1998 Saturn SC1. Does not lock into gear

CARGUY69

MEMBER
1998 SATURN

Hi,
I have a 98 Saturn SC1 with manual 5 speed 4 transmission, front wheel drive 4cy engine w/ 70000 miles.
No strange noises or leaks.
I recently stopped at a stop sign, went to shift
gear and the shifter is very loose and can not feel any of the gears, I can pull the shifter back to where second gear was and the car will move but
will not lock into any gears. Happened all of a sudden. Never had any problems before.
tks,
CG

3 Replies

RASMATAZ

MECHANIC
75,992 POSTS

If nothing happens when the transmission is put into any gear, the clutch may not be engaging, a CV joint or U-joint may be broken, or the main drive gear or countergear is stripped.

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Monday, September 3rd, 2007 AT 5:20 AM

CARGUY69

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I just pulled out the console and the cable is disconnect from the gear shift, a black plastic piece is broken off.
The black piece is in half it originally case on a round
metal ball type but not only half of the black piece is
there. So basically there is no connection to the gear shift. Is there a way to replace this?There seems
no way to take that metal ball out to remove the broken
black piece and replace it.
Tks,
CG

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Monday, September 3rd, 2007 AT 9:05 AM

SB123

MEMBER
1 POST

Hi carguy69!
This same thing happened to me thurs 9/06. I googled "1998 saturn wont shift into gear" I found a site called chaos. Com. There are MANY people with this complaint. With many solutions. The plastic part is the bushing that holds your shift cable in place. My brother fixed mine today with a zip-tie! Otherwise you will need to spend 375.00 for the whole kit. Try to visit the site I listed and read the blog. I hope this helps you! Of course this is a temporary fix. And it beats spending all the money!
Let me know if this helps you!

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Saturday, September 8th, 2007 AT 12:22 PM