Guys, if you click on this link, you can see 4 photos I took of my neighbors engine. It's a 1.8 liter DOHC in a 2016 Chevy Sonic. If you want the back story, let me know. But to suffice, he tried to change the timing belt, had the cams way off the marks and did some other stupid stuff. Now he wants me to help with his car. I have NEVER seen anything like this in my 50 years of fooling with cars. Could the tension on the timing belt have been too tight and caused all of this carnage?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/DMT9iVv9nWiX6d638

 

The joys of an interference engine. That carnage can happen just going down the road and having a belt let go. The chain engine in my car can do that also if the chain breaks.

 

Hey Andy or DD, I have a question for you guys. Or anyone else with a possible answer, for that matter. Sean called me Sunday night and said he'd heard a loud pop and his car wouldn't go into gear. I drove up the road 3 miles to where he was with my tow strap and popped the hood to have a look. I asked him to get in and try shifting the gears while I looked at the linkage. Manual shift car. Anyway I noticed a shift rod moving up and down and asked him if he'd tightened the nut which he ASSURED me he had. I asked him to tighten it up and try it again. Car ran and shifted fine. He drove that sum beech until yesterday evening and it did it again as he was leaving work. I'm not that familiar with manual transmissions, so suspect the same damned thing has happened again. I can't find any information as to how to properly adjust the linkage on this car and wonder if either of you guys has ever fooled with a Chevy Sonic or Cruze five speed? There are only two cables on it and I THINK one is for reverse and the other is the forward gears. IDK Anyway, the one I THINK if for forward gears connects to a vertical shift rod. This rod moves up and down. I don't know what position it was in when Sean tightened the nut on it but wonder if there's a SPECIFIC location that it's supposed to be in. Clutch master cylinder is full, no signs of a leak in the hydraulic line anywhere I can see and no puddle under the car. I'm hoping that it's just a linkage adjustment problem and not something internal as neither he nor I have any money. He borrowed $113 from another neighbor just to get the car towed back to his house. Please help me if you can. Guys on a Sonic forum are absolutely USELESS. I don't even know why they have a forum.

 

Two cable shifters are on different axis. Imagine an old floor shifter. One cable is the neutral gate, side to side. The other cable is forward to back. First/second then move over then third/fourth. Move over then reverse.
this translates to the two levers on the transmission. One is strictly the neutral gate and the other is three positions with neutral in the middle.

I put my car in third gear and the transmission in third gear and tighten the linkage. I am sure there is a proper procedure for the Sonic but I have no info.

I hope this makes some sense.

 

So the rod that move up and down is probably The neutral Gate. It should be spring loaded to 3/4 position. Twist the shaft to shift into third and the other way to fourth. Third should be making the end of the cable you see shorter. I would play with the shifter and get it in the 3/4 gate and push the shifter forward. Watch what happens with the linkage, you can do this.

 

I have to drive to the coast today but you can call me later if needed.
Andy

 

Then I hopped in my L series and started to think about the rod shifted transmissions like my L and my old Metro and all air cooled VWs.
The rod twists on those for the neutral gate and in and out is the 1/2, 3/4, 5/r.
So really it could be either, I know the cable shift S series in and out is the neutral gate and twist is 1/2, 3/4, 5/R.

 

I got to talking to Sean and I'm wondering if it's because we didn't bleed the clutch master cylinder? It was open for six weeks before he finally got his act together and we got the engine swap done. He had placed the line in a sandwich baggie and rubber banded it shut and in an upright position, but I'm sure that air still got into the system. Also, he let surface rust build up on the damned flywheel and I told him it needed to be spotless upon assembly. Unfortunately, he put it back together without me, so I have no idea if he actually cleaned the flywheel like he swears he did. He's pretty lazy and likes to cut corners. We're going to try bleeding the clutch master today once he gets his butt out of bed. Probably late this afternoon before we get to it. I checked the linkages and adjustments according to the repair manual I found online and it's all good. Got to be either the damned clutch disc or a hydraulic issue, from my point of view. If he has to pull the transmission again, he's screwed for a while. He doesn't have the money for a new kit anyway, so what's the point for now, right?

 

What did he tighten that fixed it before? Surface rust on the flywheel disappears the first time the clutch slips.
A loud pop and the car not driving sounds like maybe an axle popped out of the transmission. You mentioned your friend was not experienced at car repairs so he may have not installed the axles properly. If the clutch pedal feels right and if you can start the engine. Make sure all the gears are there. Does it shift properly an the lever not flop around with no direction?

If the clutch needs to be bled you will not be able to shift into a gear with the engine running but it will shift with the engine off.

 

Andy pretty much covered everything.

I adjust my linkage in 4th gear.

Popping sound seems more like an axle though. Definitely look at clutch pressure as well to see if it was bled properly.

But if the linkage is whats popping off, the shifter may not be aligned properly.