Lost ALL gears

jpdeuce · Apr 21, 2017

In traffic, went to switch lanes in first, clutch out, heat a little pop and then nothing but RPMs revving. Tried 2nd, nothing, tried the rest, nothing. Had enough momentum to switch lanes and get to the shoulder.

Stuck on the side of the highway wondering what the deal is. Didn't hear an explosion. Didn't leave half my tranny on the highway. Clutch still engages and feels normal. Shifter feels a little light. Don't see any linkage under the hood obviously not connected. Shifter still moves the "upside down golf club thing" in the linkage. Manually moving that around moves the shifter as well.

Any thoughts?

KCTDI · Apr 21, 2017

CV joint gave up?

jpdeuce · Apr 21, 2017

I don't know. Would there be any symptoms of that? Would it cause an issue with both sides? I feel like if it was a drive shaft type issue, I'd hear clanging after trying to get it to "go" in gear. Not very familiar with the CV joint.

breakfasteatre · Apr 21, 2017

Yeah, could possibly be the cv shaft.

jpdeuce · Apr 21, 2017

No odd sounds or shudder or vibrations leading up to this "event"

Thought it was something in the linkage maybe, but everything under the hood seems to be connected. It all moves when the shifter and clutch are moved.

Possible the clutch just stopped engaging for some reason? Hasn't been slipping or grinding or anything. Likely original clutch on 215k miles.

Ol'Rattler · Apr 21, 2017

Ah, ya. Only one CV joint sheared would cause those symptoms. Remember that the power always goes to the wheel with the least traction so if only one CV is sheared it becomes the wheel with the least traction and you are not going anywhere.

Also something coming apart inside the transaxle such as side gears or sheared rivets on the ring gear could cause your problem.

Smokin' Dually · Apr 21, 2017

I had an Audi clutch disc shed a spring that jammed things up and wouldn't release, if it would have been in a slightly different spot if could have left me walking. If you disengaged the clutch when this happened a little something could have failed in the clutch disc. If you were just liberally applying torque it's more likely a hard part. The pop is a good indicator of that, I've sheared output shafts (no noise) and took the 2nd gear teeth off the countershaft (also quiet but the rigidly mounted shifter felt bad).

Try jacking up a front wheel and see how it feels in and out of gear.

Geordi · Apr 21, 2017

Could be one of the output cups let go of all the bolts and the CV is just hanging loose. Although that should have made interesting noises as the axle was flopping around while you were getting to the side of the road. Ditto if one of the CV's sheared, the boot would rip off entirely and then the same thing - axle floppy.

jpdeuce · Apr 24, 2017

I cocked the wheel to the right so I could grab the shaft on the driver's side. It shook freely in there. I assume there is not designed play in that thing, so it must have broke free on at least one side. The outside boot was still on, keeping it in place, but I could move it back and forth. Not sure how it didn't rip off the boots not being connected.

So, how hard is a CV shaft replacement? Unclear if anything else got damaged in the process or if there's a piece of the shaft still in there that's going to be a ***** to remove.

maxmoo · Apr 24, 2017

something dosen't sound right....I'd do some more investigating before replacing anything.

Ol'Rattler · Apr 24, 2017

jpdeuce said:
I cocked the wheel to the right so I could grab the shaft on the driver's side. It shook freely in there. I assume there is not designed play in that thing, so it must have broke free on at least one side. The outside boot was still on, keeping it in place, but I could move it back and forth. Not sure how it didn't rip off the boots not being connected.

So, how hard is a CV shaft replacement? Unclear if anything else got damaged in the process or if there's a piece of the shaft still in there that's going to be a ***** to remove.

One big nut for the outer and 6? small bolts for the inner. Removal won't be an issue because of a broken joint.

If your saying you can grab the axle and move it Fwd and Aft at the outer joint, removal of the axle is your next step.

Do not buy an axle at your local parts house. Usually the are Chinese garbage. If you need one get it from Raxles (SP?).

Ol'Rattler · Apr 24, 2017

maxmoo said:
something dosen't sound right....I'd do some more investigating before replacing anything.

Huh? A broken CV joint seems pretty straight forward to me.

Genesis · Apr 24, 2017

Yeah, pull the axle. Pretty simple but one big-ass bolt on the outside so have a nice cheater bar and a beefy wrench at the ready. Oh, and a friend to hold the brake pedal for your counterhold.

Everyone I've known who bought a replacement CV axle at one of the box-parts places wound up using the "lifetime warranty" and one friend used it THREE TIMES in less than two years. Yes, they'll replace it when (not if) it fails on short mileage but the pain in the butt of taking it out and replacing it is still on you. Rebuild your existing axle assuming it's not too far gone to do so. If it is pay for quality (Raxles or even OE!)

maxmoo · Apr 24, 2017

Ol'Rattler said:
Huh? A broken CV joint seems pretty straight forward to me.

If that cv joint is "broken" the boot would more than likely be destroyed and it would have likely been making a racket and vibrating for a while.
Still not clear on exactly what "It shook freely in there." actually means.

dubStrom · Apr 24, 2017

If it IS a CV joint, count your blessings! Much less money than other possibilities mentioned above.

But wouldn't a CV on the edge be pretty grumbly before failure? Typically they begin to crack like knuckles first, don't they?

Paranoid · Apr 26, 2017

I have one of IDparts GKN axles and it has preformed great so far. Not the cheapest, compared to Chinese axles, but I feel it is a pretty good value. Around $250, if i recall correctly.

Ol'Rattler · Apr 26, 2017

The Chinese route is ALWAYS more expensive in the long run.

Let's see. On my car I smacked a curb hard with the R/H wheel. The Chinese ball joint the tire shop installed lasted less the 30K miles while the L/H factory ball joint is still good at 180K miles.

UhOh · Apr 26, 2017

Ol'Rattler said:
The Chinese route is ALWAYS more expensive in the long run.

Let's see. On my car I smacked a curb hard with the R/H wheel. The Chinese ball joint the tire shop installed lasted less the 30K miles while the L/H factory ball joint is still good at 180K miles.

Not ALL parts are. Further, there are OEM parts made there: the important thing is who is responsible for spec'ing and for the QA. Sigh, seems that we've had this "discussion" many times...

Ol'Rattler · Apr 26, 2017

Maybe it's just me but I don't think buying parts should be an experiment on how long they last. To me, The certainty of getting parts of an OEM/OE quality is well worth the added cost.

Chinese OEM? The stuff coming out of China is all over the map in quality. There is nothing keeping a Chinese manufacturer from claiming their parts are OEM/OE quality. The Chinese ball joint I got stuck with may have even been sold as OEM/OE.

I guess we are having this discussion again, fine with me...........

BobnOH · Apr 26, 2017

Buying parts has gotten harder. Partly our fault for always wanting lower prices and partly some of these stores sourcing parts from who knows where.

aja8888 · Apr 26, 2017

BobnOH said:
Buying parts has gotten harder. Partly our fault for always wanting lower prices and partly some of these stores sourcing parts from who knows where.

If you think buying quality parts for one of these cars is difficult, try buying parts for a 1971 Beetle like I am doing. Most repo parts don't even fit, let alone function. The OE used parts are selling for more than the aftermarket Chinese junk in many cases.

Geordi · Apr 30, 2017

Any play when you grab the axle shaft by hand - says that at least one of the CV's is toasted. They should compress, but not move around freely when installed.

Definitely get quality, and use lock washers on the transmission end of the axles - those bolts backed out on me and it punched a hole in the transmission case when the axle was tossed off of the collar.

jpdeuce · May 7, 2017

Well, y'all are smart. It was the driver's side CV shaft. Swapped it out (with OEM) and good as new. After I swapped out all the suspension I had felt/heard some popping. I'm sort of glad to know what that was now. Everything is running nice.

I did a 20k mile service afterwards, including a Diesel Purge, and she is much happier.

Very happy it wasn't any transmission components!

Lost ALL gears

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