on the drive home today i noticed all of a sudden that it was very hard to shift between gears. no grinding or any other noise, it was just extremely difficult to put move the lever from one position to another. it was better in motion, very bad when at a stop (reverse nearly impossible) i parked the car and drove it again maybe 2 hours later and it seemed pretty much normal, but i didn't drive far so maybe it is only while hot? i was thinking i should check the transaxle fluid but i don't have an allen key socket, and it's dark out now (no garage).

anyway i'll see if it continues tomorrow, and i'll go buy the allen key bit anyway. any thoughts on what else it could be?

 

It couldn't possibly be the shift linkage, could it? That's pretty easy to check, just pull off the shift boot and take a look. Just a thought.

 

maybe, but i would think that the moving/not moving and coming back later would not affect the linkage... anyway i've got some redline on order so i'll probably do the fluid anyway since i don't know when it was done last, i'm only afraid if it's very low i'll damage the transmission in the interim... but as it was driving fine this morning i don't think it would be in the critical stage instantly. as i said, if it continues (returns i guess as it was fine later in the day) i'll be more concerned.

 

Areas to check include:

- Linkage under the boot (little cir-clip holds the shift lever onto the shaft heading to back)
- Linkage underside (back at the transaxle and under lever - Haynes manual pretty handy here)
- Clutch operation (is it engaging/disengaging properly and causing the problem)

Of these, that bloody cir-clip has become my own personal albatross. I should carry a magnet with me at all times to find it when it pops off.

 

I'd do the tranny juice anyway, could be the fix too. 17mm is the socket needed.

 

I would check and drain the fluid to see if new fluid makes and difference. Pull the boot and visually look at the linkage to see if it is operating smoothly. The clutch release baring could be a problem as well. If you need any additional info call me at 1-800-741-5252

 

shifting update:

driving today the transmission felt a little rougher than usual, but not to the extreme of yesterday. after work i stopped by autozone and scored an allen socket thing and a quart of mobil 1 75w90. after the uneventful jacking of the car and removal of the fill plug, i found that the oil was much lower than it should be, like i couldn't touch the oil level through the hole. i dumped the whole quart of mobil 1 in there, and it still was lower than the 6-8mm, but i think it was right below it.... just at the edge of where i could touch... hard to tell really. anyway, on driving after that it sure shifted a lot better (duh), i ordered up some redline and am going to just change it all as soon as that arrives, i;m sure it'll live in the interim, it's got to be better than the nearly no oil it had before. i think the leaking area is where the oil cooler connects to the transmission body, i'll have to see if i can take it apart and see what the deal is when i get all the oil out next week.

 

Wish I'd read this earlier...you coulda used my socket...I can't remember what I paid for it, but I was annoyed.