EMERGENCY: Loose Transmission (?)

IAM93157

MEMBER
SAAB

1992 Saab 9000 Hatchback
167,000 Miles
Original manual 4.3 liter 4 cylinder engine

Hi,

My transmission is not working. I believe that my gears and clutch are fine, it's just that I can't access those gears. I found out that my gear stick is very loose, and that I can pretty much push it forward (3rd gear) and actually move the whole stick around 360 degrees. The only gears that I can access is 3rd and 4th. Even when I move the stick left and either up or down, it's still either 3rd or 4th gear. As for 5th and reverse, same thing. It feels like however I move the stick, the gear box (or what the stick is directly connected to) moves along with it.

By playing around, I eventually was able to test 1st and reverse, and when engage the car responded correctly. However my problem lies in engaging those gears.

Being as a college student, I have very limited options. My car is actually stuck at a windshield replacement center (just replaced rear windshield, and now this!), So I am able to jack up the car and access some tools. I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do myself to be able to drive out of the garage. I'm hoping it's just a matter or realigning and tightening some nuts, but hey I'm not the expert.

I really hope that I can 'fix' this with the advice here by Monday, so I appreciate any comments, and I thank you guys all in advance.

What should I do? :(

2 Replies

SERVICE WRITER

MECHANIC
9,123 POSTS

I'm not familiar with saab, but maybe the dealer can fax you an exploded view of the shifter and linkage to help narrow down the trouble.

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Saturday, March 24th, 2007 AT 7:35 AM

IAM93157

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Thanks for the tip.

From what I'm reading I think my problem lies in something called a "manual shift joint."

I was only able to get a slight peek at some of the sides, but it seems fine. I don't think the rubber actually connects any parts, but rather just acts as a shock/vibration dampener.

I did notice that a clamp securing the rod going into the transmission was loose. Hopefully this the root of the problem. But getting to this nut itself is a difficult task. I can't really see part from crawling under the car, and I would have to find a way to get around/through the engine to reach it from the top.

I heard that one guy actually removed the driver side tire entirely and from there was able to reach the parts.

If I'm allowed, I could post the links for future reference. But as of now, I think I'm stuck. Even if I could reach the nut, I would have to make sure both sides are perfectly aligned when I tighten it. Else, I might even damage the transmission. YIKES