# Transmission stuck in gear



## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

Hi all, 
This morning when I went to leave for work, I noticed it felt a little different when I put it in reverse but it went in. Everything seemed fine on the way, all gears worked fine. When I got to work I tried going in to reverse again and it wouldn't go in, after fiddling with it I got it to go into reverse........so I thought....the gear shift is in reverse but the car is stuck in a forward gear, even when my the shifter is in the neutral position its still in gear. I've tried actuating the shifter linkage on top of the transmission with no luck. Also when I shift into some of the gears and let out the clutch it feels like its the transmission is bound up, in other gears it moves forward. I haven't tried moving forward very far just a few feet. I pretty much have a feeling I have a broken shift fork, but I need to be about to get it out of gear in order it get it on my trailer. Any thoughts on how to get it out of gear? Thanks for any ideas. Not sure if it matters much but its a 2003 Roadster with the 6 speed.


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## hunTTsvegas (Aug 27, 2012)

Miles? Clutch ever been replaced?

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## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

120K I know the clutch was replaced but unsure of miles off hand, around 90k I believe. I don't think its a clutch issue. The clutch seems to work fine and had no issues with it up to this point. Even when I have the car off and try changing gears I get the same result. The car starts and runs until I let the clutch out then regardless if the shifter is in neutral or in reverse or select other gears it just wants to go forward when I let out on the clutch. I can feel a difference in the shifter as well, Feels like less resistance, the shifter mechanism on top of the transmission move as well when moving the shifter inside the car.


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## Boulderhead (Oct 21, 2012)

AlkaTT said:


> 120K I know the clutch was replaced but unsure of miles off hand, around 90k I believe. I don't think its a clutch issue. The clutch seems to work fine and had no issues with it up to this point. Even when I have the car off and try changing gears I get the same result. The car starts and runs until I let the clutch out then regardless if the shifter is in neutral or in reverse or select other gears it just wants to go forward when I let out on the clutch. I can feel a difference in the shifter as well, Feels like less resistance, the shifter mechanism on top of the transmission move as well when moving the shifter inside the car.


The shifter on top of the trans goes up and down as well as front to back. Does it move in all of those directions if you try and manipulate by hand? Do the shifter ends (plastic) look like the are sliding over the metal rod (stripped)?


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## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

> The shifter on top of the trans goes up and down as well as front to back. Does it move in all of those directions if you try and manipulate by hand? Do the shifter ends (plastic) look like the are sliding over the metal rod (stripped)?


 Yes, if I press down it moves in both Directions, it also moves both directions when I don't push it down. I also feels like a "click" as I turn it from stop to stop. (hard to explain but like it clicks into position). I can also pull up on it (about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch) which to me seems excessive but I've never paid any attention to it before the problem started.


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## lucasjason (Feb 22, 2016)

i just had this problem, my shifter was floppy and couldnt feel it engaging any other gears, i think i was stuck in 4th. i had no side to side movement without a good amount of force and i would just throw it up and down with a finger. it ended up being 2 bushing in the shifter cable assembly.


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## Boulderhead (Oct 21, 2012)

lucasjason said:


> i just had this problem, my shifter was floppy and couldnt feel it engaging any other gears, i think i was stuck in 4th. i had no side to side movement without a good amount of force and i would just throw it up and down with a finger. it ended up being 2 bushing in the shifter cable assembly.


Cool, then you should be able to get to neutral with a bit of experimenting since things move as they should. If you have a flat surface to move the car to you should be able to take the e-brake off and as you move between different positions see if you can roll the car forward or backward to get to neutral.


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## l88m22vette (Mar 2, 2006)

Did you try a shifter alignment? How about checking the shifter locks on the trans since you just got work done? Even if it felt fine initially things might have moved or settled in after the work...


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## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

Was able to look into my issues more today after work, here is what Ive got so far:

Engine off:
Can move the shift lever inside the car through all gears including reverse (Same goes if I move the linkage on top of the transmission):

Engine on, stationary:
Clutch pedal pressed down, can be pushed backwards. (Not sure if the same going forward)

Gear shifter in neutral, clutch released = forward movement
Gear shifter in Reverse, clutch released = engine dies due to not being able to move
Gear shifter in 1st position, clutch released = car will move forward
Gear shifter in 2nd position, clutch released = car will move forward
Gear shifter in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th same result as when in reverse, engine dies due to no being able to move. 

After moving starting in either neutral or 1st.
Can shift into 2nd, but no change in gear ratio
3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th gear can not be shifted into easily or at all. ( I don't want to force it and break even more things)

I will look up the alignment process and try it over the weekend.


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## mdjenkins (Feb 16, 2010)

Looking at pictures I have from recently rebuilding my transmission and thinking what could be causing what you're describing. I'm by no means any type of expert on transmissions.

My thinking is the 1st/2nd slider is stuck in gear due to the brass fork becoming separated from the steel shaft.

It could be an alignment where the shift tower is keeping the 1st/2nd slider engaged. If this is the case, I would almost expect some form of resistance when trying to engage other gears as the tab on the shift tower that moves the fork would interfere with the 3/4 fork. I'm no expert though. Starting with an alignment isn't going to hurt anything. The shift tower sounds like it is moving freely, you should still be able to lock it in the neutral position even if you don't have neutral.

The next thing I would try is removing the shift tower and looking inside to make sure the rivets on the shift forks haven't failed. I don't think you have a failed rivet. I know what that feels like. In that case, a set of gears (1/2, 3/4, 5/6, R) would feel like neutral and the rest of the gears would work fine.

With the shift tower out, you should be able to engage the forks with a long, thin screwdriver/prybar. My guess is the 1/2 fork (second down from the top) will move freely and not lock. As usual, be gentle when trying to move things.

These are the pictures I'm looking at.
In the shot with a clear view of the differential, I think the bottom sleeve on that front gear tower is stuck.
In the other shot, you can see the tabs on all 4 shift forks that the shift tower moves to engage gears. With the shift tower removed, those are what you are looking for.
http://imgur.com/a/vE0rC


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## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

> The next thing I would try is removing the shift tower and looking inside to make sure the rivets on the shift forks haven't failed. I don't think you have a failed rivet. I know what that feels like. In that case, a set of gears (1/2, 3/4, 5/6, R) would feel like neutral and the rest of the gears would work fine.
> 
> With the shift tower out, you should be able to engage the forks with a long, thin screwdriver/prybar. My guess is the 1/2 fork (second down from the top) will move freely and not lock. As usual, be gentle when trying to move things.


Thank you for your help and photos, I'm assuming since your saying to remove the shift tower, that it can be removed with out removing the transmission? looking at the diagram it seems that it could.


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## mdjenkins (Feb 16, 2010)

I think it can be. The hardest part is clearance for a hammer on the lower support plate. When removing that, you leave the middle bolt half on so you can tap the bottom of the shift tower out of the retaining plate.

But what next?
You drain the tranny fluid.
Pull the shift tower.
Manually inspect the movements of the shift fork.

If the shift forks are moving and engaging gears, put it back together thinking you've unjammed whatever is jammed?
The bolts for the shift tower are listed as one time use. So you're into it the cost of the bolts, the o-rings and the fluid, and it may not fix anything.

If the 1/2 shift fork is broken, you're pulling the transmission. At that point, it's a decision to crack the case to replace the shift forks or buy another tranny.

Just saying you should think through what you're doing before you get started.

Double checking the alignment first would go a long way. I would also recommend checking the health of the tranny side mount. A bad mount could be knocking you out of alignment.


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## mdjenkins (Feb 16, 2010)

While I'm here, this might be helpful. I still have my notes on things I recently bought.

Shift Tower Lock Screw: 1: 02M301127
Shift Tower O-ring: 1: N 90354201
Shift Tower O-ring: 1: N 90305601
Shift Tower O-ring: 1: N10129201
Shift Tower Bolts: 5: N90495901

Sealant :: AMV18820003
Transmission Case bolts: 6: WHT005480
Transmission Case sleeve: 2: 02M301153A
Transmission Case bolts: 14: 02M301291A
shift fork 1/2 :: 02M311549Q*
shift fork 3/4 :: 02M311559P

note: the part numbers I have listed for the 1/2 and 3/4 forks are the welded steel forks found in later 02M and early 02Q transmissions. If you ask the dealer, they'll say those aren't for your car.
I also went for the brass tips on my new forks from darkside. With Brexit weakening the pound, now might be a good time to get them on "discount".
http://www.darksidedevelopments.co....for-02m-02q-steel-selector-shifter-forks.html


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## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

Ok, thank you for all the info. Not getting in any hurry. I have no problem pulling the transmission out and opening it up if that's what it comes down to, just going through all the other options first.


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## l88m22vette (Mar 2, 2006)

I've never seen that company before, and they make some sweet 02M parts I've never seen either


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## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

Update: Got the car home this morning, Discovered it is definitely stuck in first gear. I did the shifter alignment, that did not solve the problem, but it did seem like it was a little out of adjustment, before the counter weight was almost touching the transmission mount when in the reverse position, after there was a gap of around 1/4 inch. 
My next step will be to pull the transmission and see what I find inside.


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## mdjenkins (Feb 16, 2010)

l88m22vette said:


> I've never seen that company before, and they make some sweet 02M parts I've never seen either


The shipping was expensive, but quick. Considering they're based in England, it was expected. 
The brass tips flared out when I pressed them on the forks. At first, they were too tight on the slider so I ended up having to sand a hair off each. They took out the slop the plastic tips had and the sliders still spin smoothly.

Can't speak on their other offerings. They were legit for the one order I put in. :beer:


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## deepblueT (Jan 26, 2008)

don't pull the transmission!

I had this happen and it was the bottom of the shifter separated from the cable end. there is a brown bushing that failed and knocked the clip off and then the cable fell off of the peg on the bottom of the shifter. to access you work around the exhaust and driveshaft to pull the lower plate from under the car. I fixed mine for about $3 in Home Depot parts, as I did not like that the replacement cables have nylon ends pressed onto the cable. factory cable has a metal hoop that was either welded or cast. 

I was able to fiddle enough to get it out of gear, basically fishing to get the peg through the hoop and pull it out of gear, you can also grab the counter weight on the trans and get it to neutral. 

I don't think I have and pictures of my fix... I will look around.


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## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

> don't pull the transmission!
> 
> I had this happen and it was the bottom of the shifter separated from the cable end. there is a brown bushing that failed and knocked the clip off and then the cable fell off of the peg on the bottom of the shifter. to access you work around the exhaust and driveshaft to pull the lower plate from under the car. I fixed mine for about $3 in Home Depot parts, as I did not like that the replacement cables have nylon ends pressed onto the cable. factory cable has a metal hoop that was either welded or cast.
> 
> ...


 I wish that's all that it is, but it isn't. The shifter inside the cab, the cables are all ok. Every thing works like it should there. I have tried moving the counter weight by hand to switch into neutral and it definitely feel like something is broken inside. When I drove it around in the parking lot, I was able to start out in neutral position, move to 1st the 2nd without the use of the clutch and there is no resistance when shifting. 
I really do appreciate your input though.


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## AlkaTT (Apr 19, 2015)

Can anyone confirm if assembly #1 in the diagram can be removed without removing the transmission from the vehicle? Its what the shifter counter weight attaches to. Just trying to see if anything obvious is broken the can be seen from the opening. I have a diagnostics camera I can also use to see down inside with as well.


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## mdjenkins (Feb 16, 2010)

That would be the shift tower.
You should be able to remove it without removing the transmission.


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## Stigsmotocousin (Sep 9, 2017)

Resurrecting an old post here, just wanted to know if you ever figured this out and what the problem / cost was?


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## roccobro (Aug 9, 2000)

Same question as Stigs.


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