What to do if gears do not engage while the engine is running

Sooner or later, any motorist is forced to recognize the appearance of problems in the operation of the gearbox. Mechanical transmissions break down especially often, and the malfunction can occur spontaneously and unexpectedly, but more often than not, gradually, manifesting itself in various uncharacteristic sounds when shifting gears, as well as difficulties in turning them on.

If you cannot move with the engine running, you will have to find out the reason and eliminate it.

Operating principle and troubleshooting of the VAZ 2110 gear shift mechanism

Like any car, the VAZ 2110 also has a gear shift mechanism. The VAZ gearbox is five-speed, activated by a lever located in the car's interior.

In order to be able to fix problems yourself, you need to understand a little about how exactly the switching mechanism works, which is why there are cases when some speed does not turn on or goes out. And also know how to fix it on your own.

Common causes of gear shifting problems

There may be many reasons why you cannot move the gearshift lever to the working position. And they are not always associated with a malfunction of the box itself - in some cases the culprit is the clutch, sometimes the engine. In any case, to find out the cause yourself, you must have the appropriate knowledge and experience - otherwise there is a high risk that you will not be able to do this or that as a result of your actions you will have to carry out more complex and expensive repairs.

If the gears do not engage with the engine running due to a malfunction of the gearbox, it will require dismantling and troubleshooting - an operation that requires great care. The same can be said about the clutch. However, it is better to proceed to a more detailed description of possible problems and ways to eliminate them.

Checkpoint diagram

The gearbox design is as follows:

• To ensure gear shifting, the gearbox contains a primary shaft consisting of a gear block. They are constantly engaged with the drive gears from the first to the fifth speed (that is, those that are oriented towards driving forward);
• The secondary shaft is equipped with a drive gear for the main transmission, and it also has gear synchronizers that ensure forward movement of the driven gears. There are also bearings plus an oil sump;
• VAZ two-satellite differential, with the driven gear of the main gear attached to the flange of its box;
• the gearbox drive consists of a gear shift knob, a ball joint, a selector rod, a rod, gear selection mechanisms, and gear shifting mechanisms;
• Jet thrust is designed to protect the gearbox from flying out of gear. Its ends are attached to the support and the power unit.

Gear shift drive diagram

What to do?

I had a situation where the clutch cable broke in a not “very suitable place”. I stopped by the cemetery to honor the memory of my comrade. It was already getting dark, it was time to go.

THIS METHOD CAN DAMAGE THE ENGINE, USE IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.

1. Turn on first speed .
2. Turn on the ignition .
3. Turn on the emergency lights .
4. Look carefully around, as the car will roll forward jerkily .
5. Turn the starter, don't press the brake. The car will start to move forward jerkily. And it should start!

Drive carefully in first gear. In the right lane! Try to choose the time and speed when approaching a traffic light! AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT YOU RISK OF STALLING! BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL!

Adjustment

On a VAZ 2110, it is not so uncommon for the gears to shift poorly or get knocked out. A mechanism for adjusting the speed selection drive is provided specifically for this purpose.

Adjustment may be necessary if:

• the box was recently removed for repairs;
• one of the gears falls out;
• the speeds do not engage well or simply get knocked out when the car is moving.

If you have one of these problems, try making adjustments first. Its sequence:

• Under the bottom of the VAZ 2110, find and slightly loosen the nut on the bolt that tightens the clamp that secures the rod designed to control the gearbox;
• Use a screwdriver to slightly move apart the grooves in the end of the rod and the resulting gap on the clamp itself. This is necessary to ensure easy movement of the rod in relation to the gear selection rod. Place the rod in the neutral position;
• Release the shift knob from the cover in the cabin;
• Align the lever using a special template. This is done like this: install a template in the window of the rear speed lock bracket lining. After this, insert the lever axis stop into the groove of the template, pressing it without unnecessary force in the transverse direction;
• Then adjust the axial play of the rod in the rear direction, and its axial play by turning to the left;
• Install the clamp, not reaching a few millimeters from the end of the rod. Then tighten the clamp thoroughly with the bolt.

Tips and tricks

It happens that a driver is forced to operate a car with a faulty gearbox for a certain period of time. At the same time, many are usually interested in how to engage a gear if, for example, the gearbox synchronizer is broken, the clutch does not work, etc.

• So, if the car has difficulty engaging the first gear, then you can start from the second, increasing the engine speed and releasing the clutch.
• If problems arise with the clutch, the driver engages first gear with the car turned off and starts the engine with the gear already engaged, then continues to drive in it. This method is not recommended without proper experience, but it can also be useful.
• Re-gasping and double squeezing.
  The driver of the car moves the gear selector lever to the neutral position. Then he fully depresses the clutch pedal and with his right foot, without pressing the accelerator pedal too much, accelerates. Having reached the required engine speed (the tachometer needle should be at around 2500), the driver releases and depresses the clutch pedal again, then turns on the speed.

If you cannot turn on the desired speed with the gear selector lever the first time, you need to repeat all the necessary manipulations again. If everything was done correctly, it is possible to engage the desired gear, even taking into account problems with its synchronizer. Also, experienced drivers can engage gears without using a clutch at all.

Repair

If the described adjustment did not help you, you need to remove and disassemble the VAZ 2110 gearbox. Pay special attention to the fact that the gears with which the first and second speeds are engaged often knock out. Be sure to check each fastener.

Another complaint is that the second gear is difficult to engage and is often knocked out.

Here you can suspect the main culprits:

1. the second one flies out most often because the gear teeth do not mesh well with the clutch that turns on the speeds;
2. The tips of the gear teeth and clutch are already worn out, so the speed is difficult to engage. If you don’t intervene, it will soon fly out;
3. as an option, when it knocks out on bumps, the clutch dies.

Sometimes (albeit rarely) when the second one does not turn on well enough and falls out, replacing the retaining spring helps. If the speeds often drop out, some of them are difficult to turn on, which means that half-measures will no longer help - the box needs to be overhauled.

Whether you do it yourself, or go to a service center where they will repair it for you and also adjust the gear shift mechanism, decide for yourself, based on your own experience and skills.

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Automatic transmission won't shift gears

Although the automatic transmission is maintenance-free, that is, it is designed for the entire life of the vehicle, it is also susceptible to breakdowns. However, here the reasons why gears are not changed when the engine is running are partly different. Let's look at them:

• failure of the rocker is a breakdown typical of older models of automatic transmissions. The slide cannot be repaired; the part must be replaced. And in most cases, you will have to remove the box to do this;
• The second common reason, which also occurs on cars with a manual transmission, is insufficient transmission oil level. Depressurization of the automatic transmission will be indicated by oil leaks, and their localization allows you to determine which gasket or oil seal is leaking. You can change the gaskets yourself, there is nothing complicated here. After replacement, it is necessary to change the oil, draining the old one. Since automatic transmission repair is the most expensive type of repair after engine overhaul, it needs to be looked after - checked for oil leaks every 2000 kilometers;
• When the control unit fails, the car becomes completely immobilized. Repair consists of replacing the faulty device and thoroughly inspecting the electrical path of the box.

Those malfunctions that are caused by internal reasons cannot be eliminated independently. Moreover, not all car services will undertake such work. In any case, if you have problems with shifting on a car with an automatic transmission, you should first perform computer diagnostics of the box.

Clutch drive and cables

For models with rear-wheel drive (VAZ 2101. 2107), the gearboxes are activated hydraulically. That is, when you press the clutch, the fluid pushes out a piston, which in turn pushes out the clutch plug, which removes the disc. In front-wheel drive models (VAZ 2108. 2115) there is no hydraulic connection; everything is done mechanically, more precisely by the clutch cable, which is connected to the pedals. If the slave cylinder drips on a rear-wheel drive vehicle, or the cable breaks on a front-wheel drive vehicle, the transmission to the vehicle will not engage. The “plugin” simply won’t work. We simply inspect and replace damaged parts.

Messages 12

1 Topic by ander_kr 2014-05-13 07:52:26

Topic: Gears don't engage well (they hit something and grind)

Hi all! I didn’t find anything similar on the forums. The situation is like this, VAZ 2110, 16kl, 04. At first, 1st gear was difficult to engage from time to time (it rested on something), then 1st and 2nd were engaged with difficulty and every other time, reverse turns on with a slight grinding noise, sometimes not the first time. Then 1.2 hardly turn on, they rest against something, then I noticed that if the gearshift knob is not pushed to the left all the way when shifting gears to 1.2, then the gears are engaged (no grinding, but like on a washboard), it turns out that 1 and 3 are very close, as are 2 and 4. The clutch pedal is slightly lowered. I pulled the cable, the pedal became slightly higher than the brake pedal, then the gears began to engage as expected in the extreme left position (again, as on the washboard), 3rd gear seems to click there. The travel of the clutch pedal has increased (very inconvenient) and the clutch engages with the engine only at the very end. YES, AND THIS IS ALL BOTH INITIALLY AND AFTER TENSIONING THE CABLE BOTH WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND ON STUFFED. Can anyone tell me what? They say on the forums that since they don’t shift gears when the engine is switched off, it’s definitely a case of removing and repairing the gearbox. Could there be another reason? I don’t want the service department to take the trouble to repair the gearbox for nothing. Thank you all

2 Reply from klimashov.roman 2014-05-13 08:13:06

Re: Gears don't engage well (they hit something and grind)

Well, first of all, pay attention to the clutch and in particular to the basket, and if it is already all crooked or askew, replace it. Try to adjust the rocker to the position where it will engage best and at the same time unscrew the bolts with the speed locks, there are 3 of them, well, this is more likely to calm the soul. If not, then most likely the gears have come to a halt and this is just a repair. Only if you take it to the service station, be as close as possible when they start disassembling it, otherwise they will issue you a bill for a new box; it will be easier to buy, and they can take out the good parts

Clutch basket

Then the petals of the box break, or they are weakened. This makes it very difficult, almost impossible to depress the clutch disc. Therefore, the “speed” does not change. Just change your cart.

Well, the last wear and tear is the drive basket. It has a metal disk inside, and over time, especially due to high mileage, production forms on it. When starting up, the car will shake, and if the wear is very high, the gears may not shift.

In any case, we need to change the clutch basket.