I have a 1996 Mitsubishi Galant S with a manual transmission and when i step on the gas pedal in first gear the car doesnt move. When I put the car in reverse, it doesnt move. Prior to this happening my belt was making a loud noise. When the car was driveable it wouldnt accelerate.

the trans needs to be removed from car to repair, it can be rebuilt if needed

Check your linkage if ok ....... you have trans issues most likely torque converter ? ?. Mike J

Your transmission is shot.It will have to be rebuilt.Or a different trans put into it. Not a cheap repair.$3000 end up. Thats what happens for buying a over price toy guy.

it may be in limp mode if you have a transmission problem check eng light on?

Your Have to check your clutch lining it might be worn out. Your have to call mechanic to do this job because he will put down the entire transmission to replace that parts. This Problem Call Clutch Sliding.

try this.you have 2 shifter cables.one is select cable the other is shift cable.first put the transmission selector lever in neutral.then move transmission shift lever to 4th gear.depress clutch to if necessary to shift.move the shift lever to the 4th gear position until contacts stop.then you turn the adjuster turn buckle so the shift cable eye aligns with the eye in the gear shift lever.when installing the cable eye. make sure the flange side of plastic bushing at the shift cable end is on the cotter pin side.the cables should be adjusted so the clearance between the shift lever and both stoppers are equal when the shift lever is moved to 3rd and 4th gear. move the shift lever to each position and check that the shifting is smooth.

Ck transmission fluid level wit trans in neutral. set parking brake

Could be a few things:

1. Low on auto transmission fluid; this would cause you to lose a few of the forward gears (reverse is used less often so its the last gear to go Start the car and add fluid to the specified markings on the Auto Transmission dipstick
2. Bad auto transmission fluid; Check the fluid, if its brown and gives off a burning smell, it needs changing along with the filter
3. Bad transmisssion; if neither of the above are true, then it sounds like the clutches have burned out on the transmission or the transmission itself is bad; if 1 or 2 hasn't solved your issue the car needs to be diagnosed at a reputable transmission shop; Make sure they lay out all of your options and if you decide to have a major transmission repair done, the Kelly Blue Book value on a similar car similarlly equipted in exellent condition is about $6,800 retail

I hope this leads you in the right direction. Don't be afraid to post back with any questions. Best of luck.
Greg

Don't know if you ever got this fixed, but my guess is it's a bad throttle position sensor.

check transmission fluid.