car help!

will not shift into reverse.

[weblamer2]

hello, anyone here like working on cars? I hate it. One of the main resons i got into computers, so i would never have to touch a greasy slimy car engine again. (shudder)

Anyhow, a question for any of your automotive savvy types. My girlfriends car recently lost the ability to shift into second gear. It goes forward just fine, but it cannot move into second gear. It has a manual transmission, and i currently forget the make and model because it it just some cheap little blue car.

Any idea what is up? More important.. any idea how much it will cost to fix? (seeing as how *I* and the one who is probably going to pay for it)

[tigger]

perhaps this should be posted in commercial :)

Sorry can't help normally when my goes wrong I hit it with a big hammer :)

[Gibble]

It could be a worn clutch not disengaging properly and therefor not letting you get into the higher gears, OR you need a new transmission, OR something else is wrong...I'm no mechanic but my father is so I picked up a little in my youth.

Either way, your looking in the hundreds, just a clutch for my car would have been about $200US and the labour on it probably about the same, trannies are more.

[WibbleWobble]

I too have heard transgender people are more expensive. Ragh.

[weblamer2]

bleah. Looks like no new dishwasher for me for awhile.

i need a rich girlfriend.

[mack]

you might want to check for wear in the gear selector rod mechagnism. Usualy there are rubber bushes set into the rods to allow for a small amount of movement, if these bushes become worn then the mobement increases and the movement on the gear stick doesnt fully transmit to the selector.

A bush is simply a piece or hard rubber that is pressed into metal section and is there the jont occurs.

As Gibble said is coudl be a clutch problem. This woudl ean that when you press the clutch pedal down you are not fully disengaging the engine from the gearbox, as a result the gears are turning and you will not get propper gear selection. depending on the clutch activation mecagnism you may be able to simply adjust th eclutch. If it is a cable clutch you will generaly have provision for adjustment either on the pedal (very rare) or more likely where the clutch cable meets the clutch lever on the gearbox casing. Generaly give it a few turns and see how it goes. You may however find that your clutch is powered by hydraulics. Generaly there systems are self compensating and will adjust to take up any free play, but it is possible that air has got into the system, either thriugh a damaged pipe or seal or by low fluid. The problem with air in the system is you can compress air, whereas you cannot compress fluid. if there is air in the system then you will not have as much clutch travel for each compression of the clutch pedal. If it is hydraulic you will , or shoudlbe able to bleed the air from the system. To do this you will need a helper. (anyone willing :) ) first locate the bleed nipple, this will be on the clutch slave clyinder. The slave cylinder is basicaly a ram that pressed the clutch lever, it will be atached to the gearbox. Have your helper press the pedal several times then hold it down. When it is being held down open the bleed nipple screw untill some fluid is pressed out. TAKE CARE OF YOUR EYES! USE GOGGLES IF IT IS POINTING ANYWHERE NEAR YOU. As soon as some of the fluid is pressed out check and top up the fluid reservoire, repeat this step a few times making sure they you keep plenty of fluid in the reservoire. The aim of this is to try and force the air out of the system.

Hope this helps.

PS NVQ automotive technision :)

[tigger]

someone at WebmasterWorld that knows about cars man your going to get busy :)

[john316]

It can also be a spring, agree with Mack, before you go with "replace", find someone willing to "adjust".

[Josk]

Why do you need to shift out of first? First will usually get you where you are going, eventually. The other gears are much too fast. And why do you need reverse? Why not just steer the car around so points in the opposite direction? This avoids nasty neck strain.

Remember I haven't yet passed my driving test yet... (I didn't see that women with the baby who was crossing the road...)

[Gibble]

I didn't see that women with the baby who was crossing the road

They're 100pts aren't they?

[Josk]

I didn't hit either the baby or the woman pushing the pram. They were stepping onto the crossing when I whizzed past. Apparently you're supposed to stop. My excuse is that I was distracted by the driving test...

[miles]

"They're 100pts aren't they?" Only if their shoes fit the drivers feet.

As to the Car question. That could be a good many things so I wont touch it. But if you know a good mechanic that will do a free inspection I would go that route. Like the guys said it could be something simple. Or you could just take the car up to 4000 rpms and go straight to 3 gear.... NO dont do that.

[weblamer2]

waait.. you mean to tell me theres such a thing as a 'good' mechanic? <G>

My dealings with mechanics have been one of two things.. either extreamly high priced corporate places who do a fantatic job quickly, but they charge you for so much as telling you the color fo your car.

On the other end there is the friendly cheap mechanic who does not know squat and what ever he fixes ends up breaking anyways.

[willybfriendly]

"bleah. Looks like no new dishwasher for me for awhile.
i need a rich girlfriend."

Yeah, and if she washes the dishes you could buy yourself a new car ;)