Well, last weekend I broke the transmission in my 2.3 five speed. I didn't push the clutch quite far enough while backing up and it felt like something broke, but then I was able to get it into reverse, but that was it. I was unable to shift out of reverse and the shifter wouldn't move. The tow truck driver was able to get it into neutral by moving the shift linkages and we towed it to my house.

Today I tested it and found that the cables seem to be working fine and it's the transmission itself that's broke. When I pull on the linkages the one that goes front to back won't move unless the one that moves vertically is in the middle position. When they are both in the middle I can shift the lever, but if I put it in a gear the shifter gets stuck and I have to move the linkages to unstick it.

Does anyone know what this particular problem is and how hard/expensive it is to fix? We have an automotive training program where I work at Job Corps, but I don't know if they can do a manual transmission repair or not. Should I just replace the transmission?

 

You really need someone with a bit more mechanical knowledge than you to have a look at it. Its hard to diagnose it over the internet. Sorry.