Lose all gears like a bad clutch

1994 SATURN SC2

204,935 MILES • 1.9L • 4 CYL • 2WD • MANUAL

CRAZY DAVE

MEMBER
1 POST

I lose all my gears like a bad clutch. I checked clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing. Does not do this all the time just intermittently. Can low fluid in transmission cause the gears to stop working? Only problem found was it was low on transmission fluid. Thanks

Sep 28, 2018 at 7:22 AM

DANNY L

✓ASE Certified Mechanic
5,648 POSTS

Hello, I am Danny.

When you say lose all gears do you mean it is hard to engage like grinding into gears? or hard to get into gear? Having a low fluid level would usually just make the transmission sound loud like having gears howl from lack of fluid. Manual transmissions have synchro gears that act as a buffer between the the gears to cushion shock when shifting. These synchros do wear and after time/mileage you will notice slop/play when engaging and also a noticeable grind when shifting. If your car is equipped with a hydraulic slave cylinder it could be worn/low on fluid as well. I have attached two tutorials for you to view. Hope this helps and thanks for using 2CarPros.
Danny-

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/clutch-symptoms

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/clutch-doesnt-work-sometimes-or-not-at-all

Sep 28, 2018 at 1:50 PM

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