I have a 2004.5 KIA Spectra with a manual transmission. Recently started to have trouble shifting into 1st and 2nd gears only. The only way to actually get 1st gear is to start car and put car in reverse and back-up, this works most of the time. The dealer said it might be the clutch or a synchronization part in trans. If it is a trans part its still under warranty, clutch isn’t. I have only 40 miles left before my car reaches 100K miles and warranty expires. Any ideas?
Apparently the dealer has seen the car. Do you have their statement in writing? Make sure you have something in writing before driving those 40 miles, you might want to have the car delivered to the dealer on a flat bed if needed. Once you have established as having been worked on by the dealer while still under warranty you should be protected.
From your description it could be linkage or synchronizer. It also could be the clutch, but I an thinking not. Try this:
Start the car, make sure nothing is in front of you. Hold the brake down put it in say third gear and release the clutch. If the engine runs and you don’t move, yea you have a clutch problem. You may also have other problems but the clutch needs work.
I am really curious about “The dealer said it might be the clutch or a synchronization part in trans.” It should have been very easy for the dealer to check out the clutch.
A dragging clutch can cause this problem because the 1/2 gears have teeth that are almost straight-cut ones. This problem may not be as noticeable in 3/4/5 gears because the teeth are cut with far more bevel to them.
Driving around with a dragging clutch and forcing the 1/2 gear issue can create a transmission problem though.
It should be a simple matter to determine if the clutch is dragging or worn.