Transmission Stuck in 2nd

[Yeagersloth]

Howdy,

I have a 1990 325i and managed to get the tranny stuck in second gear. Though the car is still in second gear, the shifter moves around as if it were in neutral but will not move into any gear. I looked underneath and the linkage is all connected...I also discovered an output shaft seal leaking :D. Anyway, this occurred when I was pulling away from a stop light and was shifting from 2nd to 3rd when I thought I missed a shift but found I couldn't shift at all. When I removed my foot from the clutch, it was still in second gear. I usually do pretty aggressive shifts into second resulting in my shifter nob sailing into the back seat. I dont know if it was a combination of an agressive shift and faulty parts or if I really screwed something up. No unusual sounds or smells from the tranny and it runs smoothly in second and only second at the moment. I am trying to avoid pulling the transmission so please, any imput would be wonderful. Thank you!

[jlevie]

Get the car up in the air and watch the shift selector rod that sticks out of the transmission when someone moves the shift lever. If the rod doesn't move or only moves a tiny bit the problem is in the shifter. If the rod does move, use a screw driver or pry bar to see if it is moving enough to de-select second. If the rod still move enough to change gears the problem is in the trasnmission.

[Yeagersloth]

Thanks Jim, I will do that this afternoon. Worst case, Ill pull the tranny and get the seals replaced while its out and getting worked on.

[richardb]

A few years ago I put an IE short shifter in my 89 325i,(Getrag 260) instructions said to put transmission in reverse (easiest way to access clips I think). For some odd reason and shit luck, after changing the shift lever the car wouldn't come out of reverse no matter what I did. I ended up removing the transmission and having it fixed at a transmission shop- they opened it up and one of the shift forks was jammed. They replaced some seals and the shift bushing and the total was about $250. Hope you don't run into this!