228 Manual Drive Trains and Axles Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. No-Drive Condition A no-drive condition exists when engine power cannot be transmitted through the transaxle. The most common cause of a no-drive condition is a broken shaft or stripped gears on the input shaft. Sometimes, the trans- mission is locked in two gears and is unable to move. This is often a linkage problem. The linkage may be broken or disconnected and, therefore, may be unable to engage the gears, or there may be a problem with the linkage interlock. If a shaft is broken or a gear is stripped, the engine runs easily with the clutch engaged in the particular gear. If the transmission is locked, engaging the clutch kills the engine. Most no-drive problems require the removal and disassem- bly of the transaxle. Hard Shifting Hard shifting occurs when the gearshift lever is difficult to move from gear to gear. Sometimes, the problem occurs in only one gear. In most cases, however, all gears will be difficult to select. The usual causes of hard shifting are bent or worn external shift linkage or linkage in need of lubrication or adjustment. Hard shifting may also be caused by binding shift rails or forks inside the transaxle. Some hard shifting problems are caused by clutch problems. Sometimes, hard shifting results when the transaxle case and engine are misaligned or when the engine or trans- axle mountings are misaligned. Most front-wheel drive vehicles have at least one mount from the top of the engine to the body. This mount very commonly wears out, becomes loose, or even breaks, causing hard shifting. Hard shifting can be diagnosed easily. If the gearshift lever is hard to move even when the engine is stopped, the linkage is probably the source of the problem. If the gearshift lever moves easily when the engine is stopped but becomes hard to move when the engine is running, the problem may be in the clutch or the transaxle synchronizers. In many cases, hard shifting can be reduced or corrected by adjusting or lubricating the shift linkage. The shift linkage is a common source of trouble on transax- les, since the linkage must be long enough to connect the gearshift lever with the transaxle case. If internal parts of the shift linkage are bent or sticking, the transaxle must be removed and disassembled to make repairs. Synchronizer or clutch problems require transaxle removal. If the transaxle or engine is out of alignment, realignment may be possible without removing the transaxle. Gear Disengagement Gear disengagement is a condition in which transaxle transmission gears and synchronizers disengage on their own, causing a transaxle to come out of gear. More spe- cifically, the problem may be either gear jumpout or gear slipout. The two conditions are closely related. With gear jumpout, the components are fully engaged, but something happens to force them out of engagement, into Neutral. With gear slipout, the gears and synchronizers are never quite fully engaged when they should be. When this hap- pens, gear rotation tends to push the synchronizer outer sleeve and mating gear out of engagement. Jumpout generally occurs when some outside force overcomes spring pressure in one of the detent holding mechanisms of the shift linkage. Often, there is a problem with the detent mechanism, such as broken springs or worn detent notches. The problem could also be in the shift rails of an internal shift linkage or in the gearshift lever assem- bly. If the problem is a detent, the driver may make a false assumption and relate that the problem occurs in high gear only. The driver may only notice the problem in high gear because this is the only gear in which he or she is not hold- ing on to the gearshift lever. There are a number of conditions that can cause gear slipout. The first step in finding the cause of the problem is to determine which gear(s) is slipping out of engagement. If the transmission slips out of a reduction gear, begin by checking for problems in the linkage. It could be worn or improperly adjusted. There may be interference between the shift linkage and some other part of the vehicle, or the shift linkage may be binding for some other reason, such as from a tight shift lever seal on the transaxle. These actions can limit travel of the shift forks and prevent the synchro- nizers and mating gears from fully engaging. Linkage interference is often the cause if the problem occurs only when the vehicle is in a gear (high gear included) and accelerated. If the linkage is all right, check for chipped or broken gear teeth. Defective teeth may be causing the problem (or may be the result of something else that is causing the problem). Check the splines on the synchronizers. Worn or damaged splines on the outer sleeve or inner hub could be causing slipout. Also check the pilot and input shaft bearings and bearing retainer. A worn or damaged pilot bearing or an input shaft bearing or retainer that is broken or loose can cause enough gear movement to push the sleeve and gear apart. If the transaxle slips out of high gear only, begin by checking for loose transaxle case-to-engine bolts, which hold the transaxle case to the engine. Also, check the engine mounts, especially the top mount. Often, a worn top engine mount will not be obvious and will require removal to make sure it is not defective. Another cause is a misaligned transaxle case. Sometimes, the entire engine and transaxle assembly is misaligned. Other causes include worn or bind- ing shift linkage. At times, jumpout and slipout problems can be cor- rected without removing the transaxle. Often, external shift linkage problems can be corrected by lubrication or adjust- ment. Sometimes, however, linkage parts are too worn to be corrected by adjustment and must be replaced. When the problem is caused by worn or damaged internal parts, the transaxle must be removed and disassembled.