theres no way it cannot be your linkage, it either broke, an arm broke or it needs adjusted

Sounds like the shifter arm needs adusted. It needs to be adjusted out so that it can travel further toward the front of the car.

Before pulling the trans, do some more looking into the shifter assembly. There is no direct ties between 2, 4 and reverse other than shaft position and without causing more than just 2/4/R issues.

Let me explain more, when I try to pull towards 2nd, 4th or reverse it's as if there is something physically blocking the travel of the shifter assembly. I know without a doubt that the problem envolves the trans and not the shifter linkage. I first had thought that the turbo outlet pipe was blocking the travel, but this is not the case. With the shifter cables removed, I attempted to put the trans into 4th by moving the counter weight on the trans, still feels like a brick wall. I've pulled transmissons before, but never a DSM. Does the shifter shaft pass through the bell housing? By looking at the outside of trans it seems that it does. I am thinking that some type of debri is blocking the travel.

Tevenor said:

Before pulling the trans, do some more looking into the shifter assembly. There is no direct ties between 2, 4 and reverse other than shaft position and without causing more than just 2/4/R issues.

Click to expand...

Yes there is my car would not go in to 1,3,5 but would go in to 2,4,r. It can be the cables the one on top of the transmission moves the shaft up and down. It does not put it in to gear only moves it in to position. The other one on bottom puts it in to gear. By the way the cables are no longer made. When you call they will tell you they can get them. Then ask to see how long it will take to get them. They will tell you no longer made.1996 gsx

You haven't had your reverse light switch out lately have you? I made the mistake of mixing the location of my reverse light switch with a bolt in my early days and had the same problem.

I have not had the reverse light switch out, but your on the same line of thinking I am, physical jam in the trans. I don't think the trans is toast, I've never had a problem with grinding gears or the stick popping out of gear. This started a couple hundred miles ago, I wouldn't be able to use the above mentioned gears; but if I pulled hard the stick would go into the lower gear and then the other lower gears would also work for a time. Believe it or not I am still on the stock clutch at 85K and some decent mods. So I will use this long weekend to pull the clutch and see what I can find wrong with the trans. By the way, I made the stock clutch last because I learned about crank walk just after I bought the car five years ago and decided never to launch the car, and thus put off the need for a heavy after market clutch.

Have you recently installed a 16g with an aftermarket J-pipe? When I put in my s16g with RRE install kit, the shifter counter-weight was hitting the IC piping, preventing me from shifting into 2-4-R. Freaked me out when I first started the car and couldn't get it into R to get off the ramps. Had my gf move the shifter while I looked at the trans, and noticed that the J-pipe was in the way of the weight. You can just use a Sawzall to cut it off.

The way the shifter cables/arms work is one arm just selects left to right gears 1 3 5. The other shifter arm lifts the 1st arm up to another level so that it can move thru 2 4 r. There are no internal connections between those gears, so the problem is 100% involved with your shifter cables and linkages.

I'm currently having the same problem

shift cable bad. Did it to me last week. Cable didn't break but the metal sleeve that holds the shifter cable in place on top of the tranny and helps guide it forward and backwards. Have someone looking under the hood while you try shifting. and even look under shifter it self as you shift.

Link is a pic of how my shifter cable broke. you can see the inner cable is together , but the out case broke away

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...62894556.11027.100002255990614&type=1&theater