can't shift, help

**bgolat** · 09-27-2008 05:46 PM

I was driving today and my shifter was loose all of a sudden. I can only get it to go into 3rd gear but nothing else. Any ideas?

**bgolat** · 09-27-2008 05:52 PM

I can go to neutral and shift back into 3rd, but cant get it into 1st/2nd/reverse, not sure about higher gears I haven't really tried them because i was trying to just get my car to a parking lot ASAP and 3rd was the only one i could get going in.

Gear shifter is super loose as if it wasn't hooked up or something.

**bgolat** · 09-28-2008 01:30 PM

Anyone have any ideas? Tranny blown?

**t1demont1** · 09-28-2008 01:36 PM

check your shift linkage, may have losened itself. Take off the shift boot, and make sure all the bolts are tight in there, if thats not the problem look under the car and make sure everything is tight. Can you get into 4th?

**bgolat** · 09-28-2008 11:28 PM

I think it shifts into 3rd and 4th only, but not 1st/2nd/5th/6th or reverse. Even when its in gear it just flops all over the place.

I unfortunately don't have the car cause I was out of town so I had to leave it there at an Audi dealership and get a rental back home.

Does it sound like a loose link rather than a blown tranny or something?

Thanks

**Jung** · 09-28-2008 11:37 PM

yeah. it sounds like a linkage. there's a single bolt holding the shifter to the linkage going to the transmission. It is possible that the bolt came undone. by it being loose, you're only going to be moving the shifter around, and not hte linkage with it. my guess why you're only able to get into 3rd is that the bolt may have been positioned near the rear of the connecting "slot". so when you pushed the shifter forward into 3rd, the bolt was near enough to the back already, that the linkage was able to put the tranny in 3rd. Was there a lot of play when going from 3rd to neutral?

i dont think i explained that well

**bgolat** · 09-29-2008 12:35 AM

I hope it is just a linkage, I never had any problems previously with the transmission. As far as a lot of play from 3rd to neutral, I guess there was a ton, while in 3rd and rolling I could pretty much push the shifter all over the place with no resistance. Although I was still able to put it in neutral/3rd. Not sure if that makes sense but it's the best I can describe it. I didn't have time to mess with it, nor drive it around because taking off in 3rd gear is not fun.

**Matt@JHM** · 09-29-2008 01:05 AM

Most likely a loosened bolt on the shift linkage. Check out this video for instructions how to remove your shifter and re-adjust it. http://audishifter.com/videos/B5_A4-...nstall_vid.wmv