I have a 2001 Chevy Cavalier 2.2 5speed. my 1st, 3rd, and 5th stopped working the other night while driving. i managed to drive it home safely. i was thinking maybe shift linkage or cable broke, but this morning i went out to check on it, same thing, wont go into the upper gears. i started it to check my trans fluid, then got inside to check gears again, and guess what? they work now! but still afraid to try and drive it. someone told me to check my gear oil. where is that and how do i check it? hoping this is all that is wrong with it. i cant afford a dealership. any ideas?
I have a '97 with 2.2Liter, 5 speed.
Mine has a little dipstick for the gear oil, yours should too, but we probably have different transmissions.
I'm not a mechanic myself, but to me it sounds like the shifter doesn't want to move forward if it's only 1st, 3rd and 5th. Let's see
what others think.
Cables.
The bushings near where they mount to the Trans might be broken.
But all the forward gears missing leads to a cable or shifter issue.
To be sure; manually run the gears at the Trans. If it goes in all 6 1-5+r, it's a shifter problem.
"A car just isn't a car without a little blood, sweat, and beers." -- Shadowfire
Ensuring the gear oil for the transmissions is important for the entire component.Being the car was picky and not shifting in specific gears could be either a shifter cable operating those gears is worn,or your clutch itself is worn out,or your slave cylinder is done.I am not a 3rd guy but,I would check your slave cylinder resevour fluid level.I have not idea where they mount it but it is obvious and probably round and clear plastic.Question is only 1 really and that is when you have the car in neutral do you hear any racket or noise(but) when you depress the clutch and hold it to the floor the noise goes away?Just a step to help diagnose if it is clutch or the throw out bearing are going bad if it is not a shift cable issue or the slave cylinder which ironically is inside the transmission and will leak fluid all over the clutch if it is leaking internally.I know the members here who own similar models may add/correct my thoughts and add some checks to narrow down the real problem.
