The manual transmission in my 97max has just locked up without warning. It seems to be stuck in
2nd gear, even though the shifter is in the neutral position. I can move the shifter into reverse and 5th gear,
but it stalls out if I try to engage the clutch. I cannot move the shifter into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th gears. I've never
experienced this before .... any ideas before I haul it to the shop???


Follow Ups:

Check your slave cylinder, maybe your low on fluid....you might have to bleed it if it's too low...

slave cylinder is fine, could it be the shift linkage?

Didn't you post this in the General Forum as well?

Check your shift linkage, something has broke or come loose.

I hope I am wrong but...

I believe the problem is internal to your transmission. When you move the shifter into 5th or reverse and then let the clutch out causing the engine to stall, that points to the transmission going into two gears at once -- 2nd and 5th (or reverse.)

If this is actually the case, then the shifter is working OK externally but not internally. It sounds like the gear selection linkage inside the trans has failed leaving it in 2nd gear and sufficiently jammed up to the point that all you can do is go into 5th or reverse.

!!!! WARNING !!!!
Any time the transmission has two gears engaged simultaneously, the transmission WILL "lock up." (That is why the engine stalls.) So, DO NOT drive the car (starting in 2nd gear) and then try to shift into 5th! I don't think you will be able to get passed the syncros and all the way into 5th, but if you do, the wheels WILL lock up and serious damage may occur.

Good luck

Paul W.

This same thing happened to my ford focus except mine had been stuck in 1st. It was my shifter selector and it is located in the tranny. I dont know if the much about the manual, since I drive an auto, but that could be the problem.