Will not go into any gear while started

shut the car off, place it in 1st gear and start it. If the car moves then its a bad clutch cable or clutch. If it doesnt then you may have tranny issues. If it only moves in reverse then you DO have a tranny issue.

my car did the same thing a few months ago. ended up the release bearing was shot

Mustang5L5 said:

If you can't get it in gear when the engine is running, but it goes into gear fine when it's off...it's classic symptoms of clutch drag.

Push the clutch in and count to 10. If it doesn't go into ANY gear easily..clutch is still grabbing.

Your cable is prob stretched out like a mom with 15 kids

Click to expand...

Now that's funny!

Hello all, I'm new here... I have a 2001 mustang and my car did the same thing(will not go in any gear while started)... At first my problem was that my car kept kicking out of 5th gear... Now it won't go into any gear. I've read all the suggestions and I did do them.... She does start when I put her in first gear and she does go forward and she did go into reverse but then couldn't get her into any gear after that (including reverse)... Do ya think it could be the synchronizer...

READ the above previous posts.... Its a clutch adjustment problem.
If that doesn't work for you, try the modular forum - they deal with Mustangs made after 1996.

The following works for Fox body Mustangs 87-93. It may or may not work for you.

Clutch adjustment
Do the clutch adjustment first before considering any other problems. With the stock plastic quadrant and cable, pull up on the clutch pedal until it comes upward toward you. It will make a ratcheting sound as the self adjuster works. To release to tension of the stock quadrant, use a screwdriver to lift the ratchet paw up and out of engagement with the quadrant teeth.

A binding clutch cable will make the clutch very stiff. If the cable is misrouted or has gotten too close to the exhaust, it will definitely bind. The binding common to adjustable cables is often due to misplacement of the adjusting nuts on the fork end of the cable. This will also cause the cable to wear and fray. Both nuts should be on the back side of the fork so that the domed nut faces the fork and the other nut serves as jam or locknut to the domed nut.

Clutch pedal adjustment with aftermarket quadrant and cable: I like to have the clutch completely disengaged and still have about 1.5” travel left before the pedal hits the floor. This means that I have only about 1” of free play at the top before the pedal starts to disengage the clutch. Keep in mind that these figures are all approximate. When properly adjusted, there will not be any slack in the clutch cable. You will have 4-15 lbs preload on the clutch cable.

Loosening the cable adjustment nut (throwout bearing arm moves to the rear of the car) moves the disengagement point towards the floor.

Tightening the cable adjustment nut (throwout bearing arm moves to the front of the car) moves the disengagement point towards the top of the pedal.

The quadrant needs to be replaced if you use any type of aftermarket cable or adjuster. My preference is a Ford Racing quadrant, adjustable cable and Steeda firewall adjuster. The adjustable Ford Racing cable is just as good as the stock OEM cable. It allows a greater range of adjustment than a stock cable with a aftermarket quadrant and firewall adjuster. Combined with the Steeda adjuster, it lets you set the initial cable preload and then fine tune the clutch engagement point to your liking without getting under the car.

Using a stock OEM cable, firewall adjuster and a single hook quadrant may result in not having any free pedal travel before the clutch starts to disengage. I found this out the hard way.

See Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030 for the following parts.

Ford Racing M-7553-B302 - Ford Racing V-8 Mustang Adjustable Clutch Linkage Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com Cable and quadrant assembly $90

The Ford Racing Adjustable cable is available as a separate part:
Clutch Cable, Adjustable, Ford, Mercury, 5.0L, Kit

[url=http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SDA-555-7021/]Steeda Autosports 555-7021 - Steeda Autosports Firewall Cable Adjusters - Overview - SummitRacing.com Steeda firewall adjuster. $40

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