This is an older car - 190K or so miles. Every once in a while, maybe once out of every 75-100 miles, it will slip out of gear. It's always when I'm in 5th.

I've noticed that the gear shift takes a small dip when I press on the gas pedal and rises back up when I take my foot off. The idea is that every once in a while the gear stick dips enough to pop the car out of 5th.

Any ideas what's going on?

7/16/2009 2:24:00 PM

Tranny mounts?

7/16/2009 2:27:43 PM

Mayhap you tell us:

What's the goddamn year, make, and model?

7/16/2009 2:28:53 PM

Oh snap...
zxappeal is pissed!

7/16/2009 2:38:43 PM

In all reality, I could make a wild-ass guess as to a couple of things, but I could be a hell of a lot more accurate if I had more info.

This is a common problem on high-mileage front wheel drive cars where NOBODY EVER CHECKED OR CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION OIL. Reason being is that fifth gear is usually at the end of the tranny, and often the syncro/shift collar assembly is on the input shaft, as opposed to a lot of the other gearsets which have it on the output shaft. What happens? The critical parts are up higher and don't get as much lubrication. The teeth on the shift collar and on the gear (the parts that actually engage the gear) sustain more wear. When the teeth wear parallel or with a slight taper, fucker won't stay in gear. The teeth usually have a little bit of undercut on the gear to aid in positive retention, though that's also what the spring loaded detents are for.

7/16/2009 2:50:01 PM

i bet it is an 01 neon and the shifter linkige bushing on the tranny is busted out


guessing the car is more fun than guessing the problem

7/16/2009 3:02:24 PM

I'm gonna go with Escort

7/16/2009 4:24:30 PM

I'm just gonna go with turdpile.

7/16/2009 4:46:56 PM

Nissan Sentra '96.

7/16/2009 7:19:25 PM

put a rag in the gas fill, light it, call insurance, $PROFIT$, for like $200 or whatever that pos is worth

7/16/2009 7:21:53 PM