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Last night on my way home I lost 1st and 2nd gear! The gear shifter is loose and moves freely in the 1st and 2nd gear area, 3rd and 4th work fine, as well as reverse. I suspect either the linkage or cable has come loose or broke entirely. I'm not a mechanic, but wanted to attempt to fix this myself. Any help/advice on where to begin and the best way to diagnose the problem would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Take a look underneath at your linkage to see if a rod is loose from the either the shifter's lever or the transmission's lever, if not then you probably lost a shift fork which is internal.
The internal shift forks (2) are attached to the side cover which is removable. If you're high mileage then it's time to have the trans gone thru and freshened ( synchro's, bearings, bearings, gaskets, etc...).
Sounds like a shift rod came loose. Jack up the left side of the car, look at the rear lever on the trans sideplate. Actually the middle lever of three on the trans. Have someone shift to 1st and 2nd, see if the arm moves. There should be a rod between the shifter and lever, held on by a pin. Check that 1st.
Thanks to all for the posts. I crawled underneath and had my wife move the shifter thru 1st and 2nd gear. All the rods moved as they should. I did notice the bolt coming out of the transmission connect the shifting rod is very loose. Is this signs of an internal issue, or can we tighten the bolt up and fix the issue? Thoughts / suggestions. Thanks
place the trani in neutral, move the lever where the loose bolt is straight up and tighten the bolt. Check the other two also.
The lever that's loose has a slot in it that fits over the tab on the shift lever on the side of the trans. If you move the lever around you should be able to feel it catch on the tabs. Tighten the nut, (or even better, replace it and use a drop or two of blue or green Loctite), and you should be done.