Need help! Transmission problems

[Rob914]

My car recently started shifting wierd, grinding, not going into the right gear. Now it has gotten so bad that I can not go into fourth or fifth gear at all its almost like everything shifted over to the left.

Does anyone know what the problem may be?

Thanks, -Rob

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

First, check the linkage. Look to see how the bushings are. Consider replacing them even if they look good.

Check the adjustment of the linkage. The shifting tech article we have does discuss this.

Finally, look inside the center tunnel to see if the clutch tube is interfering with the bottom of the gear shift lever. If so, you'll need to have it welded back on again.

--DD

The linkage is held together with cone set screws, if they loosen up the shifting will progressively get worse until you can't shift worth a darn. One's at the firewall knucle joint (most suspect) and ones at the transmission. Check and tighten, if that cures problem, remove and put a drop of blue loctite on threads.

Good Luck, Don

[bob174]

There are plastic bushings in that "knuckle" joint that disintegrated in mine about a year ago and resulted in the same symptoms you describe. The things went south all in the course of one drive. It shifted really crappy. I had replaced all the other bushings so it was fairly easy to diagnose. I could feel pieces of the bushings loose inside the rubber boot. It's a pretty easy fix. If that's where the problem is there's a trick to getting the new bushings on it--you have to press out the pin in the end of the shift rod. You can use a vice and a couple sockets to do it. $10 bucks says this is where your problem is...