Wont go into 3rd gear...

[Copperman05]

I have a problem with selecting 3rd gear. It happens when changing down, from 4th or 5th into 3rd, I push the lever up and its as though something is obstructing or blocking its path, the lever will not go forward. There is no grinding or grating noise, it just wont go past the neutral position.

What I have to do is move the gear shifter into 2nd (with the clutch still in) and then into 3rd, this seems to move whatever it is out of the way allowing me to select 3rd gear. This problem only appears when the car is moving, when stationary I can select all gears and nothing blocks its way into 3rd, but when moving, changing down into 3rd is always blocked in this way.

Occasionally it happens when changing from 2nd into 3rd, but this is rare and often when the car is cold, a quick shuffle of the gears in and out of 2nd seems to free it up.

I have had RPM look at this and Ollie said it wasnt anything he had ever seen before...The gear linkage on top of the gearbox has since been replaced by a short shifter I inherited from the previous owner and the gearbox oil has just been changed by RPM. The problem persists.

Has anyone experienced anything like this before? I have read on another thread that selecting 2nd gear 'moves' some gear cogs out of the way, perhaps one of these is jamming inside the gearbox. I think we can rule out any linkage or gear stick issue as the problem would remain when stationary.

I was hoping that i wasnt going to have to buy a second hand gearbox quite so soon and a rebuild seems expensive. The box has a whine also, but this has improved since the oil was changed.

Any light on the matter would be appreciated.

Edd

 

[Fen]

Sounds like a synchromesh problem, not from and 944 specific experience, but just from general manual transmission understanding. It could be a clutch issue I guess, but I'd expect that to be more noticeable generally.

 

[Tom]

Hi,

My car had a problem which might be related, discussed in the following thread:
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=379273&mpage=1&key=&#379273

The inital symptoms were not being able to "find" 3rd when changing down from 4th or 5th. Later on it became almost impossible to get 2nd. It was finally discovered that one of the springs on the gear selector had somehow got jammed in the mechanism - the end of the spring was damaged. The whole selector and spring were replaced and it has been fine ever since.

The symptoms sound similar to yours - fine changing up the box but impossible to go down to third from 4th or 5th. It felt as though there something was "in the way". If I first pushed the stick left towards 1st/2nd, I could then get 3rd. When in neutral, does the gearshift look like it is off centre - i.e. too far to the right? Does the spring pushing the stick left from 4th/5th position feel weak?

 

[Copperman05]

Thanks guys, Yes they do seem similar dont they, although a cant detect the spring being weak, or it out of line... It does seem as though something is in the way though, and then putting it into 2nd momentarily seems to move whatever it is out of the way.

Once the gearbox is off how easy or hard is it to check? Not sure I want to spend £700 on second hand gearbox if its just a spring out of place or something. Anyone know any 944 gearbox specialists or will any gearbox specialist be more inclined to repair over replace....?

Edd

 

[Copperman05]

Not sure if the PM system is working so..

Tom,

Can I ask where you took your 944 with this problem? If they are aware of a similar problem it may make the finding of mine that little bit easier...

Regards

Edd