Problems getting into and out of First and Second Gear

[FauxVirgo]

I’m posting this for future reference, in case others happen to have a similar problem and are trying to search for answers.

I had noticed that shifting into first and second gear had become noticeably harder during the last few times I drove the Stealth. Well, on Friday morning it was pretty darned difficult to shift into and out of first and second gear, and it got much, much worse by the end of the day. By the time I got home, I was pulling on the shifter so hard to move it that I was unscrewing the shift knob. Once it got into and out of gear there were no problems, it was just getting extremely difficult to move the shifter, period. This was only in 1st and 2nd; all the other gears shift normally.

Furthermore, when getting into and out of 1st and 2nd (while tugging with a good bit of force), there was a SCREEEECH, part of which I could feel through the knob. I could only assume something was binding up - either in the cables or in the transmission itself.

It was definitely not the shifter (I have recently installed a STS). Once everything was disconnected everything moved freely - shifter, cables, and tranny.

It appears that whoever replaced the clutch before I bought the car didn't bother to put the engine wiring harness back in its proper place. Instead of the wiring harness being routed underneath the cables near where it connected to the transmission (using the ties that were mounted to the tranny and block), it was sitting on top of them. There was a piece of the conduit near the cables that felt a bit rougher than the rest. I assume that something must have happened gradually over the course of the last few weeks to cause the harness to shift and settle on top of the shifter cables; we certainly haven’t been having this problem and have done nothing to the car that would have caused the wiring harness to move.

I'm growing to despise mechanics. What laziness!

Once the wiring harness was re-routed into its proper position, the problem disappeared.

[Blixxus]

This is good. I have been having a very similar issue. Mine gets Jammed into 2nd gear and i have to really force it out. After putting alot of pressure on my shifter (nearly breaking my seat) i can get it out.

And depending how i stop my car, sometimes it goes into first very smooth. other times i have to put my car in 4th gear then it goes into 1st. Other times i have to start from 2nd gear. Its quite bizarre. And yeah i had my clutch replaced about 5000 kms ago. And yeah it has progressively been getting worse.

Is this fix that you talk about something i could do myself? Or will i need to take it into a shop?

[FauxVirgo]

We removed the intercooler piping, air box and MAF, unhooked one end of the radiator hose, and disconnected the shifter cables from the tranny in order to have working room and re-route the harness back to its intended position. We didn't have to unplug any sensors. After diagnosing the problem it took maybe 15 minutes to reroute the harness and another 20 minutes to button everything back up.

It's definitely a Do It Yourself job. Remember it was lazy ass mechanics that caused the problem in the first place. I wouldn't put it past them to just zip tie the harness out of the way rather than put it back where it belongs.

[ShawnAllan98TX]

I'm growing to despise mechanics. What laziness!

Lmao, no, lazy mechanics, how dare you. They have only had my car at Pavillion Mitsubishi for 47 days now. Friday I will be getting a six pack, lawn chair, and all the parts they need so I can sit there and watch them finish my car. I might bring diapers too.

[FauxVirgo]

Originally Posted by ShawnAllan98TX

I might bring diapers too.