5th gear is now another neutral, please help

[wizner17]

5th gear slides in fine, but stopped or moving it acts like its in neutral. I just got the car, and it had the problem when I got it. If anyone has any info on what to check, or what specialty shop to call, or anything it would be much appreciated. thanks

[scuzzy]

Possibilities: Stripped drive or driven gear (unlikely)

most likely: broken 5th gear synchro

[BAC5.2]

No, a broken 5th gear synchro won't let the collar engage 5th gear. You'll push like the dickens, but won't get it into gear.

How easily does the gearbox go into other gears?

I bet you DID strip 5th gear. How hard do you shift the other gears?

Stripping 5th isn't a HUGE deal, since 5th gear is seperate from 1st through 4th, but there's other shit going on behind there. You aren't going to damage 1st through 4th, but the potential to damage the center differential and the shift linkage and such is pretty good.

[rallysam]

I know you said it engages fine. But does the engagement feel different at all?

Where are you located?

You could drain the tranny oil and see how much metal debris there is on the drain plug.

[professor]

how sloppy is the shifter ? with beat shifter bushings and springs, and possibly beat engine and tranny mounts, things might have shifted to the point that you can't manuever the stick correctly to get it into gear, and what you feel when it "drops" into gear is really other stuff hitting.

if the syncro only is trashed you should hear lots of grinding and you should still be able to force it into gear when you match the engine and tranny RPM

it would seem least likely that you've somehow stripped 5th gear completely off, I would think the metal shards would wreck the whole deal very quickly

[BAC5.2]

Remember, 5th gear is seperate from 1-4 and Reverse. It's all by it's lonesome.

A blown synchro would grind like a slut getting into gear, and you'd eventually break something.

5th gear breaks. If you drive like a shit head, and quickly slam through the gears, 5th will be basically eating away at itself.

People used to think it was ONLY with a dogbox, that the gear would be exposed to such shock that it'd destroy itself, but I've seen it show up on a few synchro boxes, and even a few stock boxes.

[wizner17]

well this weekend im going to yank the tranny out and have a look around. its not my daily driver until this (and other small problems) are fixed. but i got what I paid for, I traded a 1985 dodge ramcharger that i got for free and invested $70 into for this 1993 sport sedan. thanks for your input everyone, I will be referencing your ideas this weekend. and if there are any road blocks or things I should know about pulling the tranny please let me know

[wizner17]

shifting feels exactly like all other gears, smoothly. I dont hear any grinding or odd "whirring" noises at all. I do have to push the clutch in to put in 5th and when I let the clutch out, no noise either, and it doesnt want to fall out. every thing is normal exept it doesnt make me go anywhere

[vrg3]

Is it possible that it's just a bad clutch? Does the clutch seem to slip more than it ought to in other gears?

[ej22t]

I just has the same problem on my 4th gear. then I took off the tranny to the tranny shop and they opened the tranny and tell me all the gear is in good sharp and no broke tooth and syncro. Then they re-assamibly the tranny and before I put it back to my car I try it on the floor by hand spin in all gear to make sure I have all gear works. After I put the tranny back to my car and the first start it runs no problem but after a turn and my car back to no 4th gear again.....
Now I know the gears a good and the only one think I suspect will be the bushing that connect the shifter fork( the little bushing on top of the shifter bushing) and now I have to replace that little bushing and see will it the only thing that cost this problem.
Try to go to an auto shop and let them take a look on your shift linkage to see you are fully get into 4th gear or not....
Good luck on both of us.

Ben