Car doesn't want to go into 5th gear

scared2mosh · 10-07-2009, 08:48 PM

Ok so here is whats happening.

About a week ago I drove our 5 speed Chevy Aveo for the first time in quite a while and I was having trouble shifting, but figured I was just out of practice. About 2 days ago my bro started having trouble getting it into 5th gear as well... yesterday it wouldn't go in at all. Today it will, but you have to wiggle it and push it relatively hard. For some reason or another if you pull up on the ring or whatever (the thing for going into reverse) it is a lot easier... it still doesn't feel normal, but at least you can get into 5th.

Anyways... we have a warranty on everything powertrain related, but we don't want to take it into the shop if we don't have to. Have any of you had a similar experience? I was wondering if it was possible that the whole leather shift knob collar and ring were sliding down and making it necessary to pull the ring up to get into 5th... I hope it's something that simple, but I'm afraid it isn't. My brother drives it more than anyone and he is pretty rough on cars...

thanks

Dan

**Tallahassee** · 10-07-2009, 08:53 PM

If it's under warranty, why not just take it in?

What5647 · 10-07-2009, 09:13 PM

Try double clutching and see if that helps.

Take it into the dealer for sure, but try and get a feel for what's wrong first. That way they can't blow smoke up your rear.

Also, after finding myself stuck in a Caliber for the past few weeks, let me say that those of us who drive hard are extremely rough on underpowered junkboxes. (No offense to the Aveo...) What you have to make these cars do to simply merge into oncoming traffic...

Ak_Man4Jesus · 10-07-2009, 10:06 PM

My dodge dakota did that when trying to shift into 4th and 5th at low RPM. If i let It wind up to about 60 or so (in third gear) then it would go, and then I had to get it up to about 75 to shift it into 5th.
One thing I did notice is that when I did get it into 4 doing about 40 (thats when it sounded about right) it would start to stall. NO power and real noise and jerky.
Try reving it up some. drive it like a race car.

scared2mosh · 10-07-2009, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Leroy

If it's under warranty, why not just take it in?

because we are letting our uncle borrow my Bonneville so we would be without a car for a few days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by What5647

Try double clutching and see if that helps.

I'll try that

Quote:

Take it into the dealer for sure, but try and get a feel for what's wrong first. That way they can't blow smoke up your rear.

Also, after finding myself stuck in a Caliber for the past few weeks, let me say that those of us who drive hard are extremely rough on underpowered junkboxes. (No offense to the Aveo...) What you have to make these cars do to simply merge into oncoming traffic...

trust me... I definitely know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ak_Man4Jesus

My dodge dakota did that when trying to shift into 4th and 5th at low RPM. If i let It wind up to about 60 or so (in third gear) then it would go, and then I had to get it up to about 75 to shift it into 5th.
One thing I did notice is that when I did get it into 4 doing about 40 (thats when it sounded about right) it would start to stall. NO power and real noise and jerky.

it's not like that at all... it's just that you have to use quite a bit of force to make it change gears.

Quote:

Try reving it up some. drive it like a race car.

like I said my bro is it's main driver so it is always driven like a race car.

Ak_Man4Jesus · 10-07-2009, 10:29 PM

My dodge you had to RAM into gear unless you reved it up

What5647 · 10-08-2009, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ak_Man4Jesus

My dodge dakota did that when trying to shift into 4th and 5th at low RPM. If i let It wind up to about 60 or so (in third gear) then it would go, and then I had to get it up to about 75 to shift it into 5th.

I think scared2mosh has a bad syncro in 5th. If double clutching works, it's pretty good proof that the syncro died.

In your case, you discovered that at certain rpm gears will just mesh up. Anyone who knows how to shift without using the clutch knows about this. However, I believe you still have to have a functioning syncro for this to work.

scared2mosh · 10-08-2009, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by What5647

I think scared2mosh has a bad syncro in 5th. If double clutching works, it's pretty good proof that the syncro died.

In your case, you discovered that at certain rpm gears will just mesh up. Anyone who knows how to shift without using the clutch knows about this. However, I believe you still have to have a functioning syncro for this to work.

thats what my dad thinks

**redbaron** · 10-08-2009, 01:05 PM

tell your brother to stop hamfisting it into 5th gear when you get it back from the dealer, which is where it's going to need to go.

Your likely problem is a synchro as previously mentioned, as a dragging clutch would probably only cause a high RPM lockout.

can you shift it from neutral to 5th with the car stopped? does it have less resistance doing that than when moving and going from 4th?

scared2mosh · 10-08-2009, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redbaron

tell your brother to stop hamfisting it into 5th gear when you get it back from the dealer, which is where it's going to need to go.

indeed

Quote:

can you shift it from neutral to 5th with the car stopped? does it have less resistance doing that than when moving and going from 4th?

yes... it feels a little sticky, but it's easier than when it's moving

What5647 · 10-08-2009, 04:53 PM

Yep, definitely sounding like a bad syncro.

scared2mosh · 10-08-2009, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by What5647

Yep, definitely sounding like a bad syncro.

crap... the car is only like 10 weeks old

... I have a bad feeling my bro is going to destroy that car.

how big of a deal is it to get that fixed???

Ak_Man4Jesus · 10-08-2009, 10:11 PM

If it is anything like a toyota, it is just like changingthe spark plug. pull off the wire, untread the syncro, put in a new one and slide the wire back on.

**redbaron** · 10-08-2009, 11:37 PM

^^

seriously though, the transmission has to come out and be disassembled, rebuilt, and put back. It's a minimum $1500-2000 job.

LaserRacer · 10-09-2009, 09:28 AM

I am glad to hear that the build quality of chevy transmissions hasn't gotten any better over the last few years... I had a fifth go out in my cavalier within a year of ownership...If your experience was anything like mine, chevy will do everything to try to convince you that the failure was caused by the driver (not quite as likely due to which gear is failing...fifth usually doesn't take as much abuse as first, second and third) and therefore not covered by the warranty. It took me a while arguing with the tech to get them to honor the warranty on the car.