Help.... I'm stuck in first gear

[Couverman]

So today I was teaching my daughter to drive a manual and we managed to get it stuck in first gear. She was driving in second gear at speed and went for third but ended up in first. The car reved up to the redline and now the gear is stuck in first.

The clutch still works fine and the car is drivable. There isn't much play in the shift linkage. Its just stuck in first and won't go to neutral or any other gear. If I press the clutch in is disengages the motor. So it does work at least partially. Does a slave cylinder go bad just enough to not allow shifting but still disengage the motor?

Any help here would be great. I was hoping it would be something I could fix myself.

And I need a car to drive to work Tuesday morning.

[3.2TI]

I've heard of something called a clutch stop. I don't know what it is or what it does, but other members in other forums mentioned this as a problem similar to yours. Some other members said it was the master or slave cylinder and even possible engine or tranny mounts. Don't take it from me but checking these could help.

[1996 328ti]

I have a clutch stop and my tech had a problem getting into gear when he replaced the clutch because of it. Sometimes those clutch stops vibrate loose preventing the clutch from going down further.

I also had an issue with the clutch slave when cold.
I could press down the clutch but it wouldn't disengage at first.

Cool that she is willing to learn to drive a stick.

[ryszardsh]

I really doubt it is a clutch stop related problem - it is almost certainly a shift linkage problem.

You can shift a manual just fine (if gingerly) without using the clutch at all - but I would not advise doing it for long. I drove a car once for a couple of days with a blown clutch slave cylinder - just drop RPM and shift gently, feeling the gears as they engage - and that was on a 4.2L Jaguar. Likewise, you can shift gears when the engine is not running w/o using the clutch. The shift lever moves parts internal to the transmission, the clucth moves parts external to the transmission and they really are not interconnected in any way that failure of one blocks operation of the other mechanically.

If you cannot move the shift lever and the transmission is in first then something is wrong, either the lever is jammed external on the lever system before it goes into the transmission (or big bucks) internal to the transmission. Similar analysis tree if you can move the lever and the gear will not change. Simplest way to figure it out is to pull the shift boot and cover over the shift lever inside the car and have a look - see - it will be readily apparent if you have an internal vs external issue.

Good luck

RAS

[Couverman]

So it seems that I need a new transmission...


The shop wanted 3K for a re- built and I had the car towed back to my home. This is a great car that needs a tran. I'm into it 250 bucks for a two way tow and a 90 dollar shop fee for checking the problem. Whats my next move? I need to replace the transmission obviously or get a new vehicle. Its MANUAL. Is Ebay a good resource or should I look other places. If I could go up to a six speed that would be awesome.


HELP PLEASE. I want to keep this car.

[jca]

There have to be a lot of good salvage BMW transmissions on the west coast. That's what I would do, anyway.

[Uber E30]

6 speed is going to require a good chunk of money (3k+) and some fab for the mounts. You can find a good condition g250 or zf320 for sub 300 bucks, and a new clutch kit for for another 250. G250 are found on all e36 318xx, 325xx and zf320s are found on all e36 m3 and 328xx.

Note that if you go with a ZF you will need a different drive shaft, should run you about 100 bucks.

[Bobtail_Bimmer]

I bought my rebuilt trans from Bimmerworld.com and have had no issues. If you replace the trans i would go ahead an replace the clutch, flywheel, guibo, driveshaft center bearing, trans mounts, shifter bushings, and slave cylinder. I replaced all + labor for under 3k. Also got $300 back on trans core charge. Something to think about if you decide to get it done.

[cooljess76]

Sounds like the shop is trying to bend you over. A similar thing happened to me in my old truck going from first to second. All I needed to do was remove the shift boot, stick a long screwdriver down between the linkage and pry the selector rod until it popped into neutral. You'll be able to get more leverage than you would by pulling on the shift lever since you can pry against the transmission housing. At this point, you really don't have anything to lose. Try prying really hard with a screwdriver while simultaneously wiggling the shift lever side to side. Before you start prying, look at the linkage and figure out which direction the selector rod has to go in order to shift into neutral. If it's stuck in first gear, you'll probably have to pry it forward. Also, as Ras mentioned, when you remove the shift boot and foam, take a peek at the linkage. It might be something obvious binding up. FWIW, if the car rolls when the engine is off and the clutch is engaged, you know your slave cylinder and pressure plate are functioning properly. But yeah, it sounds like that shop is trying to rip you off.

[Couverman]

OK so I bought a salvage trans for 550 and had it installed. The labor was 4.5 Hrs so about a grand to get the car back and rolling. I think worth every penny.