Car left sitting for 6 months... Won't go in gear

spacekiwi · 15-12-2015 2:59pm #1

hi all...
wee problem..
Am due to collect a crv 2001 thats been sitting outdoors of a elderly family members home for 6 months..
it was driving perfect before being sat up..and started every few days to keep batt alive..starts fine... and all elects work...just wont now go into ant gear... clutch seems fine too.
:eek::eek::eek:
Is there any trick to free up gears so I can drive a few miles to mechanics place for a proper look see.
Someone suggested trying to rock car back and forth while trying to get in gear...or spraying wd40 under the rubber boot cover of gearstick to free up linkage....anyone any ideas???
or anyone had this issue before? thanks:):):)

Notch000 · 15-12-2015 3:02pm

Try towing it a few feet clutch could be stuck on, a good jolt might free it

biko · 15-12-2015 3:05pm

Did you only try first gear, or all gears?
As said try rocking it back and forwards a bit.

stimpson · 15-12-2015 3:05pm

Try putting her into gear before starting her. I had an old Honda with 150000 km on the original clutch and she wouldn't go into gear unless the engine was off. Was fine once it was up and running.

spacekiwi · 15-12-2015 4:12pm

it seems to be all gears.. be it the car turned on or off.

yes I was thinking if could get in gear then start, it may wake it up.
also didnt think on clutch plate maybe sticking, but peddle seems to work as it should, just not engaging gear.

Would any of these ideas damage the gearbox?

spacekiwi · 15-12-2015 4:16pm

I also wonder if unhooking the battery for an hour may work? would it reset anything? or am I being silly??

CJhaughey · 15-12-2015 4:21pm

spacekiwi wrote: »

I also wonder if unhooking the battery for an hour may work? would it reset anything? or am I being silly??

I don't think they have any electrics controlling the shifting, its old and petrol and manual so I guess its related to the master cylinder not pushing the release arm, try checking the fluid level in the clutch master cylinder and maybe bleeding it.

spacekiwi · 15-12-2015 4:38pm

Just went out again to try..doesnt make a difference if car is on or not.
seems like the gear stick itself wont move freely..very little movement back and forth..
dont want to overly force it....are there cables perhaps stuck?
may try wd40 under cover of stick...would that do anything???
checked clutch and fluid etc...seems ok..

Really seems to be the gearstick itself thats problem

biko · 15-12-2015 5:29pm

Perhaps rusted a bit. Lift up rubber cover and have a look.
Just be careful to not add more debris into the mechanism.

Toyotafanboi · 15-12-2015 5:31pm

I'd be surprised if the problem is under the gaiter, it's usually a metal ball joint in a plastic socket so I can't see corrosion stopping it.

It really does sound like a part of the clutch assembly is seized inside the bellhousing.

check_six · 15-12-2015 5:32pm

Could be a few things. We had a similar problem crop up recently. We were told that it could be the clutch/gearbox which would be a huge expensive fix, the master cylinder which is merely a big job, or the slave cylinder which is a quick cheap fix. Fortunately, in our case it was the slave cylinder that had sprung a leak and wasn't generating enough pressure to push the clutch plates apart.

The main symptom was that even when you pressed in the clutch, you still could not engage any of the gears. This would happen even with the engine switched off. The gear stick would move about a bit, did you say the stick in this vehicle doesn't move at all?

Some insurance policies will include a free tow to a mechanics, but I guess this car is not insured as it has been sitting idle for a while.

spacekiwi · 15-12-2015 6:15pm

hi all and thanks...
got it moving when car is off...but when car is on it wont move...
looking at it it seems like clutch fluid has leaked out..

To get it moving, can I just add more fluid? or is there a quick way to 'bleed' clutch to go 30 odd miles???
could I just add more fluid and pump the clutch a load of times?? As you can see not too mechanically minded..
any ideas will be appreciated. thanks

Toyotafanboi · 15-12-2015 6:22pm

If you go at an off peak time and it's a clear-ish run without too many stops, you could just start it in gear and drive there a little slower.

Just have a bit of clear space in front of you, pop the car in third, turn the key and it's a bit incomfortable but the car will start and drive, but only in the gear you selected while it was off.

CJhaughey · 15-12-2015 8:50pm

Add fluid to the clutch cylinder, fill it and it will be a start, it might be enough to get some pedal feel.
You can drive without a clutch but its not easy if you aren't used to it and there is potential for problems if you encounter other vehicles or have to stop and start.
I'd consider getting a recovery truck to transport it, it will be less stressful in the long run, arrange it in advance and you might get a better price.

spacekiwi · 15-12-2015 8:53pm

thanks. am in the sticks and would be going on a little used road with hazards on.....just want to basically know if refill of clutch fluid would allow me to get gears back to start off with?

or do I refill then pump clutch alot? or will that just push air in system and be worse?

Toyotafanboi · 15-12-2015 9:01pm

If it's very very empty topping it up will trap air, if it's "not too empty" topping it up may well get you going.

To be honest, you're in the worst case scenario right now, if tou top it up lots and it still doesn't work because of an air lock, you're no worse off than you already are so you may as well go for it.

There's a fair knack to bleeding it, you'll need a small set of spanners, probably 8mm and two people, if it's your first time you may well be in over your head, watch a few youtube videos on it maybe.

If it's quiet roads, i'd definitely consider starting it in gear and flicking the key off to stop. If you are definitely leaking fluid though, make sure you have brakes as the systems are generally linked.

slimjimmc · 15-12-2015 10:07pm

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

If it's very very empty topping it up will trap air, if it's "not too empty" topping it up may well get you going.

To be honest, you're in the worst case scenario right now, if tou top it up lots and it still doesn't work because of an air lock, you're no worse off than you already are so you may as well go for it.

There's a fair knack to bleeding it, you'll need a small set of spanners, probably 8mm and two people, if it's your first time you may well be in over your head, watch a few youtube videos on it maybe.

If it's quiet roads, i'd definitely consider starting it in gear and flicking the key off to stop. If you are definitely leaking fluid though, make sure you have brakes as the systems are generally linked.

What car has brake and clutch hydraulic systems linked? I'm just curious because I've never seen such a thing.

Guy:Incognito · 15-12-2015 10:37pm

slimjimmc wrote: »

What car has brake and clutch hydraulic systems linked? I'm just curious because I've never seen such a thing.

Hydraulic Citroens before the C5:) But thats a different kettle of fish.

(may have continued with the C5 , but the suspension system was separated then anyway)

spacekiwi · 15-12-2015 11:25pm

ok. thanks for advice

savagethegoat · 16-12-2015 8:29am

if it were an old school Ford I'd say the clutch is stuck and what I'd do is jack up the driving wheels clear of the ground and start the car in gear, run it for a few minutes and then rev to 2 or 3000 rpm and then slam the brakes on as hard as possible.With any luck, there wold be a big bang and it would be free. Will it work on a modern car? I don't know.

GrumpyMe · 16-12-2015 8:54am

savagethegoat wrote: »

if it were an old school Ford I'd say the clutch is stuck and what I'd do is jack up the driving wheels clear of the ground and start the car in gear, run it for a few minutes and then rev to 2 or 3000 rpm and then slam the brakes on as hard as possible.With any luck, there wold be a big bang and it would be free. Will it work on a modern car? I don't know.

If we're going old school - have you tried the lump hammer yet?:D

Might be best, easiest and possibly safest to get a tow truck to the mechanic.

spacekiwi · 16-12-2015 2:32pm

Hi. Found a problem with car...it will go in gear when not turned on...but when car started it wont go in gear.
Would that indicare the master or slave cylinder? I cant see any leaks on either areas...but reservoir was dry of fluid.
Also whats cheaper to fix , a master or slave?
Thanks.

Bandito909 · 16-12-2015 3:28pm

Check for fluid on the actual pedal as well?

biko · 16-12-2015 4:18pm

Let's keep all your queries around this car in a single thread.

spacekiwi · 18-12-2015 12:18am

Thanks all...sorted.
Filled up fluid...let run for 20 mins idle...pumped clutch..all is well again...no leaks that i can see , but will fully check it. Cheers

savagethegoat · 18-12-2015 11:12am

GrumpyMe wrote: »

If we're going old school - have you tried the lump hammer yet?:D

Might be best, easiest and possibly safest to get a tow truck to the mechanic.

you doubt me? tried and trusted method, with the qualifications stated

jca · 18-12-2015 3:29pm

slimjimmc wrote: »

What car has brake and clutch hydraulic systems linked? I'm just curious because I've never seen such a thing.

They aren't actually linked just fed from the one reservoir. The feed to the clutch is always higher up the reservoir to prevent it emptying the whole system of fluid and leaving you without brakes if it develops a leak.

Car left sitting for 6 months... Won't go in gear

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