My son's 240 5 spd quit going into 1st & 2nd, but will do 3rd, 4th, 5th, and reverse just fine. Any clues as to what it could be? I was going to start with the linkage, but thought I'd ask for help to maybe save some time. Thanks!!

 

5 speed Manual correct? M47 ?

How old is the clutch?

Hydraulic clutch or not....?

Detent plate loose..

Transmission mount still there and not flat or missing? my 242 would pop gears out due to the transmission miss aligned because the mount was almost gone....installed a new one and much smoother shifting and does not pop gears no more...

Clutch return spring there? (non hydraulic)

Bad syncro rings on first two gears....

Unable to select gears:
1) Faulty tranny
2) Faulty clutch plate
3) Fork and bearing not assembled properly
4) Faulty pressure plate
5) Pressure plate to flywheel bolts loose.

 

does it crunch when you try and put it in gear? or does it go into the right position, but just acts like its in neutral in both 1st and 2nd?

my first guess is, the 1st/2nd shifter fork is broken or somehow disconnected inside the gearbox.

odds are, the solution will be to find another M47 gearbox, and good luck stateside at least, manual 5 speed volvos are pretty rare.

 

Thanks guys for your suggestions. I drove it myself and there were no noises coming from the transmission and it shifted into and out of gear smoothly. It just wouldn't go into 1st or 2nd. I was able to locate the problem fairly quickly. After removing the shift boot, I saw the pin coming out of the linkage. The set screw had fallen out. He was lucky not to lose the pin. I also noticed there was up and down slop in the shifter. Apparently the plastic cups around the shift ball were worn. I am a machinist so I fab'ed a spacer to go under the c-clip. Now it is tight and shifts great. Whew, I was worried we'd have to pull the tranny. I am amazed at how smartly built these cars are.