1994 6GC GT M/T Problem...Help???, Transmission keeps popping out of gear. Options

[BigDeeDub]

[size="3"][size="3"]I have just purchased my first 6G Celica and believe it or not, it was dream come true. Not too many for sale in Washington State anymore. After a brief test drive, I purchased the car for $2300. I felt like I got a good deal. The body was flawless, just some faded clear coat on top, but I didn't care about that. At the time of the test drive, the car shifted smoothly and the clutch was strong and the pedal pressure was great. I felt like the car was in excellent driving condition, so I drove it for 180 miles to Portland, OR from Tacoma, WA. The car ran great until I arrived in Portland. I was at a stop light, when the light turned green , I gave it a normal amount of throttle and let off the clutch lightly, then I heard a pop come from the transmission area , the engine revved up and the car wouldn't move. the clutch pedal was still hard, the car would go into gear, but the transmission would not engage and move the car. The car was towed to the nearest shop and I was told it would cost about $1000 dollars to do the clutch job.

OK..here is where it gets weird. When the tow truck lowered the car back onto the pavement, the transmission engaged again and i was able to drive it again for about a week with not problems. Then one day i was merging onto the highway with a slight incline and I heard something pop againg and the transmission disengaged and the engine revved freely again. Clutch Pedal still hard, stick moves freely into gears with no movement from the car. This second time when i tried fourth gear, i felt/heard a rumbling sound...

Can anybody please tell me what's going on with my beloved 94 Celica GT ?
Do I need a clutch job or a new transmission?
Thank You for any responses.

This post has been edited by BigDeeDub: Apr 12, 2013 - 2:31 AM

[Box]

Well, if it will magically go into gear again there's an easy way to test the clutch. Hit 35 mph and throw it into 5th, then try to accelerate. If it steadily gains speed the clutch is good. If the RPM's go up and you don't gain speed the clutch is bad/on the way out.

Perhaps it's the shift linkage, or could be something more serious. Hard to tell without being there in person. Though if with the car running and clutch pushed in you can move through all the gears, the clutch is working to some extent.