thesauce

I have an 84 Carrera that I have owned for about 18 months. I daily drive it and have stayed current with maintenance at a great shop. Three days ago it became difficult to shift directly from 2 to 3. If I go straight to where it normally is, it feels as though I've 'hit a wall' where the gear should be. If I double clutch it occasionally opens in its usual spot, or if I nudge gently to the right towards 5 I can find it. Once or twice I have had to push all the way to where 5 should be to get into 3. The danger is I have twice now missed and shifted into 1 from 2 which I have never done before, luckily I am slow letting my foot off the clutch and I didn't fully engage the gear. Also weird, I can go straight "up" into 3 from 4, but if I go 2-3 then 4 is down and left instead of straight down as though I am coming from 5 instead of 3. So, upshifting is out of whack and intermittently so, downshifting everything is in its right place. I know this sounds a little strange, I tried searching for any other instances of this problem and haven't found one.

I have a factory short shift and a Robotek spring that centers from 1-2, so though I know the pattern I usually don't have to think about where the shift is headed. Iam open to putting in a higher quality coupler if that will help, right now I have the stock coupler with the firmer bushings in back.

Question, could this be a bushing issue? Can the shifting mechanism become intermittently out of alignment like that? Could it be something else I don't know about? Really of course hoping to avoid going inside, but if it sounds for sure like a busted syncro I want to get it off the road ASAP so I don't do more damage.

Thanks!!!

theiceman

Sounds like something broke.. I would check that coupler and the linkage in the tunnel . Take you shifter out if required.

Something has changed.. Also check to see if all your motor mounts are okay and the engine has not shifted or dropped. I once had an issue similar to yours . I actually found 3 of the 4 bolts holding the engine to the cross frame that holds the motor mounts and fallen out.. gulp !!!!

obscene

almost sounds like the coupler has loosen up and the shift rod is skipping teeth as you move the lever towards 3rd/5th

thesauce

Thanks guys. Turns out some transmission oil had seeped into the coupler boot and even though it was only a year old one of the bushings had blown apart. $8 fix with some new plastic bushings, tragedy averted. Thanks for the help!

theiceman

Glad it was squared away quickly