95 850 Manual Wagon won't engage any gears

firestarterpro · Post by **firestarterpro** » 29 Apr 2020, 00:40

I was rolling back down hill, hit the brakes but tried to shift to first too soon, before coming to a complete stop

my gear didn't engage, it just slipped. Tried and the same for all other gears.... won't move, you just hear slight rubbing of a gear or something

my clutch was replaced 10k ago

my car is currently at 175k

My main question is when i tow it to a mechanic (I'm in a foreign city, Boston) what should i let him charge me to fix? I don't know a trustworthy one out here and need to know as much as possible when i talk to them in the morning

I can't image my clutch our transmission could have gone out that quickly with no signs

I'm hoping it was just a loose bolt or bad pressure plate? Help please, I need to get this car, and myself, back to Texas in one piece

Post by **Ocelot** » 29 Apr 2020, 02:51

Well, that can be a lot of things. I'm thinking of a few possible culprits, but be warned, English isn't my native language.

1. It could be the transmission itself (worn out, even very unlikely, it still can happen).
2. Maybe one of the master/slave clutch clinders has a leak and/or there's air in the system.
3. (Abscate help me with this one): Under the airfilterbox there's this little round thingy (cilinderform that's connected with the shiftrod/cable), in the Netherlands it's called "het rubberen busje voor de schakelstang", if that's gone it makes shifting gears really hard to impossible.
4. When the transmission was rebuild and everyting was put together, did they adjust the shifting cables properly?

The transmissions on those cars are near immortal and the clutch is new, so I'm thinking something went wrong during the clutch job, but that doesn't help you now. Giving as estimate for the fix is also really hard, because it can be a variety of things causing this problem.

Post by **abscate** » 29 Apr 2020, 04:55

It sounds like the shifter cables have come off

A one or two hour fix , should be about $200.

Here a link to a thread where you can see how these work

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=76272&p=439316&hili ... gs#p439316

Are you feeling the gears go into place when you shift the lever?

Hopefully, not a clutch issue, which will be $2000

Post by **scot850** » 29 Apr 2020, 10:14

Could also be a drive axle issue. One may have jumped out when you booted it, or it may have broken.

Neil.

Post by **volvolugnut** » 29 Apr 2020, 10:26

Do you have a hydraulic clutch? If so, check the clutch fluid level. Low level may not allow full clutch engagement and result in gear jamming. Can you shift into gears with engine off?
volvolugnut

firestarterpro · Post by **firestarterpro** » 29 Apr 2020, 12:19

Looked at it again in daylight: the clutch still feels firm, you need to depress it to shift, but the gear just doesnt even attempt to catch, its like its not even contacting the pressure plate

Either way, it looks like Ill have to crack it open to find out...

firestarterpro · Post by **firestarterpro** » 29 Apr 2020, 13:13

...should have mentioned i just put on a new cv axle... looks like it slipped out Neil.

I was a bit too sure of my work...

What's the safest way to tap that back in there? A hammer.... i assuming

Post by **abscate** » 29 Apr 2020, 13:55

It looks like the cap or boot has slipped off, too.

Use lumber on the solid part and give it a good solid whack, not crazy. It should satisfyingly click in.

firestarterpro · Post by **firestarterpro** » 29 Apr 2020, 20:03

So I got it back apart, and the axle has been grinded down from the tip to the lock ring... i guess its time for another axle:

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 30 Apr 2020, 15:16

Wow! That’s a pretty extreme failure if it ground it down. I guess it’s time for an axle!
I’d also recommend changing the transmission fluid to try to flush out and metal shavings.

I had an axle pop out once about 2 feet down the road from my driveway with a cheap aftermarket axle. They’re a crap shoot.