Can't go into gear..., Is it my clutch or clutch cable? Options

[White_GTS]

I can't put my car into any gears at all. I drove my car today and 4 hours later I tried to go out with my and I reliazed that I was not able to put the car into first gear. It won't even push up or down. Seems like it is jammed. But the strange thing is I can put it into gear when my car is turned off. So when the engine is off I can put it into any gear but not when the car is turned on. So now my car is left outside of my house I have no choice to get a truck to drag my car back to Toyota. Any idea what it could be?

Thanks....

[SpedToe169]

Sounds like the clutch is not disengaging (if it was worn out it would rev high and slip, totally different problem). There is no clutch cable, the pedal actuates a rod and a master cylinder (similar to the one for the brakes). This master cylinder has a hydraulic cable that goes to the clutch slave cylinder on the tranny. The fluid pressure caused by the movement of the master piston causes the slave piston to move and actuates the clutch fork which pushes on the clutch. There are a number of things that could go wrong. The master or the slave could be bad. If they are, you'll see them leaking brake fluid (thats whats used in clutch hydraulic systems) from around the pistons and/or seals. Second, the clutch line could be ruptured, again you'll see leaking fluid. Third, the clutch fork could be bent or broken. This isn't all that common but can happen. Theres no easy way to tell without taking everything apart, so eliminate everything else first. The last and most simple (and probably the most common) thing that could go wrong is that you could have some air in the system. The system has to be bled just like brakes. There is a bleeder screw on the master and one on the slave. Make sure you keep the resivor full while you bleed it, if it runs out you'll have to start over.