JHR55

My car experiencing 1st and reverse gear pop out to neutral. Have to hold the gear stick in place. Synchro issues?
Before I start spending money what should I check to determine the problem and any suggestion to fix it.

Dick in TN

Hope i'm wrong but could be broken shifter fork.

carguy19

Sounds like a synchro problem to me, but it wouldnt hurt to take it to your mechanic and see if the shifter and linkage are out of adjustment.

I'd start there.

PiB993

FWIW - This started happening to me (1st gear only) after I replaced the transmission oil and when cold. In the last 6-7k miles (3 years) it has happened maybe 4 times. The last time it was a little more jarring because I was pulling away with more effort.

Is shifter and linkage inspection intensive? This is outside the transmission?

Had the little plastic cup socket replaced with fresh too that connects the gear lever. Always good since it can become brittle. Also the Fister's 'golden rod' / rs rod that eliminates the guibo rubber link.

Basal Skull

Bad synchros cause hard shifting or grinding - synchros spin gears up or down to match speed. If popping out of gear, it's likely the linkage, motor/trans mounts or bearings in the trans.

P-daddy

One of my previous had this same issue in reverse only. I replaced the plastic cup thingie, tranny mount- no dice!

Smitty-B

I just installed a GoldenRod (awesome upgrade!) and had the same problem. Simple fix - drop your tunnel cover and loosen the jam nut on the fixed forward shift rod. Pop off the cup from the shift linkage and rotate the fixed forward shift rod clockwise to shorten it a smidge. Re-install the cup and take it for a test drive. Jam the nut back and reinstall the tunnel cover once your shifter is behaving properly. I think I remember having one or two turns into mine before I was happy. If the problem gets worse ... rotate the rod counterclockwise until you find the sweet spot ... just need to play with it a bit to get it right.