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Jim Grant's Tech Tips
94
Saturn SC 2, 5 Speed Standard Problems
Q: I have a '94 Saturn
SC 2 with a standard 5 speed transmission. My problem is every once in
a while when I put my car in reverse the shifter will jam into a stuck
position, not in neutral and not in any gear. There is no way you can
move the shifter because it's stuck! If I raise my foot off the clutch,
the car stalls. When I depress the clutch and try to move the car, it
will only move 2 or 3 in. forward or backwards. After rocking the car
for around 10 minutes with the clutch depressed and trying to move the
shifter, the shifter will pop out of the stuck position and everything
is back to normal. I talked to my garage and they had no idea... George
A: The
condition you are describing is commonly caused by a worn or broken shifter
interlock. Shifter interlocks prevent a manual transmission from engaging
two gears at once. It's not an uncommon occurrence for the shifter interlock
to wear with age and develop the type of problems you have described.
But your case may be different. In 1994 Saturn's equipped with MP2 or
MP3 manual transmissions built before and including VIN # RZ256001 had
a problem with an excessively wide interlock gap, (basically the shifter
interlocks were too loose). ALLDATA Information Systems shows Saturn bulletin
#94-T-27, the Subject: vehicle won't move due to transaxle stuck in two
gears. The correction: replacement of the shift control housing assembly
with a new and revised control housing which reduces shifter interlock
clearance. The solution to your problem may be as simple as installing
the improved housing assembly. I would recommend addressing your shifting
problem as soon as possible. Allowing the condition to continue could
cause other, and more costly damage, to your transmission.
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