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aznlonewolf135
02-22-2007, 06:21 AM
Aside from the Starter which i'll have looked at on tuesday....My car is shifts hard.

I really have to force the shift lever into 1st...

aceyx
02-22-2007, 06:24 AM
Does this happen in all gears, or only first?
Does this happen on cold starts, or all the time?

CirrusSR22
02-22-2007, 06:37 AM
Service Information - Bulletin Number 23 01 99

SUBJECT: Manual Transmission Difficult to Shift - Diagnostic Tips
MODEL: All with Manual Transmission
SITUATION: Transmission may be difficult to shift especially first gear
engagement and/or gear shift linkage is binding. Note: Field observations
have indicated that a transmission which is difficult to shift (especially
into first gear) is primarily a clutch related problem and only in isolated
cases a failure in the transmission itself.

PROCEDURE:

Verify the customer complaint:

Note: Engage the parking brake and assure that no people or objects are in
the vehicle's path.

- - Run the engine at idle speed
- - Press the clutch pedal to the floor
- - From the neutral stick shift position engage first gear

If first gear is difficult to engage, hold the stick shift at the
resistance point (approximately half of the total stick shift travel) with
constant force.

Then switch the ignition off with the other hand.

DIAGNOSIS 1:
If first gear now engages completely, i.e. the stick shift moves to the end
position without any additional pressure applied, there is a problem in the
clutch system.

Explanation:
Because the clutch does not uncouple completely, a residual torque is
transmitted to the transmission input shaft when the engine is running.
This inhibits the release and meshing of the sliding sleeve, in the
transmission, at the end of the synchronization process. Turning the
engine off relieves the input shaft of this torque thus simulating a
completely uncoupled clutch.

DIAGNOSIS 2:
If the stick shift remains at the resistance point, there is a problem in
the external gear shift linkage or in the transmission.

CAUSE:

DIAGNOSIS 1:
Possible causes for a clutch problem as per Diagnosis 1 above are:
- - Input shaft taper splines not lubricated properly/grease dried out.
- - Clutch disc difficult to move on transmission input shaft.
- - Clutch disc wobble.
- - Air in the hydraulic system of clutch mechanism.
- - Release bearing defective or difficult to move on the guide sleeve.
- - Clutch disc or pressure plate broken/worn out.

DIAGNOSIS 2:
Possible causes for gear shift linkage binding and/or internal transmission
problems as per Diagnosis 2 above:
- - External gearshift linkage binding (shift rod joints stiff).
- - Stick shift bellows boot incorrectly installed (positioned too high or
too low on the stick shift lever).
- - Sound deadening between the outer gear shift linkage and the body
incorrectly installed and/or distorted.

Possible causes inside of the transmission:
- - Faulty synchronization.
- - Internal gear shift linkage binding.
- - Water in the transmission fluid. (rare)

CirrusSR22
02-22-2007, 06:44 AM
The best case scenario is that your clutch needs to be bled.

aznlonewolf135
02-24-2007, 09:49 PM
It's diagnosis 1 hopefully i didn't mess up putting the clutch in...

M3_KILL3R
03-04-2007, 04:08 AM
i have the same problem but mine was spurratic this problem came all of a sudden and it has difficulty goin in 1st and a little bit in 2nd my clutch still feels like it has life when it goes into gear but does chatter a little....also is it bad when the shifter doesnt want to go in you force it in? does that do any damage??

cooljess76
03-04-2007, 11:01 AM
I could be wrong, but didn't all of this start after you replaced the clutch and had left over parts and installed the shifter backwards? I would take everything back apart and start from square one with the bently manual and follow each step by step instruction to the letter! Driving your car in it's current condition is only going to make matters worse. That's just my opinion.

M3_KILL3R
03-04-2007, 09:21 PM
I could be wrong, but didn't all of this start after you replaced the clutch and had left over parts and installed the shifter backwards? I would take everything back apart and start from square one with the bently manual and follow each step by step instruction to the letter! Driving your car in it's current condition is only going to make matters worse. That's just my opinion.

never changed the clutch tho.......same stock OEM clutch and i hadnt driven the car for about 2 weeks and the just started so my guess is that maybe some oil drained out some how or maybe the clutch needs alignment

cooljess76
03-04-2007, 09:33 PM
never changed the clutch tho.......same stock OEM clutch and i hadnt driven the car for about 2 weeks and the just started so my guess is that maybe some oil drained out some how or maybe the clutch needs alignment
I was directing my reply to "aznlonewolf135." I'm certain that you guys have different problems with your transmissions. His issues came about after his month long clutch replacement evolution. Your issues well, who knows. The post just before when you chimed into this thread explains things.

M3_KILL3R
03-04-2007, 09:49 PM
I was directing my reply to "aznlonewolf135." I'm certain that you guys have different problems with your transmissions. His issues came about after his month long clutch replacement evolution. Your issues well, who knows. The post just before when you chimed into this thread explains things.

loll oh sry bout that i thought you were talkin about my problem ....ya im guessing its my clutch thanks tho sry for the throwing of myself into the post

cooljess76
03-04-2007, 09:59 PM
loll oh sry bout that i thought you were talkin about my problem ....ya im guessing its my clutch thanks tho sry for the throwing of myself into the post
No worries M3_KILL3R, check the fluid level. If your clutch still has a lot of resistance and not too much play, then it's more than likely something else. BTW, when the car is cold and if it hasn't been driven for a while, it's normal for the shifter to feel a little stiffer than usual. As long as you're not grinding it into gear, you're okay. I'd try to drive it around for a few minutes and see if it loosens up a little.

M3_KILL3R
03-05-2007, 02:53 AM
No worries M3_KILL3R, check the fluid level. If your clutch still has a lot of resistance and not too much play, then it's more than likely something else. BTW, when the car is cold and if it hasn't been driven for a while, it's normal for the shifter to feel a little stiffer than usual. As long as you're not grinding it into gear, you're okay. I'd try to drive it around for a few minutes and see if it loosens up a little.


ya my dad said the same thing but it wasnt like that RIGHT when i turned it on. i took it for a drive it was fine i came home and about a half hour later i went to the store and it was still fine the way back from the store at a stop light i couldnt get it into gear without double clutching or forcing it in.

aznlonewolf135
03-05-2007, 08:21 AM
Ya i'm going ot take your advise jess. I'm going to get some garage time and try and get it done in one sitting.

aznlonewolf135
01-04-2009, 09:42 PM
I know it's been two years but just wanted to tell people that I installed my shifter on backwards

J!m
01-05-2009, 06:51 PM
Most likely, the problem is the plastic shifter ball bearing and the plastic shifter linkage washers.


if it shows) # 9 & 10 in the above photo...

Edit: didn't show, and I don't want to host it right now...

CHEAP poarts at the dealer, and it will shift 100 times better afterward. replace every 50-60K miles or so.

Or, just 'dip' second gear before going into first to stop the shaft spinning. Works on all transmissions...

Mad-Machine
06-14-2009, 09:41 PM
I think I am going through this now. Side to side on the shifter is the same lightness as before. But getting forwards or backwards into any gear (engine off or on) is akin to shoving the heavy allison tranny in the truck I used to drive into gear.

there is no "feel" that you got it into gear and it does not "slip" out of gear when you pull it out of gear.. think it is the bushings? It just started doing this the other day and has really taken a lot of fun out of the car. It is almost like i was shifting through some very heavy molassis on a cold day

Xenocide
06-14-2009, 10:39 PM
sounds like low fluid to me.

Mad-Machine
06-15-2009, 05:20 PM
nope.. not a fluid problem or a clutch. the trans shifts the same wether the engine is running or not. I have been led to beleive my shift mechanism may have eaten a bushing. I will know more tomarrow when I take it apart