Unable to shift - 1st and 2nd gear

[David T]

Ok I thank you all. By the way, I don't understand what Dave means with "remove the rear cover in the car"... what do you exactly mean?

5th gear I know it is in front of the tranny (I whatched an interesting video showing gear shifting performed by hands on a Renault Un-1 gearbox)... but I think there is not a way to determine the wear of the roll pins with out taking out the sucker, isn't it?

The rear cover is actually towards the front of the car on the end of the transmission. It can be removed with the transmission in the car but the only things you can really check with it off is if you can get the shifter rails in and out of each gear and you can check if the end nuts are tight. You are correct, you cannot verify the condition of the roll pins in the shifter rails until you disassemble the transmission. Those pins don't wear so much as bend or break and once you get to them it will be obvious if they are bad. The pins can be made stronger by sticking smaller ones inside the big ones but they only bend/break because you forced shifts on a bad clutch. Keep the clutch and the hydraulics in good shape and the pins will be fine.

[DMCMW Dave]

Ok I thank you all. By the way, I don't understand what Dave means with "remove the rear cover in the car"... what do you exactly mean?

5th gear I know it is in front of the tranny (I whatched an interesting video showing gear shifting performed by hands on a Renault Un-1 gearbox)... but I think there is not a way to determine the wear of the roll pins with out taking out the sucker, isn't it?

Lift up the car
Disconnnect the forward trans mounts so the trans can hang down a bit
Take off all the bolts holding the cover on. Cover is part ID54 on parts manual page 4-1-1
Check parts, makes sure the large nuts are tight.
You will need the new gasket #57

[JohnZ]

Ok now I understand! You mean with the tranny IN the car!

Ok now I collected some trials to do... let's hope for the best!

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Agreed. The cable adjustment is such that in one direction you will lose 5th gear, AND be able to get reverse without the interlock (lifting the handle). In the other direction you will lose reverse, and possible 1 and 2 if the adjustment is way off.

If you have reverse, not 1 and 2, but have 3 and 4 and 5, the problem is internal. I'd at least pull off the rear cover in the car so see what's going on, but if something has broken or stripped in the internal linkage it's going to have to come out of the car and be taken apart.

From the picture John took I would say the crossgate pin is too close to the left portion of the cutout which will make 1st & 2nd inop. while still allowing reverse to engage. Try shifting into 1st by lifting up as if going into reverse but ease it forwaard just as it clears the edge. Do this with the engine off and then start it and see if you have 1st gear. If you do then adjust the crossgate cable nuts back torwards the rear uf the car until the pin is centered in the lower (forward gear) portion of the cutout. It definetly looks offcenter in the picture.

Rob Grady,
P.J.Grady Inc.

[DMCMW Dave]

I see that one -if that's the issue, he's going past 1-2 in the gate but it would be there if he lifted and moved it **slightly** to the left left and then went for 1-2.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

I see that one -if that's the issue, he's going past 1-2 in the gate but it would be there if he lifted and moved it **slightly** to the left left and then went for 1-2.

Yup! Seen it quite a bit over the years. I hope you and Julie are busy over there in the heartland! Tell her I said hello if you think of it!

[JohnZ]

Thanks Rob I appreciate your inputs!

Now this. I'm not really understanding a damn thing anymore now... I went to the car this morning to check out Grady's method and it shifted perfectly without lifting the stick. It shifted lifting the stick too. It shifted everytime. What the hell is going on?

I swear it was definitely impossible to put on 1st and 2nd, and now I find myself shifting to 1 and 2 smoothly with out doing anything.. that is nonsense. But I think tonight the issue will be there once again, anyway what's best from this morning's trial is that Grady's method works.

What's up now? Simple crossgate cable adjustment?

[Bitsyncmaster]

What's up now? Simple crossgate cable adjustment?

I adjusted my crossgate cable with the shifter plate off so I could look at the centering and get it in the center.

[ALEXAKOS]

If your tranny now shifts... It has to do with heat. take if for a drive until engine is heated up and see if it shifts. Could be a clutch issue. Smaller gears are harder to shift in and need more clutch support.


When your D did not shift.. Did you also try I with the engine off r only running?

[JohnZ]

If your tranny now shifts... It has to do with heat. take if for a drive until engine is heated up and see if it shifts. Could be a clutch issue. Smaller gears are harder to shift in and need more clutch support.


When your D did not shift.. Did you also try I with the engine off r only running?

Well I'll try to be precise: this problem came up after a 30 minutes drive. Actually after this drive I shut the car off because I was arrived, but after about 4 hours I took the car again for another 30 minutes drive and I started to have this issue. I had driven about 90 miles in 2 days without this issue.

Then at home for 2 days I tried to shift to 1 and 2 (engine running, engine shut off, engine cold after night, late in the evening, in the morning) but there was no way to engage 1st and 2nd.

Suddendly this morning everything was smooth and clear, perfect shifting in all gears with both the engine running or cold. Maybe it has something to do with "ice", I thought. But now that it's midday I tried that once again and everything was allright.

Now tonight I plan to use the car for a 12 miles trip that I have to do... I'll use this as a test!



Delorean works in mysterious ways!



edit: to integrate the diagnosis I've never had grinding gears these days, the 1st and 2nd just don't go in... it is not that they grind!