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4 speed 83 Rabbit stuck in gear
by
acidtonic
on 18 Jun, 2017 00:10
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I have had an odd issue with my 83 Rabbit 4speed Diesel. Just replaced rear struts and springs both sides and happily drove around. Noticed on my return trip that 3rd was popping out occasionally which is the only gear to have any problems. Normally my transmission shifted fine but it was a bit vague.
Anyways I start getting grinds going in various gears like my clutch is not fully disengaging so I go to adjust the clutch and now it seems to not want to roll back in the driveway until I actually move the shifter to neutral. Normally I park in gear because my ebrake isn't working and when I go to leave I just push the clutch in and it rolls backwards due to the very small slope in my driveway.... This time it doesnt.
I think my ebrake cable is stuck so I jack up the rear and both wheels spin freely and easily. Put the car back down, shift to neutral and let it roll down about 2 car lengths. I fire it up and go to reverse and as soon as I let the clutch out it just dies and goes nowhere. I start it again and go to 1st to roll back into the garage and same thing but it kinda skipped and bucked like it was not 1st but rather 4th. I gave it some throttle and made it back up into the garage.
Checked out the shifter linkage and nothing is popped off. The arm with the curve in it does have a loose feeling connection to the ball but it is still connected just has a bit of play. Now I cannot get the car moving at all. Wondering because this happened at the same time as my adjustment to the clutch if it's related at all or if my linkage is shot?
I now cannot get the shifter into 3rd and 4th but I can freely get it into 1st and 2nd. Also seems that neutral is not actually neutral and the wheels turn the motor if the clutch is out in neutral. Had my wife hold the clutch in and the front wheels both freely spin until the clutch is let out so no stuck brakes. Is my transmission toast or do I need bushings and rods? I thought I could shift into neutral by hand at the transmission while my wife held the clutch in but that doesn't seem to work. I'm not sure exactly what is wrong here.... advice please?
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#1
by
masterbeavis
on 18 Jun, 2017 12:35
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My advice isn't helpful,but now is the perfect time for a 5 speed upgrade. You'll need the transmission, upper mount, the shift arm and ball.
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#2
by
acidtonic
on 18 Jun, 2017 14:11
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Where is the best place to find a 5spd? I see 4 speeds as cheap as 75-100 in past closed threads. I'm local to PartsPlace so I'm thinking about their $300 4spd. The original seller of my car also has a 4sp sitting around for $200 but no warranty or anything.
I just spent the past 2 hours trying to get it out of gear with no luck. I think the trans somehow got ruined but luckily I was in the driveway. Selecting reverse/1st/2nd locks the trans and I eventually got 3rd selected and it spun the same as neutral so I think it's stuck in 3rd I couldn't get 4th engaged all the way.
Wasn't really in the mood to pull the trans right away, I recently finished cutting out the rear struts which sucked and now this
.
Would love to save this trans somehow without pulling it. Any ideas?
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#3
by
ORCoaster
on 18 Jun, 2017 23:37
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Any chance you somehow got the clamp at the front of the shift mechanism loose? The one that clamps the rod that goes back to the shift on the floor. If You have the Bentley do the adjustment check for adjusting that whole setup. Sounds like you are not able to get the full throw out of the linkage.
Worth a look if you haven't already.
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#4
by
acidtonic
on 19 Jun, 2017 09:12
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I was under there again last night and it looks tight. What bothers me more is the fact I can change the selection to other gears but that just locks up the transmission. If this were just a linkage problem wouldn't I have been able to get the transmission into neutral by hand after I unhooked the linkage?
Appreciate the feedback! I'm eager to get this thing back on the road.
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#5
by
acidtonic
on 19 Jun, 2017 09:34
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I looked up the alignment procedure in my Bentley and I'll go through that tonight when I have some spare time.
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#6
by
davislimster
on 19 Jun, 2017 12:33
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U checked yr trans oil level?
Car must be level, 17mm hex
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#7
by
fatmobile
on 20 Jun, 2017 17:14
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You adjust it and it gets worse???
Maybe you adjusted it the wrong way.
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#8
by
acidtonic
on 20 Jun, 2017 18:32
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I think it's two different things. Trans was stuck in 3rd coming from a long drive home but I coasted into the garage and didn't notice. I later adjusted the clutch but realized the trans was already having a problem because I couldn't roll backwards with the trans shifted to neutral.
Clutch is now adjusted perfectly but the trans is stuck in 3rd. I wasn't able to check the fluid yet but I will tonight. I spent a long time playing with the selector with no linkage attached just trying to get it out of gear. I was not able to. I'm going to swap the fluid, spin it in gear for awhile and then see if that helps but I honestly think it's toast.
The selector moves and by hand I can move it into other gears and neutral but no matter what a gear is selected. This makes me think it has internal damage and isn't simply an adjustment issue anymore. Selecting a gear other than 3rd locks the trans up so I indeed think there are multiple gears engaged thus the binding.
I have a vacation coming up so I may not get to putting a new trans in right away. I'll refill and try again but more out of the final hope it's just low on oil and will free up. Doubtful. I want a 5spd but not for twice the cost of another 4 speed. I'll keep you posted.
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#9
by
acidtonic
on 20 Jun, 2017 23:12
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Well sad news. I cracked the side fill plug and nothing came out. Peeked in there and couldn't see any fluid. Cracked the bottom drain plug and barely a dribble came out. Glitter patterns in the bit that did. Didn't even have enough fluid to hide the bottom of the plastic drain pan I used to catch it.
Kind of pissed since I just bought it and the previous owner was acting knowledgeable but my bad for driving it 45 minutes home and then taking an hour test drive after fixing the rear shocks
. Live and learn. He's not worth my time.
Time for another trans at this point I'm thinking. I don't think it's worth even putting these 2 bottles of $16 RedLine MTL in it to see if that will loosen it up. What do you guys think? Any opinions? I'm not really dead set on a 5spd when I barely went above 3rd much anyways puttering around town for fun.
Unless anyone knows of any amazing deals locally to Waterford Michigan I'm probably going to snag the $300 transmission from PartsPlace just because it's 30 minutes away from me and they have a 100 day warranty. Unfortunately that will require a wait since I'm leaving the state a week before July 4th so the project may be halted until I get back.
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#10
by
ORCoaster
on 26 Jun, 2017 22:46
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Save the fluid for a new transmission. All that glitters is not golden, sometimes it is toast. If you want to try adding fluid just dump some cheap 90W in there and see what happens. if by some magic chance that gets things working then run it for a week and then put in the good stuff. Might not be as bad as it sounds.
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#11
by
fatmobile
on 27 Jun, 2017 15:56
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I'd post on the vortex and see if you can get a $50 local 4-speed.
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#12
by
vanbcguy
on 28 Jun, 2017 02:51
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I kind of had a feeling you were out of fluid. Sorry that it's the cause.
I'd personally be looking for a 5 speed. They are plentiful enough that a good used one should be a few hundred bucks.
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#13
by
TylerDurden
on 05 Jul, 2017 09:18
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I have a 5spd (AVX) to sell for 150, can meet near Pontiac/Troy.
PM sent.
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#14
by
acidtonic
on 02 Aug, 2017 20:09
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I ended up getting transmission issue corrected. Thanks for the help.
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