Gear woes

Help me!!! I am having trouble on my 1993 G20 with getting the gear shifter mechanism into 1st. It isn't sliding out of it... IT WON'T GO IN!!!

I know I have the clutch fully depressed, and all the other gears will receive the shaft, but it actually feels like something is blocking the spot in 1st gear. And it isn't all the time, either. Very inconsistent. Sometimes the shaft slides in beautifully, sometimes it takes a second of "convincing" and everything else I end up having to run the engine below 2000 rpms with no choice because I can't downshift low enough to get the power I need :(

I can't find anything about it on AllData.com and I've never heard anyone else have this problem. Maybe someone can think of another keyword to search for besides "1st gear"....

Your clutch is probably wasted and might need replacing. Or you could just have something loose. Have someone check one of the two.

This may sound like a stupid question, but how are your motor mounts? are they wasted? I know when they get real bad, it can make shifting strange.

According to Haynes:

Difficulty engaging gears:

Clutch fault
Oil level low
Worn or damaged gearchange linkage
Incorrectly adjusted gearchange linkage
Worn synchroniser unit/s

Thanx. I'll look into all of those. I haven't had time to get down and dirty yet to take a real look at anything... I'll post back IF I find an answer :)

Symptom:
-Car wouldn't go into 5th
Problem:
-Bent Shift fork
Cause:
Broken rear motor mount
Solution:
$1726 later
New Tranny :mad:

This is a relatively common issue with these gearboxes. You might also try searching the SE-R Mailing List archives as well. There doesn't seem to be one single definitive answer to this issue. Some gearboxes are just baulky. Also, rev matching when shifting into first seems to help a lot.

Well, no real news yet (I haven't had time to tend to my car with running my own forum...)

I have noticed a pattern to my problem, though... If I'm still in motion coming to a stop, and I'm getting it into first to get started again, it won't budge. (ex: when I'm coming to a redlight going uphill and I get into first as I put on the parking brake so I can get started w/o rolling) But, if I come to a complete stop, there is no problem what-so-ever... Is there some sort of protection on the p10 against overrevving the engine (even though I'm not yet engaging 1st--just putting it in first with the clutch still in to prepare to start)???

I"m scheduling an appointment tomorrow to get it looked at. When I wimped out and got my oil changed at Valvoline they noticed a "slight" tranny fluid leak, so I hope these aren't symptoms of a bigger problem. :eek:

Originally posted by saturntangerine
When I wimped out and got my oil changed at Valvoline they noticed a "slight" tranny fluid leak, so I hope these aren't symptoms of a bigger problem. :eek: An oil leak resulting in a low trans oil level could be the cause of your problem - may just need some tranny oil.