Won't go into any gear - 5MT

My '06 just got towed home after it left me stuck at a stop light. Everything was working fine until I pulled up to red light. I pushed the clutch and put it in neutral as I came to a stop like I always do but then when I went to shift back into first when the light turned green, it refused to go into gear. Tried to put it in any other gear but it would not go into any gear. Fortunately, I was on a downhill and was able to roll off to the shoulder and wait for a tow.

 

While waiting for the flatbed, I tried a few more times with the engine off and on to put the car into gear with no success.

 

I did a quick search on here from my smartphone and found this thread but it hasn't been terribly helpful yet: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/5mt-wont-go-into-gear-180010.html

 

I tried pumping the clutch a few times but no dice; still would not go into gear.

 

Now that it's home, I pulled the intercooler and did a visual inspection on the slave cylinder and clutch fork. Everything seems to move as it should when the clutch pedal is pressed and the slave cylinder stays extended when the pedal is held so it doesn't appear to be leaking. The fluid is a little dirty but not much.

 

I think my next step will be to check the shifter linkage.

 

Any other ideas or insights would be much appreciated!

 

EDIT for future reference: Ultimately, my problem was a bent 1/2 shift fork, a bad 2nd gear snycro and an over-worn 1st gear slider. I had those parts and the clutch replaced by a local shop and everything works great. The flywheel also showed signs of several years of hard starts and not-so-great shifting and was about 70% covered in thermal scoring.

Doesn't go into gear with the engine off?

 

Clutch fork moves?

Can you move the clutch fork by hand? I suspect the fork is broken inside the bell housing.

Doesn't go into gear with the engine off?

 

Clutch fork moves?

 

No, it will not go into gear when the engine is off, yes the clutch fork moves when the pedal is pressed.

Can you move the clutch fork by hand? I suspect the fork is broken inside the bell housing.

 

It would go into gear with the engine off if that were the case.

 

I'm betting the selector rod in the case is jammed by something.

It would go into gear with the engine off if that were the case.

 

Only if the dogs were lined up. If they're not, and the clutch is engaged, then how would the collar and gear mesh?

 

Anyways, I just realized that if the fork were broken it most likely wouldn't return to it's "neutral" position when the pedal is released. The fact that it does (I think, the OP never says directly) would indicate that it is interfacing with the TOB and PP correctly.

sounds like a rebuild is needed.

Only if the dogs were lined up. If they're not, and the clutch is engaged, then how would the collar and gear mesh?

 

Have you seen the engagement teeth on a synchronized gear? They are pointed with ramps. It's not possible to line up all 5 forward synchros precisely so that there is no engagement. And since the clutch still disengages (clamps down), the input shaft still spins when the crank does.

 

Try putting the car into gear with the engine off. You will be able to slot it into at least one with the clutch disengaged.

 

Something is likely blocking the selector. Could be a tooth. If the fluid was dirty, that may actually be the case.

Have you seen the engagement teeth on a synchronized gear? They are pointed with ramps. It's not possible to line up all 5 forward synchros precisely so that there is no engagement. And since the clutch still disengages (clamps down), the input shaft still spins when the crank does.

 

Try putting the car into gear with the engine off. You will be able to slot it into at least one with the clutch disengaged.

 

I have and you are right. I missed that he had already tried to put it in every gear. Despite the ramps on the dogs it is not impossible, or even difficult, to have them misaligned enough to prevent engagement. However the likelihood of it happening on every gear is vanishingly small, as you mentioned.

I have and you are right. I missed that he had already tried to put it in every gear. Despite the ramps on the dogs it is not impossible, or even difficult, to have them misaligned enough to prevent engagement. However the likelihood of it happening on every gear is vanishingly small, as you mentioned.

 

I never said it was impossible to lock out from a single gear. That is clearly possible. The ramps will, however, not allow all gears to be locked out. There is enough lash to be able to work the car into gear.

 

Think about it. If those ramps weren't there, you'd never be able to shift into 3rd, or 4th when stopped. Those collars are fixed to the output shaft and don't spin until you are moving. The ramps spin the input shaft so you can engage the gear. If you've driven a dogbox, you'll have experienced this.

Yup, we are in agreement.

 

My thinking was that he originally tried putting it into one gear when he was stopped on the side of the road. Had the clutch not properly disengaged then the input shaft would not be free to spin, preventing the collar from meshing with the gear. This is assuming they didn't start perfectly lined up anyways.

 

As you mentioned, if the clutch appears to be working properly, look to the selector mechanism.

 

*edit* For kicks I just went out to my car to try this. Now, when I parked I left it in 1st gear, so obviously that lines up just fine. It just barely went into 2nd, no go for 3rd or 4th, and went smoothly into 5th.

If the shifter feels kind of weird... you could have broken part of the shift linkage. I did that to my 2004 JDM Legacy twinscroll. It got into second gear (barely) and I drove all the way to the AVO shop that way through about an hour of city streets.

Ok, so to answer a few questions:

 

I am unable to put it in any gear, regardless of whether the car is on or off. I encounter VERY heavy resistance to putting it in any of the gears.

 

The clutch pedal/slave cylinder/fork all return to their normal positions when the pedal is released.

 

The fork cannot be moved by hand.

 

When I was moving the shifter to test the gears, I noticed a resistance between the 3/4 gate and the 1/2 gate that was not there prior to it stranding me. It's not impossible to move it left and right between the 3/4 and 1/2 positions but it's almost like it catches on something and then moves through whatever it is. Shifter returns to the 3/4 neutral position on it's own.

 

I haven't had time to get in and inspect the linkage yet. Hopefully I'll be able to that this evening or tomorrow.

Gonna go out on a limb here and say shift linkage. You don't have to take apart the top to see, just get underneath with a flashlight and look up along the tranny first. I think for me a bushing failed and part of the linkage popped out, which disallowed moving it around properly. Was an easy fix in the end.

The fork cannot be moved by hand.

 

Take the slave off and try to move the fork then. It should move easily. If it doesn't you found your problem.

It's not a clutch problem if it didn't grind trying to put it into gear with the engine running.

 

If it did/does grind, then it probably is a clutch issue (broken finger or something)

Updated info:

 

Removed the slave and the fork is still solid, not moveable by hand. The fork moves just fine when the slave is connected though.

 

When the engine was on, there was no grinding trying to put it in gear, pedal in or out. It just would not go into gear.

 

Checked the fluid level. With the car on jack stands and the front tires about 5" above the ground, the trans fluid reads empty. Flat on the ground, the fluid reads full. The fluid on the dipstick looks almost new (I think it was changed right before I bought the car at 64k. It's at 74k now.)

 

Where the linkage enters the transmission, there is some sign that fluid has leaked out at this location:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v458/integraguy1995/Legacy%20GT/DSC_0017.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v458/integraguy1995/Legacy%20GT/DSC_0019-1.jpg

Were you able to see the rear "stay" bushing?

Ya, it's looks a little beat up but it's there and the rod is still in it.

Odd development while working on this: After my brother in law was messing with the shifter for a while I was watching the linkage underneath, I can now put it in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th but cannot get it to go into 1st or reverse, even with re-clutching.

I wonder if you snapped a finger off of one of the forks, and it's blocking the 1-2 rod from moving forward and blocking the idler (locking out Reverse).

 

Time to pull the trans out of the car.

Updated info:

 

Removed the slave and the fork is still solid, not moveable by hand. The fork moves just fine when the slave is connected though.

 

Sounds like the fork may be bent

Sounds like the fork may be bent

 

Nah. Two would have to be bent to lock out 1st and Rev. Not likely.

Nah. Two would have to be bent to lock out 1st and Rev. Not likely.

 

I think he was talking about the clutch fork as opposed to internal forks.

 

Well, eliminated the linkage as a problem. Pulled the entire shifter assembly out of the car and tried to manually change gears on the trans. Still only got 2-5, not 1 or reverse.

 

Guess I'm pulling the transmission tomorrow.

 

Once it's out, how do I pop it open to check for what may be broken?

You don't "pop it open".

 

You take it to someone who knows what they are doing.