Questions and Answers
Gear Popper
Q. Dear Vincent,
I have a 1990 Toyota Corolla station wagon (American made)here in the Netherlands. It has around 140,000 miles on it. 1.8 engine, manual trans., carb,and cruise control. Recently the car has begun to fall out of 5th gear and into neutral at cruising speeds. With the slightest bump in the road, a small acceleration or deceleration I find myself downshifting into 4th. Have any ideas how big this repair will be? Does it mean a new transmission?Please help,
The Little Dutch WomanA. Little Dutch Women are allowed to call me Vince. Tell me something, do Little Dutch Women still wear those wooden shoes? I mean, are they now made by Adidas or Nike? Sorry, I digress.
I'm afraid it's transmission time. The gears and synchronizers are so worn out they will not stay in gear. I had to replace the transmission for my friend the Freshwater Aquarium Guide here at About.com for the same exact thing. They are a common transmission and a used one cost me $300.00. You can figure about another $400.00 for installation.
