C1 gear box seems stuck
Discussion
2014 C1. Driving back today, put car into neutral when waiting at lights, then taking off the clutch pedal felt like it was all the way down, but pressing it I could still change gears. Went like this for a few minutes, then the gearbox wouldn’t go into any gear and the car eventually came to a standstill.
Found that, with the engine off the gearbox will go into gear, but with the engine on it will not get into any gear - except 3rd! (Though not easily!)
This bit is hard to put into words: With engine off, in 1st, starting the engine it will turn over in spirts, but the spirts get more and more frequent until the engine is fully running. The car moves with each spirt and when it’s running normally I can put it into 3rd and drive, with no issues other than changing gear.
I can also start it in reverse, same thing, but the gearbox gets very very stuck in reverse - I almost thought it wasn’t going to come out again.
Also! When engine is running, in “neutral”, if I try to put it in reverse I can feel grinding, like something is moving forwards… so maybe like it’s stuck in 3rd?
I have no experience with gears and clutches, I’ve only ever changed brake discs, pads and a suspension arm - so any advice on what the issue could be would be much appreciated thanks!
Found that, with the engine off the gearbox will go into gear, but with the engine on it will not get into any gear - except 3rd! (Though not easily!)
This bit is hard to put into words: With engine off, in 1st, starting the engine it will turn over in spirts, but the spirts get more and more frequent until the engine is fully running. The car moves with each spirt and when it’s running normally I can put it into 3rd and drive, with no issues other than changing gear.
I can also start it in reverse, same thing, but the gearbox gets very very stuck in reverse - I almost thought it wasn’t going to come out again.
Also! When engine is running, in “neutral”, if I try to put it in reverse I can feel grinding, like something is moving forwards… so maybe like it’s stuck in 3rd?
I have no experience with gears and clutches, I’ve only ever changed brake discs, pads and a suspension arm - so any advice on what the issue could be would be much appreciated thanks!
The clutch release mechanism has failed. There are various ways this sort of thing can fail - I can't guess which ones are applicable to your car.
It'll need a mechanic to diagnose and fix it. If the problem is inside the bell housing, that could get expensive. If it's outside the bell housing, it might not be a big deal.
Starting the car in gear and driving without the clutch is pretty hard on the car and the sort of thing you'd only want to do in emergency. Clutchless gear changes can be done without any damage if you're very skilled and pacticed at them but can do a lot of damage to the gearbox very quickly if done poorly - not a skill you'd want to learn on a car you care about.
It'll need a mechanic to diagnose and fix it. If the problem is inside the bell housing, that could get expensive. If it's outside the bell housing, it might not be a big deal.
Starting the car in gear and driving without the clutch is pretty hard on the car and the sort of thing you'd only want to do in emergency. Clutchless gear changes can be done without any damage if you're very skilled and pacticed at them but can do a lot of damage to the gearbox very quickly if done poorly - not a skill you'd want to learn on a car you care about.
Clutch release is by cable on these 'Toyotas' so you might be lucky and not need to take the gearbox out if it's just a snapped cable. But it could have been a seized release arm pivot or even the clutch spring cover itself that caused the cable to break. Check the cable at the gearbox end, it should be obvious if it's broken.
Gassing Station | Engines & Drivetrain | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff