Manual Transmission Jumps Out of Gear – Causes, Adjustment & Repair Cost

Hosea Embury

April 29, 2022

If you have a manual transmission that jumps out of gear then it’s important to understand why and how to fix it. Here is what you need to know about the causes, adjustments, and repair cost.

There’s nothing quite as fun as driving a vehicle with a stick shift. While the manual transmission vehicle brings a lot of enjoyment, there are fewer options on the road today. Plus, there are fewer mechanics working on these transmissions, leaving you with questions when problems arise. For example, what causes the manual transmission to jump out of gear?

The manual transmission can jump out of gear because of worn mounts or loose linkage. It’s also caused by bad shifter bearings or a weak spring in the shift rail. The worst-case scenario is that something is internally wrong with the transmission, requiring a rebuild or replacement.

In this guide, we examine the top causes. We also review the steps to adjust your manual transmission and help you estimate the cost for repair. 

Manual Transmission Jumps Out of Gear Causes

1. Worn Mounts The transmission mounts will wear over time. When this happens, the transmission can move every time the car accelerates. If the transmission moves too much, it can move the shifter linkage so much that it will stretch the cable. This situation would leave it out of gear.

2. Loose Linkage

As the car ages, the linkage rods can also become loose. The rods are needed to connect the transmission and the gear shifter. When the rods are loose, it becomes more difficult to keep the transmission locked in gear. Stretched-out linkage can also be caused when the transmission mount is worn. In some cases, you can readjust the linkage, but most times, it needs to be replaced. 

3. Bad Shifter Bearing

If the bearings around the gear shifter itself become worn, it will become too large a play in the gear lever to properly engage the gear completely. If your shifter feels very loose, it may indicate worn bearings.

4. Weak Spring in Shift Rail Inside the shift rail of internal linkage, there’s a spring that locks the transmission into gear. If this spring becomes weak or it breaks, you might notice trouble. When the spring fails, the shifter ball can slip out of its spot. When the shifter moves unexpectedly, the transmission can also slip out of gear. 

5. Internal Failure The manual transmission contains numerous internal components that can fail as a result of abuse or age. If the transmission keeps popping out of gear, the problem could be something larger, such as the shift fork assembly or the synchronizer. With a bad synchronizer, the transmission typically only pops out of certain gears. It might also cause trouble downshifting into those gears. However, the gears can also be to blame. If the gears are worn out, you will need to have them replaced. 

Adjusting a Manual Transmission In some cases, it’s possible to adjust the manual transmission for better performance. However, the directions for this can vary by model, so you always want to reference the service manual for your transmission. In general, you can start with the length of the shift linkage. While the transmission is in Neutral, you can adjust the length of the tube with the adjustment nuts that are found in the middle of the tube. You can also adjust the clocking of the shift tube. You will want to have a helper and some patience. While you have the shifter firmly in first gear, you will use wrenches to tighten the nuts securely.  After you have continued through the gears, it’s time to check them. Try to find the gears without forcing the shifter into place. If they are all found, you are ready to roll. Otherwise, you want to perform some more adjustments. If the adjustments don’t make a difference, you need to have the defective transmission parts repaired or replaced.