# renault traffic



## thomasharbour (Oct 5, 2008)

i have a renault traffic and on the way home it wouldnt go into 1st, 2nd, 5th , 6th, or reverse gear, so i had to drive home just using 3rd and forth gear. has anyone ever had this or no what this prob could be????


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

Hi Thomas,

I am not really familiar with Renault but from a mechanical standpoint I would check the linkage to the tranny. Perhaps a fastener has worked its way loose and has fallen off or if the shifter has been "abused" (cramming the tranny into gear) I would look for bent linkage or even worse, bent shifter forks inside of the tranny.

Maybe with more info, such as year and mileage, someone can give you some good advice on your dilema.

Good luck,
SABL


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## thomasharbour (Oct 5, 2008)

thanks sabl, 

the year is a 2003 with approx 97000miles.
thanks Alison....


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## Volt-Schwibe (Jan 12, 2003)

i know this will sound weird, but, when you say it wouldn't go in, what exactly was happening? did it feel like something was physically in the way, did it just grind each time you tried those gears, or did it feel like there was just nothing there in those gear locations? or was it some other feeling entirely?

it's hard to explain feelings, but with a manual trans, it's all about feeling.

sometimes the gear oil can get low, this will cause the synchros to stiffen up, often keeping it effectively locked out of some gears. it will feel like it's pushing back against you.

sometimes the clutch system can lose fluid, or the cable can stretch, making it unable to go completely into freespin, often making certain gears grind when you try to use them.

sometimes a fork can get bent or broken, or some other tiny part inside, or the shift linkage can wear out and fail, and it will feel like these gears have simply disappeared.

97k isn't a rediculous amount of miles for these little transmissions, they normally outlive the engine, unless they've been driven by a heavy handed brute, in frustrating city traffic, such as downtown L.A. are you the only owner this car has had? if it had a previous owner, do you know if it was a heavy handed brute?

above all, you definately don't wanna fight with the stick, if it won't go in, you definately don't want to kick it or jerk it around in anger. (i've seen transmissions need total disassembly just to change a single metal roll pin, from being kicked into a gear with one's foot. was 8+ hours of shop time just to replace a single tiny part.) the general rule with manual transmissions is: if you have to force it, something wants to break. (unless it's a ford logging truck, or an international harvester, those are really clunky, and need to be forced sometimes)


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## harleyboy (Apr 6, 2010)

hi Thomas, The same thing has just happened to my Trafic. Although it,s the same year as yours it only has 32000 miles on the clock ( all careful and mostly unladen ) " Gutted " We were lucky enough to get the van to a safe area where the recovery truck could get us home. We,ve been told that it,s a layshaft problem but until the gearbox is stripped down I can,t confirm this is the case. Hope this of some help. Ian.


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

Thanks for the info harleyboy, but this thread is 1 1/2 years old and I'm sure the problem has been fixed. Good luck with your vehicle!!

Please let us know of your progress in a *new* thread.


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