Lost Gears

[hack44030]

With no warning or any symptoms I lost 2nd and 4th gear(and reverse) in my manual 5sp. trans. It drives fine in 1st, 3rd and 5th. The shifter is very loose. It just feels like the gears in the lower shifter position dont exist. I checked the shifter and the 2 cables. The cable on the left side of the shifter is stuck and the one on the right moves free. Im not familiar with these transmissions but Im guessing the reason i dont have all my gears has something to do with what that left cable is connected to.
Any ideas would help.

[Knifeblade]

You seem on track with the cause, what year is your ride?

[hack44030]

Originally Posted by Knifeblade_03

You seem on track with the cause, what year is your ride?

It is a 1996.

[Knifeblade]

K, one quick thing to try before you have to go to a shop. Press the clutch pedal all the way to the floor, and I mean use FORCE , like try to press it through the floorboard. Release the pedal, and then use moderate force to pull it UP. There is a self-adjuster which can be reset by this method, it may take the slack out. Otherwise, you need to have the cables looked at.

[skibum1111]

I don't think that will do anything, the clutches in the grand am's are all hydraulic. It sounds like one of the cables has frozen up and needs to be replaced. One thing to try, disconnect the cable that isn't moving from the transmission and see if it moves. If it doesn't, take the console off on the inside of the car, see if anything is jammed under or around the shifter. I had a major problem with third in my 95, turned out to be a couple of lighters stuck at the end of one of the cables. If you have to replace one cable, might as well do both while you have it apart.

[hack44030]

I have removed the console and there is nothing stuck down there. Neither one of the cables is broke either. Can one of the cables possibly be stretched? If I unhook the cable closest to the drivers seat, reverse grinds, but will not go into gear. Which cable is 2nd. 4th. and reverse? Thanks for the replys!

[skibum1111]

Check the linkage on the transmission, and check the cable for movement. It's possible the cable is stretched, but thats something I have never run into, and my car has over 200k on it. Its possible something is jammed in the linkage, spray it with pb blaster (stuff works great), try it then... good luck

[catback23]

Originally Posted by hack44030

I have removed the console and there is nothing stuck down there. Neither one of the cables is broke either. Can one of the cables possibly be stretched? If I unhook the cable closest to the drivers seat, reverse grinds, but will not go into gear. Which cable is 2nd. 4th. and reverse? Thanks for the replys!

There is no cable just for them the two cables are a shift and selector cables. The selector cable selects between 1-2, 3-4, and 5-R. The shift cable engages one of the two gears or neutral in the selector range. So when the selector cable is in the 1-2 position the shift cable shifts between 1, neutral, and 2; when the selector cable is moved into the 3-4 position the shift cable shifts between 3, neutral, and 4. So on and so forth.