HJ75 - Can't get shifter out of 5th.

[Ashchaya]

Driving to work this morning approaching the 60 zone of a town that I pass through on the way, I found I was stuck in 5th gear. I'd been in 5th for the last 10km I'd say, so who knows when it actually happened.

I can put the clutch in fine, but still can't get it out of gear. I gently transition from throttle on to throttle off while pulling on the shifter, and it won't come out then either. Turn the car off with everything stopped, still no luck.

I'm definitely in high-range 2WD, and the front hubs are not locked. There was/has been no whining sound or anything abnormal. I haven't had this car for long, but the only thing I could say about the gearbox up until this sudden situation is that it *sometimes* can take a couple of seconds to get into 4th from 5th. I never force it, I just apply gentle pressure until it feels like going in. Other than that the gearbox has been flawless.

I read a thread or two on here about shifting difficulties, but this is just so sudden, it doesn't really make sense to me for it to be an oil problem.

Could the linkage have bent while driving? Would that cause this behaviour? 100km/h, bumpy roads...

If it is a linkage, will the whole box have to come out and cost millions in labour? I just pumped $6000 into suspension, steering and tyres. Really not in a position to be spending more right now

[old lux]

i m not 100% sure if its the same with your Gbox but i know a few cruisers have issues with 5th and REVERSE locking together if the vechicle was used to TOW IN 5TH GEAR.

if so its a strip and rebuild job

seen it happen many times befor no warning just happens

[SCANAS]

Try rocking the car in forward and reverse manually ie get a mate to grab the bullbar and push and pull the car as hard as he can, then try pressing the clutch in and pulling it out of gear at various different points in the forward and back cycle.

Never heard of a 75 box stuck in 5th.

[RED60]

If the gearbox is a h55f you can take the gearstick out and take the top off and have a look inside.... it MAY be obvious whats wrong... 5th gear is way at the back in the part that looks like an afterthought on the box (mostly because it is, tho many 5 speeds are like this, a 4 speed with a bit added on)... you won't be able to see the actual 5th gear thru the top but will be able to see selector shaft. The selector shaft actually becomes external towards the rear of the top cover and is covered in a rubber boot.... you can get to it externally, but it is difficult to see... you may be able to get it out of fifth externally using an open ender or shifter, but this doesn't really solve the problem, what's causing it.... if you get a picture off the net or this forum, what I have said will make more sense..... have fun

[Ashchaya]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Well driving home was fun. 190km of highway mixed with steep-climbing dirt twisty roads. All with only these two ratios to choose from:
0.845 x 1.959 x 4.110 -> 245/75R16 (1000RPM = 21.4km/h)
0.845 x 1.000 x 4.110 -> 245/75R16 (1000RPM = 42.0km/h)

Well coming back to work this morning it solved itself.

There is a river crossing, which right now is only a few inches deep, right before a very steep incline. I knew this incline was going to be a challenge even in low-range 5th, so rather than taking it easy through the water, I absolutely smashed through it which launched me hard up the embankment on the other side and pretty much ruined my momentum anyway (duhh).

So I start crawling up this hill with the revs dropping all the time, until eventually I'm halfway up as the revs get down to 500. That's it. Clutch in, shut her down, foot on brake and let's have a think. Just out of habit I put it into neutral... hey, what??? It went into neutral! I'm free! So off I go with a whole box full of ratios to choose from. Looxury!

So I dunno if it was smashing around in the river or if it was applying all that torque at such low revs, but something happened (silently) and it's back to normal.

For the rest of the journey whenever I was in 5th for a little while, I'd take it out of 5th just to make sure I could. No more problems yet.

[SCANAS]

I'd drop the oil and check it and steer clear of fifth....

[Ashchaya]

I'd drop the oil and check it and steer clear of fifth....

Thanks I'll do that this weekend. I read the other threads about which oil to use so I'll go with that too.