1992 Saturn 5 Speed Manual Locked In 1st Gear

SOURCE: 1997 sL1 Saturn manual transmission hard to change gears

The dipstick is behind the battery, below the master brake cylinder and is not the clutch reservoir. It has a red flip top handle instead of a ring like most dipsticks. It was hard for me to find due to engine grease. I had the same problem and was able to see that I was low on fluid (only a little) and adding fluid helped the problem. Questions? kurt1431 at comcast dot net.

Jeff Barton

• 520 Answers
• Posted on Sep 10, 2009

SOURCE: 95 saturn sl 2 5 speed manual transmission, clutch

This vehicle has a pair of shift cables which attatches to the shifter and runs to the transmission shift housing.To diagnose,removal of the center console is in order so you can inspect and verify the shifter/cable connections and movement,then verify the cables move the linkages properly at the transmission . These cables are a fairly common failed part and sold as the set,these are a dealer item and no aftermarket cables are available .

Testimonial: "That was nthe problem thanxs!"

SOURCE: The shifter/transmission on my manual 5 spd 1999 Saturn SL1

This just happen to me a few weeks ago. If you take out the center piece in the car you should be able to see that the actual shifter is no longer connected to the rod which goes into the transmission. It is an easy problem to fix, however it is not cheap. I was told that you have to buy a complete new kit($250.00) for the shifter, however my dad gave me a different solution. He took some wire, and made a spider web type thing to keep it connected. On my car it was a small round plastic piece that broke, but I cannot remember what it was actually called. This little piece is not available through Saturn by itself, only through a complete kit. Please ask questions if this is not clear enough. Thanks :)

SOURCE: Gear Shift very stiff, doesnt want to go into 1st gear or reverse

Continued operation like this and $100 would have been the cheap fix. If this is a hydraulic clutch, check the fluid level in the clutch master cylinder. Most take Dot 3 brake fluid and it will say on the cap. It is located on the fire wall near brake master cylinder

SOURCE: Sluggish gear shift on 5-spd Saturn Vue

I have the same problem, Noticing that my 2006 Saturn Vue, 5-speed becomes extremely hard to shift gears when the weather is cold. (Temps range from 20-43). Has been colder in the last month. What could this be?

also side note:
Our windshield wiper spray doesn't work on front window but work on back. They both started about the same time when the temps dropped to single digits. Dont know if that had any causes.