In the last month I have had trouble shifting into gear when my car is sitting still. Usually I can jiggle the stick around and finally get it into gear. Yesterday I could do nothing. It felt like if I tried to force it something would break. I turned it off and then back on and it was fine.
I’ve got an appointment next Wednesday at my mechanics, I just wondered if I’d make it to next week and what I could expect to hear when I get there.
Thanks for any insight you can share!
Try shifting the transmission with the engine “off”. If it shifts ok then you have a clutch problem like air in the clutch hydraulic system or worn clutch.
Your clutch might not be disengaging completely. Check the fluid in the clutch cylinder if it is a hydraulic clutch.
The clutch may not be disengaging completely. As stated, you should check the fluid level and try shifting with the engine off. I’d also try slowly shifting into reverse (with the engine running). Hold the pedal down, start the engine, and gently put it into reverse. If the clutch is dragging you may hear the gears grind.
Does it do this for every gear, or only one? Every-now-and-then I can’t shift my car into reverse. I think the gears stop lined up just so and won’t engage. I either let the car roll a little, if it’s on a hill, or let up off the clutch a bit to move the gears and then it works fine.
If the clutch isn’t disengaging, it should act the same with every gear.
If the clutch is, in fact, not properly disengaging, what you may hear at the shop is hundreds of dollars flying away from you and toward your mechanic. If it’s an older car with an adjustable clutch, a simple adjustment might fix it. If the hydraulic cylinders need to be replaced, it just makes sense to replace everything. It’s expensive, but it’s a pretty tough job.
Other possibilities may include linkage out of adjustment or worn transmission parts.