transmission problem

my friend has a problem with his transmission, it switches into all gears fine, but when you let go of the clutch it the car wont move, it doesnt even stall. my guess is his clutch is burnt. i was there when it broke... he was racing this car and when he tried to switch it into third gear it didnt go, it made that grinding noise. then it rolled in 4th gear fine for a few blocks after that (1 and 2nd had almost no power) until it completely stopped moving.

Your friend needs to get that car to a mechanic.

No way to determine the issue from the discription.

Later,

The synchros might be destroyed. Or, in the worst case, the gear teeth are stripped.

most likely a fried clutch, which causes further damage to the tranny.
In other words, he is screwed, for now at least.

A clutch making a grinding noise?

he said that it grinded when he tried to put it into gear, meaning the clutch was not engaged.

he told me he pressed the clutch all the way down when he tried to shift into third, he tried it 2 times and it wouldnt shift, so he put it into 4th, and it went for a couple of blocks until the car stopped moving completely. which is why i think its the clutch, cuz 4th gear is easier to grip with a bad clutch than a lower gear. but thats only a newbie guess, not a diagnose... im 17 im not a tech guru..

I agree, try to adjust the cable to get the last bit of grip out of the clutch.
that will only last a very little while though, you really should get a pro to look at it.

how does a fried clutch damage the tranny.

It doesn't in and of itself, but driving with a clutch that does not fully engage or disengage will certainly hurt the synchros and the gears themselves.

It doesn't in and of itself, but driving with a clutch that does not fully engage or disengage will certainly hurt the synchros and the gears themselves.

I can see how a clutch that doesn't disengage would be a problem, but I'm a bit puzzled about how one that doesn't engage would hurt the transmission...

If it does not engage, you end up having to force it, getting that grinding noise.
not as bad as failing to disengae though.