Reverse 1st and 3rd not going in gear

[Bmw_knight]

For the past couple days I have been having trouble getting into first, but the rest of the gears have been fine.

This morning I could not get it into first, third or reverse without numerous tries.

I have a B&M short shifter but it has not given me any problems in the time I have had it.

The shifter seemed a little stiff but I assumed it was due to the cold making the bushings stiff.

Help!

[jlevie]

Do you have difficulty in selecting any of those gears with the engine off? Or does this only happen when the engine is running and the clutch is disengaged? Does it get better after the car is driven a while?

If the answer to (1) is no and (2) is yes, you may have a clutch problem. If (1) is no and (3) is yes, a change of transmission fluid (I like Redline MTL) may help. If (1) is yes the problem may be in the transmission or shifter.

[Bmw_knight]

1. yes
2. I don't know but for the 1st gear problem it seemed that it did get better when it warmed up.

[kronus]

Get under the car and check that your selector rod is still connected to the selector input on the trans.

If everything in the shifter linkage seems solid, you have a problem with the internal shift fork which may require a trans rebuild to fix.

[Bmw_knight]

OK for record purposes:

The shifter slipped up in the carrier and it was causing the linkage to get caught.

Fix: Took my "The Club" beat it back down.

Cause: Forgot to reinstall clip to keep the shifter seated in the carrier.