MAXTOUT

So I had some problems with a leaking oil seal on my gearbox. I finally decided to tackle it today because yesterday I could not shift into 2,4 or R. When I got off work it decided to shift into all gears, but the speed-o was not working. This morning it happened again, so I pulled the axle and replaced the $10 seal. The good news is that it is holding fluid, the bad news, it will only sit in 1st and just out of first in neutral. It will not let me move the shifter to 2,3,4,5 or R.

Is this gearbox toast? Anyone have a gearbox for sale?(preferably limited slip)

Its too bad I didn't get stuck in 2nd, I could at least have been able to get around town.

Scruit

Did you try to force the tranny into gear? Could you have bent the linkage? Or maybe even broken a shift fork or knocked a shift-rod C-clip off it's perch?

There is a safety mechnism in place that prevents you from selecting two gears at the same time (ie 1 and 3 or 3 and 5). When you try to shift into the space between 1 and 3 you can feel something blocking the lever - most people thing there is a physical H-shaped 'selector gate" and controls this but there isn't. There are 3 fork rods that shift the forks to move the gears into position. There ara left, right and center fork rods that basically line up with 1/2, 3/4 and 5/R. When you move the shifter into 1 you aare actually moving the left control rod up. 2=left down. As simple as that. There is a spring-loaded ball-bearing mechanism that will prevent two shift rods moving at the same time. If you move the shifter to the space between 1 and 3 then the hard detent that you feel is the safety interlock kicking in and preventing the 1 and 3 gears both being applied at the same time (tranny go boom if you are moving)

The reason for the long winded description is that it IS possible (if you brutally manhandle the shifter) that you can jam that mechanism. If your stick is stuck bewteen 1st and the nuetrual position between 1 and 2 then it is possible that the safey interlock is jammed in position with the left shift rod raised slightly so you can't pull the shifter back left because the 2/4 shift rod is stopping it from moving back to center.

I would raise and support the front, then disconnect the shifter at the trans and try to shift there. It will be pretty stiff (especially moving right into 5/R) but you should be able to actuate the mechanism with a set of vice grips. If it shifts at all (and don't be discouraged if it doesn't go first time because occasionally you have to hit the clutch to shift gear when the engine if off, yeah?). You should be able to move it.

If you can move it then the external linkage is damaged. Work backwards.


If you cannot, then the mechanism is jammed internally and you are probably looking at having to pull the tranny and open it up to free the mecahnism. At that point you have very little to lose just hooking up the linkage again and going brutal on the shifter again. It may free the interlock. The worst you can do is jam it further - won't be any harder to fix.

MAXTOUT

I checked it out and it looks like this thing is comping out of the car. I could not get it to shift with the linkage removed. I found a gearbox with 90 day warenty 82K miles for $650, so it looks like I may swap it out.

Anyone know about doing a swap with the 03 6-spd? maximus75 has done it, but I have yet to find out if it was a direct swap.