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stick shift is stiff and can't be changed first gear (brake...or any other for that matter)

B

Bacardi151

Senior member
own a 89 Legend coupe v6, roughly 190K on it. once the engine is on i can't change it from Neutral to 1st gear (or brake or any other for that matter...not that i should change it into any other gear other than 1st or brake). however, when the engine is on, i can shift it into any gear. so the only way i can really get it to go is to set it to gear 1 before starting up the engine and then i take off...however, it seems to be stuck in gear 1 after i start it...although if i start it on gear 2, i can freely change it to gear 3+ (although only if i have enough speed ...as it the rev = 3000).

i was told my spark plugs should be checked up on, is that the problem? or could it actually be that i need to change/fill the transmission fluid?

thanks in advance for any possible advice.
 
um?
"Brake" is not a gear.

The problem you describe has NOTHING to do with spark plugs, believe me. If the tranny was just stiff, changing the fluid would help. But if you honestly CANNOT shift into first gear while the engine is running, or shift out of it if you start the engine in first, there's more going on here. You honestly can't just yank on the stick and get it out of first when you're driving?
 
i wasn't told that my spark plugs should be checked up on cuz of the transmission, i was just told a few weeks back that my spark plugs should be checked up on, and this transmission problem just showed up today. i dont know anything about engines, so im giving all information that could be to any help.
 
Originally posted by: jagec
um?
"Brake" is not a gear.

The problem you describe has NOTHING to do with spark plugs, believe me. If the tranny was just stiff, changing the fluid would help. But if you honestly CANNOT shift into first gear while the engine is running, or shift out of it if you start the engine in first, there's more going on here. You honestly can't just yank on the stick and get it out of first when you're driving?
Click to expand...

no...yanking it out of the first gear would probably result in me breaking the stick in half. and like i said earlier, im not stating that there's something with the spark plugs, im giving that information in case it's relevant.
 
Often the clutch cable slips in older cars. so when the clutch is pressed it isn't fully pressed down. A lot of newer cars and some older ones can be adjusted by putting your foot under the pedel and pull toward you thus tightening the the cable. If this doesn't help then it seems like you are due for some gearbox work or a new one alltogether.
 
I am going to go out on a limb here and say the syncros need aligning/adjusting.


Roger....where are you to correct me? 😉
 
Originally posted by: Fingers
Often the clutch cable slips in older cars. so when the clutch is pressed it isn't fully pressed down. A lot of newer cars and some older ones can be adjusted by putting your foot under the pedel and pull toward you thus tightening the the cable. If this doesn't help then it seems like you are due for some gearbox work or a new one alltogether.
Click to expand...

i had that problem when the clutch wouldnt get back up again, and i had to put my foot under it to get it up, but after i pressed down on it again it would stay down, and i would have a hard time changing gear.

long story short, my brake fluid was gone and i filled that up, and apparently that helped, the clutch is now stiff again, so in that case, i dont that the clutch cable is the problem.

but can somebody explain why i can shift the gear freely when the engine is turned off, but it seems "locked" when the engine is on?
 
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Often the clutch cable slips in older cars. so when the clutch is pressed it isn't fully pressed down. A lot of newer cars and some older ones can be adjusted by putting your foot under the pedel and pull toward you thus tightening the the cable. If this doesn't help then it seems like you are due for some gearbox work or a new one alltogether.
Click to expand...

i had that problem when the clutch wouldnt get back up again, and i had to put my foot under it to get it up, but after i pressed down on it again it would stay down, and i would have a hard time changing gear.

long story short, my brake fluid was gone and i filled that up, and apparently that helped, the clutch is now stiff again, so in that case, i dont that the clutch cable is the problem.

but can somebody explain why i can shift the gear freely when the engine is turned off, but it seems "locked" when the engine is on?
Click to expand...

That's a different closely associated problem. Both can easily be mistaken for one another.

BTW did your cluth share a resevoir witht he master cylinder or have it's own?


Edit: Have you tried bleeding it to make sure all the air is out. And for your question simply because the flywheel isn't turning. When the engine is off in most cars you don't even need the cluth to take it in or out of gear.
 
Originally posted by: Fingers
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Often the clutch cable slips in older cars. so when the clutch is pressed it isn't fully pressed down. A lot of newer cars and some older ones can be adjusted by putting your foot under the pedel and pull toward you thus tightening the the cable. If this doesn't help then it seems like you are due for some gearbox work or a new one alltogether.
Click to expand...

i had that problem when the clutch wouldnt get back up again, and i had to put my foot under it to get it up, but after i pressed down on it again it would stay down, and i would have a hard time changing gear.

long story short, my brake fluid was gone and i filled that up, and apparently that helped, the clutch is now stiff again, so in that case, i dont that the clutch cable is the problem.

but can somebody explain why i can shift the gear freely when the engine is turned off, but it seems "locked" when the engine is on?
Click to expand...

That's a different closely associated problem. Both can easily be mistaken for one another.

BTW did your cluth share a resevoir witht he master cylinder or have it's own?
Click to expand...


sorry, that i dont know, and i'm not sure i would know how to check it either.

BTW, if my transmission fluid is insufficient, could it help if i filled it up again?
 
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Often the clutch cable slips in older cars. so when the clutch is pressed it isn't fully pressed down. A lot of newer cars and some older ones can be adjusted by putting your foot under the pedel and pull toward you thus tightening the the cable. If this doesn't help then it seems like you are due for some gearbox work or a new one alltogether.
Click to expand...

i had that problem when the clutch wouldnt get back up again, and i had to put my foot under it to get it up, but after i pressed down on it again it would stay down, and i would have a hard time changing gear.

long story short, my brake fluid was gone and i filled that up, and apparently that helped, the clutch is now stiff again, so in that case, i dont that the clutch cable is the problem.

but can somebody explain why i can shift the gear freely when the engine is turned off, but it seems "locked" when the engine is on?
Click to expand...

That's a different closely associated problem. Both can easily be mistaken for one another.

BTW did your cluth share a resevoir witht he master cylinder or have it's own?
Click to expand...


sorry, that i dont know, and i'm not sure i would know how to check it either.

BTW, if my transmission fluid is insufficient, could it help if i filled it up again?
Click to expand...

Of course it would. It's always helps no matter what to make sure your fluids are topped off. Keeping them that way and changing them at the suggested periods will help prevent costly repairs.
 
Originally posted by: Fingers
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Often the clutch cable slips in older cars. so when the clutch is pressed it isn't fully pressed down. A lot of newer cars and some older ones can be adjusted by putting your foot under the pedel and pull toward you thus tightening the the cable. If this doesn't help then it seems like you are due for some gearbox work or a new one alltogether.
Click to expand...

i had that problem when the clutch wouldnt get back up again, and i had to put my foot under it to get it up, but after i pressed down on it again it would stay down, and i would have a hard time changing gear.

long story short, my brake fluid was gone and i filled that up, and apparently that helped, the clutch is now stiff again, so in that case, i dont that the clutch cable is the problem.

but can somebody explain why i can shift the gear freely when the engine is turned off, but it seems "locked" when the engine is on?
Click to expand...

That's a different closely associated problem. Both can easily be mistaken for one another.

BTW did your cluth share a resevoir witht he master cylinder or have it's own?
Click to expand...


sorry, that i dont know, and i'm not sure i would know how to check it either.

BTW, if my transmission fluid is insufficient, could it help if i filled it up again?
Click to expand...

Of course it would. It's always helps no matter what to make sure your fluids are topped off. Keeping them that way and changing them at the suggested periods will help prevent costly repairs.
Click to expand...

alrite, i will check the transmission fluid tomorrow, when my brother arrives, i tried looking for the bolt that you have to remove to check it, but the engine part was all too clustered and i dont want to mess with it.

i guess my best hope lies with the fact it's the transmission fluid that's run out. after all, i dont think it has been changed ever since it was bought...which was in 96.

thanks for the advice. hopefully i won't have to update on this topic by tomorrow 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Often the clutch cable slips in older cars. so when the clutch is pressed it isn't fully pressed down. A lot of newer cars and some older ones can be adjusted by putting your foot under the pedel and pull toward you thus tightening the the cable. If this doesn't help then it seems like you are due for some gearbox work or a new one alltogether.
Click to expand...

i had that problem when the clutch wouldnt get back up again, and i had to put my foot under it to get it up, but after i pressed down on it again it would stay down, and i would have a hard time changing gear.

long story short, my brake fluid was gone and i filled that up, and apparently that helped, the clutch is now stiff again, so in that case, i dont that the clutch cable is the problem.

but can somebody explain why i can shift the gear freely when the engine is turned off, but it seems "locked" when the engine is on?
Click to expand...

That's a different closely associated problem. Both can easily be mistaken for one another.

BTW did your cluth share a resevoir witht he master cylinder or have it's own?
Click to expand...


sorry, that i dont know, and i'm not sure i would know how to check it either.

BTW, if my transmission fluid is insufficient, could it help if i filled it up again?
Click to expand...

Of course it would. It's always helps no matter what to make sure your fluids are topped off. Keeping them that way and changing them at the suggested periods will help prevent costly repairs.
Click to expand...

alrite, i will check the transmission fluid tomorrow, when my brother arrives, i tried looking for the bolt that you have to remove to check it, but the engine part was all too clustered and i dont want to mess with it.

i guess my best hope lies with the fact it's the transmission fluid that's run out. after all, i dont think it has been changed ever since it was bought...which was in 96.

thanks for the advice. hopefully i won't have to update on this topic by tomorrow 🙂
Click to expand...

People often mistake them for something else. Not sure about a foreign car off the top of my head but most domestics don't have a normal bolt. You have to insert a 3/8" drive ratchet into it to turn it. They are round.

Make sure you see the edit to one of my posts.

 
i discussed this with my brother, and he says it's the clutch, because before the clutch would be very high, right now it's not as high (meaning when you step on it, it doesnt go back far enough), but it's been worse from what i know, and i didnt know the clutch was considered low at this point, maybe i just have long legs. anyways, in that case, could it be that the clutch cable is loose? since it doesnt seem to get back up all the way. and if that's the case, what can i do? btw, i think last time i said i filled the brake fluid...my mistake, i meant the clutch fluid (only i used brake fluid to fill the clutch thing up).
 
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
Originally posted by: Fingers
Often the clutch cable slips in older cars. so when the clutch is pressed it isn't fully pressed down. A lot of newer cars and some older ones can be adjusted by putting your foot under the pedel and pull toward you thus tightening the the cable. If this doesn't help then it seems like you are due for some gearbox work or a new one alltogether.
Click to expand...
i had that problem when the clutch wouldnt get back up again, and i had to put my foot under it to get it up, but after i pressed down on it again it would stay down, and i would have a hard time changing gear.

long story short, my brake fluid was gone and i filled that up, and apparently that helped, the clutch is now stiff again, so in that case, i dont that the clutch cable is the problem.

but can somebody explain why i can shift the gear freely when the engine is turned off, but it seems "locked" when the engine is on?
Click to expand...
OK, first of all: Hydraulic clutch. NO CABLE!

Second of all: You're an idiot.

You re-filled the hydraulic fluid reservoir without bleeding the clutch. There is now air in the clutch system which prevents the clutch from releasing fully.

Bleed the clutch system.

Bleed the brakes too, there will be air in the braking system as well from when you let the reservoir go dry.

You can shift when the engine is off because the gears aren't spinning and can mesh easily. When the engine is on, the clutch cannot disengage because of the air in the clutch hydraulics and the gears are constantly spinning in the transmission.

You are looking at perhaps $100 or more to have the brakes and clutch hydraulics purged and re-filled, which is what you need. Given what you've done previously, I would _strongly_ recommend that you _not_ attempt this yourself.

ZV

EDIT: You're not out of gear lube ("transmission oil"). If you were, the transmission would have welded itself into one solid mass by now. Transmissions live about 10 minutes without gear lube. If you ran out of lube, you'd have no choice but to rebuild the transmission.

The problem is that your clutch is not disengaging.
 
Originally posted by: Bacardi151
not familiar with those terms, so how do you bleed the clutch system?
Click to expand...
There is no cable in a hydraulic clutch system. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch.

The clutch pedal is directly connected to a hydraulic cylinder, which is connected by tubing to a smaller hydraulic cylinder that actuates the clutch. This system is fed hydraulic fluid from the fluid reservoir, which also supplies the hydraulic braking system with its hydraulic fluid. (The fluid reservoir is also called the "brake fluid reservoir".)

If this reservoir goes dry, then the brake and clutch systems intake air instead of hydraulic fluid. This creates pockets of air in the hydraulic lines. Hydraulic fluid does not compress at all, no matter how much pressure is applied. This is how the brakes and the clutch slave cylinder work, the pressure from the main cylinders (actuated by the pedals) is transferred to the slave cylinders or, in the case of the brakes, the calipers. If air gets into this system, the amount of pressure transmitted is _drastically_ reduced and, for example, the clutch system can no longer keep the clutch fully disengaged when the pedal is pressed. Bleeding the system removes these air-bubbles.

In your case, you take the car to a repair shop and tell them to bleed the clutch and brakes. DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF! Normally I would recommend that a person do this on his own, but you've screwed up enough already and you should not be playing with the brakes. They're rather critical.

ZV
 
well im not gonna do this myself, but rather have my brother do it or at least tell him about it, but im just curious of how u'd do it, and i just read up on some guides, so thanks anyways.
 
I dont understand what the brake gear is.

But anyway, in my car sometimes it doesnt want to go in to first either. What I do is move the stick to reverse, then take it out of reverse and move it back to 1st.
 
there is a bleed screw on the slave cylinder, use it.


or find someone competent to do it. do you brakes too, as you let the thing go dry (stupid move #1)
 
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