Suzuki vitara/escudo/sidekick 97 JLX transmission problem, wont shift in..?

[locolowco]

i have a suzuki vitara 97 JLX ( or in us known as sidekick)

now i have this problem, in traffic, when my engine gets hot or stuck in traffic, i cant shift from neutral to 1st gear or reverse.. or any gear at all... it makes me panic.. so what i do is i push the car on the side of the road.. and after an hour (when engine gets cold).. tada! it works like nothing happend.. and problem happens again when im caught in traffic... ( you know, traffic means you get to press the clutch pedal alot and longer than usual).. so thats my problem. what is the cause of this? some say its just the gear fluid, some mechanic that i think wants to get some big cash says its the whole transmission! =) , some say it myt be the pressure plate, or disc... ( but it works fine when engine is not hot.) ..any suzuki vitara or sidekick owners had the sam,e problem?? or any expert mechanic knows what is the cause? pls help! urgent.

HELP.
i really dont know.. coz at first starts.. its ok. like no problem at all, but once im caught in traffic, it suddenly gives me that problem, i will have a hard time shiftng at first, specially at 1st gear, then.. after 5mins, it would not allow me to shift at any gear at all.... but after leaving it for an hour.. it will allow me to shift to 1st gear or any gear like nothing happend.
i dunno if its the heat or in a long drive.. but i just drive my car mostly in the village, and it happens everytime im in traffic..

... i noticed.. when i step on the clutch pedal a long time. the problem starts to happen..
but funny is, after parking it for an hour, and i start the engine again.. it runs like it does not have any problem at all. .

so for now i can just drive my vitara for like 20-30mins.

---clutch type.
pressure plate?
fluid?
MC?
clutch disc? "notttttt" =)
what?? pls help.

 

[Craig R]

It's unlikely that it's the transmission proper. Those are just the wrong symptoms for a manual transmission problem. They aren't terribly sensitive to temperature, wheras your clutch MC is in the engine compartment proper and quite exposed to the heat. The slave cylinder is directly behind the clutch and quite exposed to the heat generated by repeated launches in traffic (clutch absorbs energy as it slips while you launch the car). I'd start with the clutch system.

If it has a hydraulic clutch, this sounds like a master cylinder (clutch MC, not brake MC) issue. Sounds like you have enough clutch material and that the system works (pedal move the throw-out bearing and opens the clutch), but it sounds like it leaks when it's hot. If you can't open the clutch, you won't be able to change gears.

The clutch MC might be going bad, but I'd start with its fluid. Find the reservoir for the clutch MC (which could share oil from the brake MC, but not likely in an older car), and be sure it's full.

If it's a cable-actuated clutch system (common in older cars--I don't know the Vitara), it's possible that the cable is binding in the heat. If the clutch pedal doesn't move at all, that would be my guess.