2001 SL only goes in 1st and 2nd gear

Need your help, people. My '96 SL-1 shifted great for the 6 years I've had it. Bought it with 88K on it and now it's a little over 129K. I've been experiencing difficulty getting back into 1st gear after I come to a stop. It SHIFTS OK from 1st to 2nd, a little rough into 3rd, fine into 4th and 5th and no issue with reverse! I thought it may be the shift cables, but they seem to be fine. I checked everything I know to check and took it to my local mechanic down the street. He does things for me when I can't. He drove it and pronounced the clutch fine, but told me that he feels the syncronizer(s)may be the issue and suggested another transmission! Just got laid off last week, so that ain't gonna happen. I called a local salvage yard specializing in Saturns, and he tells me that HE believes it's the slave cylinder, not the trans. He tells me to pump the clutch the next time I'm at a stop and see if it goes into 1st easier. Now I haven't done this yet, but I will tomorrow. He said these manual transmissions are very good and he suspects the slave. According to my repair manual, this is a sealed unit that comes with a new master cylinder, hose and the slave to replace as one unit. If this is truly what's wrong with my car, it sure would be a hell of a lot cheaper than a used tranny and the labor to install it! Does anyone out there have any info/suggestions? Thank you!!

Replies to this message:

saturntech9 (May 29, 2013 5:47 pm)
- shopdog97 (May 30, 2013 4:52 am)

#12 of 28 Re: Shifting issues on my 96' SL1 [shopdog97] by saturntech9

May 29, 2013 (5:47 pm)

Replying to: shopdog97 (May 29, 2013 1:28 pm)

Is the clutch pedal hard all the way down or does it drop some then get hard?

Replies to this message:

shopdog97 (May 30, 2013 4:52 am)

#13 of 28 Re: Shifting issues on my 96' SL1 [saturntech9] by shopdog97

May 30, 2013 (4:52 am)

Replying to: saturntech9 (May 29, 2013 5:47 pm)

The pedal SEEMS fine to me, saturntech9. It doesn't feel like a spongy brake pedal does when there's a problem. I checked the clutch master cylinder reservoir and it's full to where it should be. When the guy at the salvage yard suggested it was a slave cylinder issue and not the tranny, my thinking was how can the slave be bad if I'm not losing any brake fluid? I see repacement slave/master cylinder kits out there and come filled and ready to install for about $90(Rockauto.com has several listings) I'l go out in a little while and re-evaluate it and let you know what I find. Thanks for responding.

#14 of 28 Follow up to above by shopdog97

May 30, 2013 (8:55 am)

I went out this morning in my Saturn and had NO issues shifting until the last mile or two of my trip which was a total of about 8 miles altogether. So this is just happening when the car is fully warmed up? Makes no sense to me at all. I DID pump the clutch like the guy at the salvage yard said to do and I thought it went into 1st gear a little better. I double-clutched at times and had no issue going from 2nd to 3rd like I did yesterday. So other than having a problem getting back into 1st, all else seems to be OK. The clutch pedal felt like it was a little spongy(very little), perhaps I just didn't notice it earlier. I took a closer look at these components, the master cylinder, hoses and the slave that bolts onto the trans and although it looks like it's more than one piece, it is in fact a sealed system that must be replaced as a unit. Looks like the biggest issue might be getting the master cylinder out from the firewall, past the brake booster AND whether there's enough room to clear the ABS unit. My service manual says that on 98 and later models, the ABS might have to be moved out of the way. I don't want to move anything that might get me in further trouble. I just wish I could really be 100% sure that the hydraulic unit(s) is the issue before I spend $100 bucks that I really don't have right now, but I don't believe the problem will go away on its own either. Any help anyone may have, please advise and thanks very much.

#15 of 28 repky by saturntech9

May 30, 2013 (12:25 pm)

Sounds like hydraulic issue or bad pressure plate were the fingers are worn uneven.without driving it feeling the pedal for myself hard to say which it is.If only one gear ihas a problem then your looking at a bad synchro.the clutch master save assembly is easy to change don't ever remember having to untold the master to change it.

#16 of 28 Saturn shifting issues by shopdog97

May 31, 2013 (4:51 am)

Thanks again for responding, Saturntech9. At this moment, I'm debating what to do but I'm leaning to changing all the hydraulics. As you know, they come as a complete kit with the master cylinder, slave, and hoses all pre-filled and ready to install. It doesn't seem like an overly hard job. My rather depleted finances all but force me to try and take the cheapest way out. I will NOT be replacing the trans or the clutch components for sure. In order to change the trans, the engine has to come out and I'm not equipped to do that. I'd have to rent an engine hoist and since I'd be working outside with no cover it isn't really feasible. The cheapest hydraulic kit I've found is from Rockauto.com at about $80 shipped directly to me. Autozone is just about $100. I'd rather do new parts for this instead of taking a chance with salvage yard parts. My only concern is that if this doesn't solve the problem, I"m out that $$$ for nothing. I thought about pumping out the master cylinder reservoir and refilling it with fresh brake fluid, driving for a while, pump more out and fill it again to see what fresh fluid would do(if anything) but I really don't think it will help. The guy at Autozone said that the slave or other component could be contaminated and not maintaining proper pressure. I said yesterday that the clutch pedal DID feel a little spongy.

I'll have to make a decision soon on what to do. But I do thank you for your suggestions. Have a Blessed day.

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