Trouble shifting into 1st gear
09-07-2019, 11:02 AM
#16
Panofonic:
I just went through this entire process with my 1989 s2. Hopefully, I can offer some advice. I could only get first while rolling, or going to second, then to first at every stoplight. All other gears worked well, including third. There was no grinding at all, no noise, simply could not get into gear regardless of force used. Typical answer is broken or worn syncro, but I held out hope.....
1) Check shifter linkage at the shifter in the cab. They wear to a point of failure, there are lots of tutorials on line to fix them. Mine came with a shoddy aftermarket short shift kit that had the mechanism actually hitting the side of the transmission tunnel in the shifter space, preventing it from getting into three gears! Replaced with OEM, Still wasn't able to get first
2) Next, found an aftermarket shift linkage at the transaxle, bent and sloppy. Replaced with OEM. Still no luck with first
3) Checked fluid, clutch, etc. No luck. Jacked up, turned drive shaft and it sounded like one of those stone polishers we had as kids. Clearly, a problem in the transaxle, worst case scenario
4) Finally had to make decision to repair or replace transaxle. Calculation was cost to remove and repair vs. remove and replace with known tested unit. Did not want to lose any summer drive time, so went with a 944 s with limited slip. Got a tremendous deal on it from a friend/944 obsessive/master mechanic with massive inventory of parts, he took mine as core. I think it was a wash financially - time and materials to fix roughly = to cost of "new" unit. Labor to remove and install the same. He is going to open it up now see what happened, I will share when the results are in.
I just went through this entire process with my 1989 s2. Hopefully, I can offer some advice. I could only get first while rolling, or going to second, then to first at every stoplight. All other gears worked well, including third. There was no grinding at all, no noise, simply could not get into gear regardless of force used. Typical answer is broken or worn syncro, but I held out hope.....
1) Check shifter linkage at the shifter in the cab. They wear to a point of failure, there are lots of tutorials on line to fix them. Mine came with a shoddy aftermarket short shift kit that had the mechanism actually hitting the side of the transmission tunnel in the shifter space, preventing it from getting into three gears! Replaced with OEM, Still wasn't able to get first
2) Next, found an aftermarket shift linkage at the transaxle, bent and sloppy. Replaced with OEM. Still no luck with first
3) Checked fluid, clutch, etc. No luck. Jacked up, turned drive shaft and it sounded like one of those stone polishers we had as kids. Clearly, a problem in the transaxle, worst case scenario
4) Finally had to make decision to repair or replace transaxle. Calculation was cost to remove and repair vs. remove and replace with known tested unit. Did not want to lose any summer drive time, so went with a 944 s with limited slip. Got a tremendous deal on it from a friend/944 obsessive/master mechanic with massive inventory of parts, he took mine as core. I think it was a wash financially - time and materials to fix roughly = to cost of "new" unit. Labor to remove and install the same. He is going to open it up now see what happened, I will share when the results are in.
