Can't shift, no gear, manual DBS
 

Forgive me if this has been addressed elsewhere...

I lost access to all my gears (except 3rd, I believe) today. The shifter just wobbled around and wouldn't engage. Luckily, it stayed in a gear that allowed me to drive home, but I'm guessing the shifter cables are shot?

Something similar happened in the past, where I briefly could not engage a couple gears, but I didn't think much of it.

Has anyone had this problem before? Is this a simple dealer fix?

Someone else had an issue that turned out to be a broken shifter cable - I'd start there.

Does the clutch pedal still feel the same?

Yeah, I think I read that somewhere. Will have to hunt that thread down.

Clutch feels fine. But I did notice a burning type smell.

There is a service bulletin for DBS models with VIN E00001 to E01351 which has to do with the shift lever ball joint becoming disconnected. The bulletin is SB-07-0305. If your VIN falls into that range this could very well be the problem.

That's an interesting possibility. My VIN falls within that range. I'll contact a local dealership on Monday. Thanks for the idea!

In case I run into this on my own AM:
Can you let me know if it was a broken cable, a disconnected shift lever ball joint or was it something else that was responsible for the problem? Thanks.

Sounds like shifter linkage/cable problem.

Major problem? Anyone know of a solution?

I plan to put the car on a flatbed and tow it to an AM mechanic for repair. My problem is that the car is stuck in 3rd gear. I can't put it in reverse or neutral. So I can't even back it out of the garage! Yikes.

Any ideas?

The flatbed driver should know how to get it on/off if they have the right tools. Go-Jack's and dish soap works well.

Thanks for the tip! Never heard of GoJaks before. Those look tight! That's exactly what I need.

In your experience, do tow truck drivers generally carry those (I'll be using AAA), or is it worth springing for a set myself?

Also, what's the dish soap for?

Never mind, problem solved. Spoke with AAA. Looks like the tow truck driver should have all the equipment needed. Thanks!

Some have them, when you call AAA tell them the situation so they dispatch the guy who knows what he is doing. Dish soap on the flatbed to drag it up and off and washes off easy.

What am I missing? Just depress the clutch to move the car, no?

Hehe...Theory = K.I.S.S

Ha, thanks. Yeah, I'd been contemplating this as a one-person job, so this didn't even cross my mind. But you're right, easy as pie, when I have the tow truck driver to push to the car, while I depress the clutch and steer.

Anyway, all's good. Car's en route to the shop now.