Stuck in gear

[Displacedsicilian]

81 spider. Stopped for gas and when I got back in the car wouldn't move as if the brake was on. Turns out that the car is stuck in gear, had to Rev to get moving, couldn't shift but made it home. Any ideas how to get it unstuck? The shift lever is really stiff. Car was fine immediately prior to stopping for gas.

[iphaul]

It seems the gearbox is stucked in 3rd or 4th gear as you can still run away. You should lift the car and see if you can move the gear levers on the GB. Eventually disconnect the levers from the shifter. If it is still blocked I’m afraid the GB should be taken out.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Any ideas how to get it unstuck? The shift lever is really stiff.

I have not heard of this happening on the Fiat 5-speed transmissions. At first I thought it might be that your shift lever had broken loose of it's pivot at the bottom, but that would make the shift lever floppy and loose and you said it was really stiff.

Let the transmission cool down overnight. If it's not any better, I suggest you drain the transmission oil and remove the transmission oil pan. It's hard to see if you don't know what you're looking for, but see if the two main shifting collars can spin freely or if they are locked onto a gear on one side or the other. See if the sliding forks appear to be OK. If none of this makes sense, let me know and I'll try to describe further.

Any chance your transmission just totally ran out of oil? I imagine it would eventually lock up in some manner, if it was run without oil for any length of time.

Be careful supporting the car up in the air if you do the work yourself. Multiple jack stands and/or car ramps. Redundancy is key.

-Bryan

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I looked into this a bit more. It turns out that you can get the transmission locked up if you shift extremely fast, like from 3rd to 2nd. The transmission remains in 3rd gear, but the lever is in the 2nd gear position, and it's locked up.

Does this sound like what the issue might be? If so, the solution is to remove the shift lever extension and "reset" the shifter mechanism. Unfortunately, it's not an easy job.

-Bryan

[Displacedsicilian]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was waiting in the costco gas line. On my way to Costco I was having some fun.....LOL. I did manage to get home (about 3 miles) stuck in 2nd. I put the car up on dollies and tucked it away for the season. I'll take a look in the spring. GB is full. I wonder if the shift fork is somehow jammed.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I wonder if the shift fork is somehow jammed.

I think that's likely the problem. You might be able to "un-stick" it from below, by removing the oil pan and moving the selector forks around by hand. Just a few hours and a new oil pan gasket and oil. Also gives you a chance to look at the gears and see if anything else looks amiss. As well as an oil change.

-Bryan

[Spider951]

Any evidence of a clutch problem? A few months ago the clutch disc on my '81 failed (literally fractured), making it very difficult to shift into or out of any gear. It happened on a drive - had to limp home in third IIRC. Just a thought.

[Displacedsicilian]

The clutch is original (54k miles). Maybe gone bad? But if clutch fails, would it be even possible to move? After I gassed up, I put the car into what I thought was neutral but when I hit the ignition.....so put the clutch down and tried to go into 1st, nothing 2nd, 3rd...the lever wouldn't budge. I then throttled up to about 3500 and was able to roll. 25mph at about 2500rpm all the way home

[18Fiatsandcounting]

25mph at about 2500rpm all the way home

That sounds like you're stuck in 3rd gear. Not that it helps solve the problem, though...

-Bryan

[Spider951]

Just to answer your question, my clutch failed and it was possible to move (in third gear only). But your description does seem to fit better with it being a transmission issue rather than clutch. Also, you haven't mentioned anything about noises - my clutch failure began with a "pop" while driving, followed by scraping sound (probably flywheel against a badly distorted disc). I defer to those more familiar with the workings of the gearbox.

[dinghyguy]

check that your firewall has not failed by the clutch cable penetration. Under the brake reservoir, hard to see. If it does the clutch cable does nothing and well things go bad....... see my recent writeup in Dinghyguys Restoration post .

cheers
Dinghyguy

[Spider951]

+1 on checking the firewall/clutch cable. I have not yet had the "pleasure" of dealing with the infamous firewall failure, but I have experienced a problem with a worn out (frayed and possibly stretched) clutch cable that made shifting a bit difficult (out of adjustment; I replaced the cable). I also recently discovered that the clutch lever that sticks out the side of the gear box had a partially broken prong (spring) where it fits over the pivot bolt, causing a loose feel to the shifting - I don't think the lever actually came loose from the pivot bolt, but it wouldn't have been long before the thing failed completely. Anyway, it's definitely worth checking the firewall/cable issue before doing anything major like tranny work, etc.