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St165 won't select gears

Discussion in 'Diagnosis/Help' started by Toytuner, Aug 23, 2014.

  1. Toytuner

    Toytuner Well-Known Member Donated!

    So last night I get in my car to go take a run to the gas station and I notice when I put my car in reverse it feels a little "off". Anyways I put it back into neutral and the put it in reverse again. The gear isn't there! So I roll backwards out of the driveway and put it in first and cruise up the street a bit and shift to second. No gear there either.. I currently have no 2nd 4th or reverse. All the bottom gears just simply are not there. If I pull it hard into 4th I can get it to grab but 2nd has completely disappeared as well as reverse. If i go out and manual shift the car into gear with the shift linkages on the tranny it will go into 2nd 4th and reverse just fine. I'm stumped, anyone have any ideas?
     
  2. lone wolf

    lone wolf Well-Known Member Donated!

    Simple answer I think. one of the 2 gear cables is loose, either on the tranny or on the shifter.
     
  3. Toytuner

    Toytuner Well-Known Member Donated!

    Checked both connections and they are solid, I thought maybe the shifter cable had come off the lever but it was still on. I'll mess around with it some more this afternoon and see if I can find anything else
     
  4. scottjackson1209

    scottjackson1209 Well-Known Member Donated!

    How is your fluid? I had something similar happen once when the plug on the bottom of the trans came out without me knowing. It seized all my gears except first. I ended up replacing the gear box
     
  5. Toytuner

    Toytuner Well-Known Member Donated!

    Fluids are good, both tranny and clutch are full
     
  6. 162driver

    162driver Guest

    try checking the shift linkages my s54 box would not shift into reverse because the shift linkage had a broken plastic shim cap
     
  7. Stig

    Stig ST162 Guru Donated!

    Common problem is play in the cable bushes, some switch to brass inserts but I just take from Corollas, Camry's etc
    Check the bushes are still tight and the cups on the shifter are tight too
    These should be greased but nobody does

    [​IMG]
    Bush on the left has too much play

    [​IMG]

    Other than that you may have damage to the shifter mechanism in the box, it unbolts and slides out for inspection
    [​IMG]
    This is an E series, S series has one large nut and looks the same inside

    Other than that there is a another bush which may be damaged or missing, it is a square bush used for pushing the selector shaft in to select the bottom gears, see bottom of next pic

    There are also bushes which wear on the selector arms as well
    [​IMG]
    See the square bush on the end of the arm? - That I suspect is your problem

    There is also an adjuster which could be loose or need adjustment
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2014
  8. Mafix

    Mafix Owner Staff Member Administrator Donated!

    sounds like a busted cable to me
     
  9. Stig

    Stig ST162 Guru Donated!

    No Willie, it would not engage 1, 3, 5 if a cable was busted
    The fact that he says he can engage 2, 4, R by hand tells me the box is OK but the lever on the box isn't going forward enough.
    It's the square bush that controls in-out movement, the lever is moving out but not in which suggests it could also be the clip holding the cable to the box bracket.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2014
  10. Toytuner

    Toytuner Well-Known Member Donated!

    gonna take a look at it this week, thanks guys im hoping its nothing too major.
     
  11. Toytuner

    Toytuner Well-Known Member Donated!

    found the problem, the shift cable had jumped out of its housing on the top of the tranny where the little c-clip holds it in place. put a new one on it and it works fine! thanks guys!
     
  12. lone wolf

    lone wolf Well-Known Member Donated!

    Hate to say told you so but....told you so ! :) lol

    Just kidding, but glad everything worked out and it's working again !
     
  13. Toytuner

    Toytuner Well-Known Member Donated!

    lol well after the gears were fixed it started choking out on fuel and now it barely runs. goddamn 4th gens always breaking down. the 3sgte is the biggest money pit engine, my 2jz had more expensive mods but it was bullet proof lol. if a mouses sneezes on the 3s its suddenly throws a code lol
     
  14. Stig

    Stig ST162 Guru Donated!

    So I was on the money.... good you found it
    Yes, you won't see me running a snail on any of my motors if I can help it
     
  15. scottjackson1209

    scottjackson1209 Well-Known Member Donated!

    One you have a snail powered car you can't go back though! I'm dying without my Trac, my wife's Ford fusion just doesn't cut it anymore lol
     
  16. Stig

    Stig ST162 Guru Donated!

    TEMS is no slouch, in a country with a max 100km limit it's very difficult at times to stay legal.
    I'm pretty sure the Fusion is quick enough to land you in jail?
     
  17. scottjackson1209

    scottjackson1209 Well-Known Member Donated!

    I'm sure TEMS isn't a slouch, that's not what I meant. I would actually love a car like TEMS! The Fusion has a 220HP 3.0L V6 that weighs 3200lbs so it's not slow, I just miss the feeling of the turbo. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to! lol
     
  18. Stig

    Stig ST162 Guru Donated!

    My GT4 had GE cams and the boost upped, off boost it was a brick to drive.
    On boost it's addictive but for me too short and then the power stays the same for the rest of the rev range (at least it feels that way). Cooling was also an issue and I don't believe the stock bearings are up to increased power

    So I do understand the craze for more boost and power, people just don't realize how much things change once recommended boost is exceeded.
    Open seater race cars give the same rush but all the way to redline and they are not fun to drive at slower speeds.
    Similarly I've driven high boost road cars and they are also no fun at normal speeds, add a wet or slippery road and things can get very dangerous.(Painfully clear judging by the # of Evo's, WRX's, Skylines I see wrapped around poles, trees and signs here in Auckland)

    For me a modded n/a motor is still the most fun and the easiest to drive, more reliable, easier on gas blah blah
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2014
  19. Toytuner

    Toytuner Well-Known Member Donated!

    A little off topic but do GE cams drop right in? I did the 5sfe crank swap but never did the ge cams. I've got a 89 3sge with a bad rod I could strip the cams from
     

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