nh7cy

So I was driving home last night and was on my way up the freeway on-ramp about a mile from my house. I step on the clutch, downshift into 2nd and hit the gas, the car starts slowing down. Well that's interesting.

Anyway, lucky enough I was able to coast UP the on ramp, across the freeway overpass and into town where I was able to push the car the remaining quarter mile into some random neighborhood where I could park it.

I'll start with, I'm almost certain this isn't the clutch. I can press the clutch pedal and I still get feedback (ie. it doesn't feel like nothing is there), I'm guessing transmission linkage.

For starters, I can rotate my shifter in a full 360 degree circle without engaging any gear. It started this morning when I noticed the transmission had an unusual amount of free-play in it (up until recently shifting had been really smooth crisp and). Shifting on the way home seemed to be really sloppy, the car was missing gears, and it was unusually easy (too easy) to shift into each gear (ie. you could shift into gear, but you wouldn't know it by the feel of it). Now I can't engage any gears.

So what do I check first? I did a little searching on the list but couldn't find much on the subject.

Mello

I had the same thing happen to me. Pry up the shift boot and see if the shift linkage came apart there. With high mileage the pin wears down, and the c-clip pops off, making shifting sloppy until the pin comes out on the right shift combination. Mine came out on a downshift going around a corner.

nh7cy

Will do. Thanks for the advice. I tried looking at it last night but all I had was a penlight and I couldn't see a thing.

nh7cy

Ah.. seem to have found a helpful thread if looking down under the shift boot doesn't work..

https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-944-951-968-forum/60303-if-you-have-a-sloppy-shifter-this-could-be-why.html

Go me..

Wipeout

https://rennlist.com/forums/968-forum/413129-need-gearbox-help.html

Take a look at that one, too - start with post #17 on page 2. Granted, it's a 968, but what you're describing was similar to what happened to Rich's car on the track.

billthe3

Sounds like when my shifter popped off the linkage on the transmission. Shifter went from working prefectly fine to all *****-nilly and didn't do squat. I just had to climb under the rear of the car by the exhaust and bolt the shifter back on.

Campeck

If it hasn't been said already check the bolt on the tranny that hooks the shifter linkage part to the knub that comes out of the tranny. You probably lost the bolt...

nh7cy

Yep, it was the bolt. I found my car today on the way home, luckily it was still where I left it. Crawled underneath with a wrench and got the whole thing back on again. It shifts just like it did when it was new-ish!

Campeck

yup. One of the tools I carry with me on long trips is a rachety 10. just for that bolt.