BajaMikey

Well, last night it happened again. Went on the freeway, could not get into 5th. Exited, and could not downshift into 3rd (initially), but when I slowed down to 35 I suddenly got 3rd, and had 5th as well. No noises or problems the remainder of the trip to my destination. I may have a better idea of what's going on, though. As I sat in the parking lot, I was moving the shift lever through the gears (engine off). I noticed during this time that I would hear/feel a thump in the shift area whenever I went into 2nd or 4th. I'm now suspecting something wrong with the shift linkage or thereabouts, which is binding and not allowing it to move into the upper area (1st, 3rd, 5th). As I left to go home, I did not have these gears available. I had to drive it home using only 2nd and 4th gear. I really hope this is a simple thing to fix....

I am wondering if I am having a similar issue. I recently had to replace the TO bearing on my '03 Baja. The old one had finally seized and was chewed up significantly. I purchased a new clutch kit from Napa Auto Parts, and it didn't mention anything about a sleeve in the kit, nor did it include one. The new bearing seemed to be a snug fit. Recently (as within the past few days, though I replaced the clutch weeks ago), I found that I could not shift into 5th gear, and occasionally could not shift into 3rd, either. If I pulled over and turned off the car, then I could work the shift lever through all the gears. I then started driving again, and had use of all gears. Stopped again at another destination, started driving again, and again I could not get into 5th, until about the third time after downshifting back into 4th gear. It feels like a synchromesh problem, since it feels like it's trying to grind if I try to shift. I do notice, however, that the engine RPMs definitely drop, so I assume the clutch is doing its job and disengaging the engine from the transmission. This NEVER happened prior to the TO bearing and clutch replacement. I'd really hate to have to rip this thing out again... If it a synchromesh problem, does anyone know of a source for these parts, or is it more advisable just to swap out the gearbox? While I have not done a great deal of research yet, they seem rather pricey, considering... Any ideas you can give me on this subject are welcome and appreciated!!