Car won't go into gear.

[Poindexter]

Help! 2/1971 240Z with later year Z "B"-model 5-speed, I believe. New master & slave clutch last May. *Never* speed-shifted or abused. Worked flawlessly all last summer. However, now after winter storage, when I try to put her into gear, no matter where the gearshift lever is, the tach drops, and you can tell the clutch is beginning to engage, but I don't think the car wants to move in either direction. I'm kind of afraid, as it's in the garage and I don't want to launch the car through the walls! The shift lever doesn't feel normal either, it doesn't seem to want to follow the normal modified H pattern, so I don't want to do anything to hurt her without more knowledgeable advice- like from the board.

Any advice, or further triage to be done to help with the diagnosis? Can I place standard chocks a foot from the front and rear wheels and will they keep the car from flying too far- just to judge how or if she will move?

PS- After I replaced the rubber shifter gaskets in August, inner and outer inside the console, it slipped out of third-only- once or twice, then it stopped happening- as the rubber softened up a bit I imagined. The rubber was pretty stiff and might have been pushing the gearshift lever a smidge. Anything?

TIA!!!

Edited April 15, 2009 by Poindexter

[Nigel1943]

Two issues to address here.

The clutch could be stuck after the winter laydown but before you do anything about that the gear selection needs to be sorted.

You say you have a "B" series 5 speed which presumably is the ZX box. I'm just wondering, especially after your comment about the shifter boots, whether you or the PO, have modified the tranny tunnel to accept this gearbox. If not it's quite likely the shifter is fouling the front of the shifter hole(dropped out of 3rd you said). Don't quite know why you hadn't noticed this before but these things happen.

[Poindexter]

Two issues to address here.

The clutch could be stuck after the winter laydown but before you do anything about that the gear selection needs to be sorted.

You say you have a "B" series 5 speed which presumably is the ZX box. I'm just wondering, especially after your comment about the shifter boots, whether you or the PO, have modified the tranny tunnel to accept this gearbox. If not it's quite likely the shifter is fouling the front of the shifter hole(dropped out of 3rd you said). Don't quite know why you hadn't noticed this before but these things happen.

Thanks for such a quick response.

1) The clutch *seems* to be working, as in if I try to crank in what I think is neutral, the car will jump unless I have the clutch depressed, and when I slowly let it out it seems like it wants to engage. Anywhere in the pattern. Ugh. I can't seem to find neutral- or any gear emphatically, any more. The "H" seems to be gone.

2) Yes, the PO *did* nip away enough steel/material at the top of the trans access hole, and there has never been any interference there with the shift lever. Only the slight back-pressure on the stick from- shall we call it- the outer rubber shift boot.

3) The shift lever has the two "ears" with the transverse pin that hold the shift lever in- the one with the nylon button at the bottom, FYI.

[overdrivex]

will the trans go into gear when the car is off? did you bother to check to see if any fluid is getting to the slave cyl.? slave cyc should be able to gravity bleed so should haev fluid comming out if you losen the bleeder.

also this was an issue i had with a subaru once if the shifter bushing is out it will feel like its shifting even though it wasnt.

Edited April 15, 2009 by overdrivex

[Poindexter]

will the trans go into gear when the car is off? did you bother to check to see if any fluid is getting to the slave cyl.? slave cyc should be able to gravity bleed so should haev fluid comming out if you losen the bleeder.

also this was an issue i had with a subaru once if the shifter bushing is out it will feel like its shifting even though it wasnt.

Thanks. I will try these tests once the weather clears up and I can put her in the driveway to get the ramps underneath, and I'll also check the shifter bushing and the cross pin too. I guess just seeing enough fluid in the clutch master isn't enough to check, huh?

The shift lever felt uncertain, like it wasn't following the correct pattern, like it was imprecise- although not necessarily like there was a box of rocks in the trans housing either. I'll check that too again and report back in more detail.

[overdrivex]

sometime if the master clutch cyl doesnt fully disengage it wont let fluid into the system so the reservoir can be full but no flued in the system.

[doradox]

Thanks for such a quick response.

1) The clutch *seems* to be working, as in if I try to crank in what I think is neutral, the car will jump unless I have the clutch depressed, and when I slowly let it out it seems like it wants to engage. Anywhere in the pattern. Ugh. I can't seem to find neutral- or any gear emphatically, any more. The "H" seems to be gone.

Sounds like the linkage is broken.

Steve

[Rags]

I'm going to change my diagnosis that I posted on Hybridz. I'm thinking this isn't a clutch or trans problem at all, but a brake issue! By any chance did you have the emergency brake pulled when you stored the car? My guess is the brakes are stuck. Put the car in neutral and jack up each wheel to see if they will spin by hand. If you jack up both rear wheels at the same time, each should be able to spin even if the trans/clutch is causing a problem. If one or both don't move, you have found your problem. Brakes.

Joe

[Poindexter]

Great idea, Rags, but I learned that lesson from the long storage years ago. I never apply the parking brake except on the street during the day. In the garage, for more than a couple of days I always use chocks. Those brake drums can be expensive- and rare too.

[Carl Beck]

However, now after winter storage, when I try to put her into gear, no matter where the gearshift lever is, the tach drops, and you can tell the clutch is beginning to engage, but I don't think the car wants to move in either direction.

So you can start the car, and with it running you can put it one or another gears. Then when you let the clutch out - the car still doesn't "want" to move - is that correct?

Either the front or rear brakes are hung up. Put it in gear and drive it... there nothing that you can hurt. If it's the brakes hanging up - drive it around and warm everything up - and keep appling and releaseing the brakes.. that will most times break them loose...

good luck,

Carl B.

[Poindexter]

Hi Carl. Thanks for offering your advice.

The problem is deeper I think. I can NOT get it into any gear. When I release the clutch (anywhere in the pattern- no neutral!) it feels and looks (tach drops slightly) like it wants to engage but the car doesn't move. Brakes are totally free, car will roll freely by itself from just the slight incline on the garage floor (the natural drainage angle).

Shifter feels wrong- I'll be able to check more tomorrow, but I think something has gone internally in the transmission and I'll offer further specific clarification as to precisely what "wrong" means then.

[doradox]

Hi Carl. Thanks for offering your advice.

The problem is deeper I think. I can NOT get it into any gear. When I release the clutch (anywhere in the pattern- no neutral!) it feels and looks (tach drops slightly) like it wants to engage but the car doesn't move. Brakes are totally free, car will roll freely by itself from just the slight incline on the garage floor (the natural drainage angle).

Shifter feels wrong- I'll be able to check more tomorrow, but I think something has gone internally in the transmission and I'll offer further specific clarification as to precisely what "wrong" means then.

That sounds like you are stuck in neutral. Possible broken shift linkage. Car rolls so it can't be stuck in two gears. Slight rpm drop is the drag from the trans oil as the clutch engages and begins to turn the input shaft. Either that or you took out the drive shaft and forgot about it.

Steve