Just picked up a '99 S70 with 99k miles and a 5-speed and love it. I've already fixed a problem with the air intake and now need to tackle an issue with the gear selector.

When cold, it doesn't want to go into gear. Doesn't matter which one - 1st, 5th, reverse - it just won't go into gear, at least not without an excessive amount of force on the gear selector. Lots of manual transmissions are notchy when cold but I've never seen one that just refused to go into gear like this.

Anyone else experience this problem?

 

when trying to push into a gear do you hear any grinding? when cold can you run through the gears with the clutch in and engine off? If you hear grinding, it would suggest a clutch issue. If you can't run through the gears with the engine off/clutch in, suggests a shift linkage/shifter issue.

 

There's no grinding, just hard resistance. With the engine off I have no trouble moving the selector through all the gears - seems like the clutch isn't fully disengaging?

 

yes it does sound like the clutch is not fully disengaging. Not sure if the car has a hydraulic set up - if so you may want to check the slave cylinder for air or leaking. What happens if you pump the clutch a few times before shifting into gear? Hows the fluid in the reservoir?(some models with hydraulic clutches share the brake fluid reservoir - a low level suggests a leaking slave cylinder).

 

I think it does have a hydraulic clutch. The brake fluid in the reservoir is at maximum, so it's not a fluid level problem.

Hoping it's not a slave cylinder. I lived that nightmare with my Saab 9000 last year and spent two weekends in my parents' garage dropping the tranny just to replace a leaky slave cylinder o-ring.

 

The slave cylinder itself kind of has to work or else leak out fluid. When the fluid moves there isn't really a third option. If the clutch is not releasing then it would probably be due to bent pressure plate fingers (which is the same nightmare) or it might be due to damage or wear of the pedal assembly or a problem with the master. The masters seem to be likely to fail all at once, but the clutch pedals on about any car have bushings that fade over time.


The question I have is why does it work when it warms up? That is a curiosity.

 

I can put the car in gear while the engine is off, press in the clutch, and start the engine normally, so it seems like the clutch is at least partially disengaged while the pedal is pressed. Wondering if there's air in the clutch hydraulic system. Maybe I should try bleeding it?

 

I certainly would. It can't hurt anything.