speed to let them slide right together without grinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted August 14, 2009 Author Share Posted August 14, 2009 Thanks Fairtax, it does seem to help a bit to put it in 1st before reverse. Nipper: no, it's not a push button. It's more like a second gear lever, except it's horizontal rather than vertical. The lever pulls a cable that connects to a small lever on the side of the gearbox, near the clutch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyboy Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 It's done it again! After 2 weeks of driving fine, I thought I must've been making it all up but it happened again. Engine on, couldn't push the stick into any forward gear. Reverse would grind and grind and grind but not stop and slide in. Only difference is, this time I was able to put it into gear as soon as I turned the engine off, started it up again and then it drove fine. Go figure I'm definitely suspecting the clutch now, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 It's done it again! After 2 weeks of driving fine, I thought I must've been making it all up but it happened again. Engine on, couldn't push the stick into any forward gear. Reverse would grind and grind and grind but not stop and slide in.Only difference is, this time I was able to put it into gear as soon as I turned the engine off, started it up again and then it drove fine. Go figure I'm definitely suspecting the clutch now, correct? Thats what i would suspect. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 This car have a cable operated clutch or hydraulic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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