only 2 gears

bberry5826 · 06-04-2008, 03:03 PM

My sons 98 contour se will only shift into 3rd and 4th gear. It does not matter where you try to shift , it only goes into those two gears. No reverse or 1,2,5th. Shifter flops back to center position now also. Before it would stay where it was shifted to. Is the shifter mechanism broke. I popped the boot off and I don't see anything obvious. Help please.

nuttinbutfords · 06-07-2008, 11:13 PM

Could be bent forks, and if it is falling out gear, then there is some sort of detent that is worn or broken. Call a small local mechanic you trust, and ask them for the name of a little transmission shop they trust. Take it to that shop and have them give you an estimate to repair. Or, call around and find a junkyard transmission and swap it out yourself.

bberry5826 · 06-09-2008, 06:48 AM

Thanks. Asked my son. Pops out of gear if he does not hold it. Thanks for the info. Looking for someone to put in a junkyard tranny now. Car has 200,000 on it now so I am not sure if its worth it. Runs good though so if he can get it done for the right price.... Thanks again.

nuttinbutfords · 06-09-2008, 05:14 PM

If you have a repair manual for it, it's not that hard to do yourself. With two guys, a weekend project. The main obstacles are having an engine hoist (or floor crane, like $150 at Northern or Harbor Freight), lots of safety stands, and patience to read then apply. All the little wires and connectors these days are of a length that they can only go basically one place, and are made in such a way that they can only connect to one spot at the end of that length. Most all are simple snap or push connectors.

The bottom line is, that to get at a trans in a tranverse mounted engine, you pretty much need to pull the engine and trans together. And what cost's so much is the labor. You might find someone locally who will do it in their garage for cheap, but I can almost guarantee that any shop that does this for a living, will charge at least $1400. Good luck.
Dave