Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Transmission Prob or Quirk?

I just bought my 99 Tropic Green SVT about a month ago. It currently has 27k miles on it, and lately I have been noticing that it is sometimes very difficult to get the shifter in gear. It doesn't happen all of the time, but when it does happen, the car is not moving and I cannot get it to go in to any gear without force. Is this just a quirk of the SVT's transmission or should I take it in to the local SVT dealer and have them check it out under warranty? Thanks.

Jacob
1999 Tropic Green SVT

Try this, When the tranny will not go into gear DO NOT FORCE IT! Instead return the shifter to N. let the clutch out, then depress the clutch again and try to put in gear again.There are a couple of things that can cause that problem. 1.The engagement dogs on the gears are not aligned properly for engagement[not a mechanical problem with the tranny,this will happen sometimes when the car is setting still] 2. The input shaft of the tranny is still turning[because the clutch has not disengaged fully] Check the fluid level in the resavour[bad spelling]make sure its up to level. After you have made sure the fluid is up, and if you still continue to have this problem every time the car is still you then may have clutch problems. Please repost what you find out. Hope this helps.

I agree with RedSVT. I'm glad we're getting two replies in before someone chimes in with "your gearbox is shot."

In addition to double-clutching (don't the Brits say double-declutching?) as RedSVT describes, another option is to push the lever into a higher gear (say, 4th), then go back to first. That may be enough to "nudge" the layshaft just enough to let the dog teeth engage first gear.

Have fun with your SVT! You made a great decision.

Congrats on your purchase. i 'worked' a problem with same symptom on my 99 SVT through 3 dealers, 3 transmissions and a clutch change. There is a long thread on this board from earlier this year related particularly to 99 SVT's and their MTX 5 speed. It is a real problem and has been linked to an assembly process issue - i believe. To make a long story short, after tranny number 2 when i kept telling the dealer it wasn't fixed and i didn't want a new tranny they finally changed the clutch assembly and this solved the problem. My specific symptoms were: stick was stuck in neutral gate, most often after starting the car up when parked and trying to get into reverse. Was never an issue for 1-2 or other shifts, just from stop into reverse or parked into any gear. Double clutching did *not* help, but shutting the engine down and shifting into a gear while engine off *always* worked. Overall, the problem was intermittent but i could reproduce for service people by basically rocking the car back and forth in the dealer's lot (R-1-R-1) and it would eventually get stiffer and stiffer and then lock up. Bottom line - tranny replacements did *not* work for me and several other local 99's but clutch replacement did. Can provide name of service manager at local shop who can hopefully point you to the right solution. Good luck! [i don't know how far back you can trace on this board....but this is all recorded earlier this year].

Linas (Ottawa, Canada)

Thanks for the input. Before I made the original post, I would let the clutch out before trying to re-engage the shifter. Also tried the shifting to a higher gear method. The problem with that one was that it wouldn't go in to a higher gear either. I haven't had the chance to check the fluid level yet. I am only home on the weekends, and I just got home. Hopefully it is nothing major. But if the fluid looks ok, then I guess that I will have to take it in and hope that the warranty covers it. Thanks again.

Jacob
1999 Tropic Green SVT

Sometimes this is still a different clutch related issue. It has sometimes been resolved by bleeding the clutch or by replacing the clutch master and slave cylinders. This can happen if the clutch sometimes does not fully release.

It might also help to change the transmission fluid. Shifting quality is improved by adding friction modifier to the fluid. There is a FAQ about making the transmission "cocktail" with Mobil 1 ATF and Ford friction modifier. Non synthetic Mercon ATF with added friction modifier also helps. Some, including myself, are using the Chrysler spec ATF+3 that already has a higher level of friction modifier. New fluid with friction modifier might not solve the issue you described, but it will greatly improve overall shifting quality.

Yes to bleeding the clutch and topping off the master cly res. Then I'd do the trany juice swap. Then if still bad the slave cly to the clutch. Cheapest first!!!

To change the clutch slave cyl its a tranny out job,unless you have fluid dripping out of the bottom of the bellhousing its ok...just bleed it first.