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3rd gear lock out?

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Anyone else having 3rd gear lock outs? Feels like the gate (do these even have a gate?) is out of alignment with the tranny and refuses to go it, despite wiggling and letting revs drop and dropping it back to neutral and back toward 3rd.

My car had 1st lock outs and kick outs when new, they seem to be completely gone now with 2,300 miles on it. Never had any issues with 5th, 6th but did have the clutch only come half way up a couple times when hot which I believe I solved with a clutch flush and bleed. Now the last couple times I took it out I have been getting 3rd lock outs. They start randomly, are only gong 2nd->3rd not 4th->3rd, and will continue for a few runs up the gears then go away for the rest of the drive.

I don't think it is user error, as it never once did it until about 2,000 miles. I have experimented with it when it happens, tried changing how I shift, and if I push it a little to the right before going up (like 1-2mm) then it usually goes in. Normally shifting 2nd->3rd, I push the ball forward, let the spring center it, then push up. I don't grip the shifter, I use the push/pull method. Never had an issue with it in my other cars, and never had an issue with it in this car until recently. I never powershift because I came from an import with a known weak tranny that I tracked a lot.

Any ideas? Maybe the return spring is bad and not centering it all the way? It is intermittent, though once it starts it is there for a while before going away again, so I doubt the dealer will be able to do anything.
 
CaliMR said:
Anyone else having 3rd gear lock outs? Feels like the gate (do these even have a gate?) is out of alignment with the tranny and refuses to go it, despite wiggling and letting revs drop and dropping it back to neutral and back toward 3rd.

My car had 1st lock outs and kick outs when new, they seem to be completely gone now with 2,300 miles on it. Never had any issues with 5th, 6th but did have the clutch only come half way up a couple times when hot which I believe I solved with a clutch flush and bleed. Now the last couple times I took it out I have been getting 3rd lock outs. They start randomly, are only gong 2nd->3rd not 4th->3rd, and will continue for a few runs up the gears then go away for the rest of the drive.

I don't think it is user error, as it never once did it until about 2,000 miles. I have experimented with it when it happens, tried changing how I shift, and if I push it a little to the right before going up (like 1-2mm) then it usually goes in. Normally shifting 2nd->3rd, I push the ball forward, let the spring center it, then push up. I don't grip the shifter, I use the push/pull method. Never had an issue with it in my other cars, and never had an issue with it in this car until recently. I never powershift because I came from an import with a known weak tranny that I tracked a lot.

Any ideas? Maybe the return spring is bad and not centering it all the way? It is intermittent, though once it starts it is there for a while before going away again, so I doubt the dealer will be able to do anything.

I only have 1st be rough at times. Sometimes it feels like a lockout but then it goes in anyway, usually happens when at a light after having been on the freeway. My shifter seems to be improving slowly lately.
 
My first did that a lot, sometimes it would go in then kick out. Completely went away.

It doesn't feel like it is locked out, it is locked out. I pushed as hard as I thought I could without damaging it a couple times to be sure, only way past it is to push it right from the center position a little then try to wiggle, and even that doesn't always work.
 

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