transmission stuck in 2nd gear

palaisroyale · #1 10-05-2004, 03:40 PM

I have a 68 camaro. I have only driven it about 50 miles and suddenly when I went to shift out of second gear it wouldn't let me change gears. It seems to be stuck in 2nd gear. I took the linkage rod off and I can then move the shifter forward and backwards but not left or right. The car has a saginaw 4 speed transmission. I would appreciate any suggestions.

korndogg · #2 10-05-2004, 03:45 PM

first of all....nice car

second...welcome to the forum...but i dont have any advice that will help ya. sorry...someone on here will have some ideas tho!

FormulaLT1 · #3 10-05-2004, 03:58 PM

What are you looking to do, Get the car in neutral so it could be moved or a simple fix so its driveable?

palaisroyale · #4 10-05-2004, 05:20 PM

I am hoping to fix the problem.Right now I am driving it in second gear, which makes finding parking very difficult. It is driving fine in second gear but just won't go into any other gear.

FormulaLT1 · #5 10-05-2004, 05:30 PM

So when you start the car does it jerk forward or is the clutch operating properly?

palaisroyale · #6 10-05-2004, 05:39 PM

The clutch seems to be working fine but the gear shift wouldn't move at all.Since I unhooked the linkage rod it will move forward and back, but I just seem to be stuck in 2nd gear.

FormulaLT1 · #7 10-05-2004, 05:45 PM

Have you tried pumping the clutch while pulling the shifter into the gear then trying to snap it out and I just want to make this very clear. When your clutch is fully pressed all the way down you have no vehicle movement at all not even slight like a slow roll and you checked the fluid level of the clutch master cylinder, right?

4onFloor · #8 10-05-2004, 10:06 PM

the car is old enough that it might not have a master cylinder for the clutch, it's probly mechanical. un-hook the linkage from the transmission, with a pair of pliars grab the flat tab on the on the side of the transmission that shifts gears, and see if you can move it at all, if you cant then it's time for a tranny rebuild, if you can, then change the shifter. i think there's 3 tabs since its a 4 spd, so make sure you get the right one.

92rs25th · #9 10-08-2004, 08:35 AM

Might just be a matter of throwing some gear lube in the gear box , considering that age of vehicle it just may heak eaten it all up =D

92rs25th · #10 10-08-2004, 08:36 AM

But as 4on the floor said , try that. A quick and not too painful way to see if you have a blown gear box or bunk shifter.

schifpine1 · #11 05-20-2007, 10:15 PM

Sorry it took so long for me to ever see this thread. You may probably never read this, but I figure you may still need help. I have a Saginaw three speed in my camaro. I recently rebuilt it, and found that if I try getting on it and shift fast through the gears, it will lock in third gear. REASON: if the bolts going into the transimssion from the linkage is too tight, it will cause it to lock. As well, getting on it, will make the motor and transmission shift, which could also put strain on the linkage, causing it to lock. MY FIX: teflon tape on those bolt for the linkage into the transmission, and leaving them hand tight. Seems to work just fine, and check the bolts every once in awhile to make sure they aren't backing out. It's just a saginaw thing, shouldn't be anything wrong with the tranny.

schifpine1 · #12 05-20-2007, 10:19 PM

ohhhh yeaaa.... to get them unstuck.... just loosen up the bolts on the linkage to the tranny a bit, and either get in the car and keep jerking the shift toward neutral, or stay underneath and try to jerk the linkage back and forth till it frees up... i've gotten it to a science.

bmwgolfguy · #13 05-20-2007, 11:21 PM

I am no mechanic. My first car out of college was a new 1974 midnight blue chevy camaro with a four on the floor.

I had it only a short while and experienced the same problem four times in the first year of ownership. I was told by a mechanic at the dealer that kept fixing it that a little rubber gromet was all that was holding the shifter in place. It would break and I couldn't shift out of whatever gear I had last left the car in.

Needless to say I got rid of the car and gave up on getting it fixed. All GM had to do was put a metal gromet to hold the shifter in place and that would have fixed it. But some bean counter somewhere probably told GM they could save a hundred grand by using rubber instead.

The final straw was when it got stuck in reverse 100 miles from home. It was a great car otherwise.

One other note. Back around that same time, Ford Pintos were blowing up daily, literally. It seems there was a flaw in the car's design around the gas tank. There was a sharp point protruding from the body of the car near the gas tank. Every time a Pinto was rear-ended, it shoved the gas tank into this pointy object and the gas tank would blow up. They became known as the "Pinto TNT".

At one of numerous wrongful death trials, an internal FMC memo surfaced where Ford decided it would be cheaper to not fix the problem and take their chances on potential lawsuit damages that may have to be paid. FMC took a calculated risk that the savings by not fixing it would outweigh the WD payouts.

Needless to say, FMC was sued gobs of times, the memo surfaced and Ford settled most of the suits with way more $$ than they thought they ever had to pay out.

The poor bastard that wrote the memo was probably given an "early out".

Good luck. My 2

worth.

wrightz28 · #14 05-21-2007, 08:38 AM

Let's put this one back in mothballs.

Closed

opcorn:

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