car is locked up, WONT MOVE!

[BustaBrown00]

I have a 94 awd tsi AUTO. When i try to reverse out of my garage, the car will move about an inch b4 locking up, and the car wont budge. If i accelerate hard enuff, it feels like it breaks free of w/e the problem was and continues to move back. When i put the car in nuetral and try pushing the car it moves freely with no lockup. Im new to DSMs, automatics, and especially AWD cars. PLEASE HELP! I have a kid and this is my only means of transportation. Appreciate it guys -Ryan

 

[DSMopar]

Definitely something in the trans if it moves in neutral... sorry take it to a trans shop...

 

[BustaBrown00]

i was thinking the trans also or even the t case. any more ideas b4 i decide what to do with it?

any suggestions on what to look at/ check for? any type of diagnostics i can perform?

 

[AlaskanDsm]

there are only three things that I have ever come across on my car that relates to this problem. first was my high school retardation of drifting in the snow in a parking lot where there just happen to be a couple bags of trash that I hit. Well they got wrapped around the driveshaft and kept the car from moving at all. Once removed, the car was fine.

Second problem was that after drifting in the snow and then driving home, the heat from the rotors would melt the snow inside the rim and the freeze when I parked outside so the next time I went to drive, the car felt locked up until I sometimes dumped the clutch hard enough to pop it free.

these two probably won't have any effect on you though. This thrid one though I would double check. I was pulling out of my garage when the car stopped moving and it felt like it was locked up but I couldn't go forwards. Once I got it into the garage and gotten under it, the driver side front axle had come out of the tranny enough to cause problems. The reason being that the bracket that holds that part of the shaft in place had come loose because the bolts broke. We never found out why.

That COULD be a possibilty but most likely you are having some other kind of issue seemingly internally realted to the transmission. The other question that should be asked is does this happen only when in reverse or when you are going forward as well?

 

[BustaBrown00]

I was seriously thinking it could b my axle poppin out also because right b4 i got to my house there was a grinding sound like somthing came loose, by the tranny drivers side. So far it only locks up in reverse. When i put it in drive and move foward it'll move freely but still kinda feel that loose sound going on. its weird because when i push the car back or foward in nuetral it rolls around with no problem. thanks for the ideas so far guys.. anymore more suggestions?? i know im not the only one who has been thru this....

 

[BustaBrown00]

Promblem resolved. After some inspection, i realized one of the brake caliper mounting bolts was missing, causing the caliper to come loose and scrape against the rim, eventually resulting in lockup. I replaced the bolt and the car moves well with no lockup. Thanks for the ideas given. -Ryan

 

[95Eclipse]

Promblem resolved. After some inspection, i realized one of the brake caliper mounting bolts was missing, causing the caliper to come loose and scrape against the rim, eventually resulting in lockup. I replaced the bolt and the car moves well with no lockup. Thanks for the ideas given. -Ryan

Great job figuring that out, otherwise the tranny shop would have charged you a pretty penny.

 

[AlaskanDsm]

Glad to hear that you got that fixed. I'll keep a mental note next time I have a similar lockup problem haha.