can be lots of things,,, 4wd or 2wd, must i guess that?let me guess, easy, and cheap first. ok? no need to go hog wild on guessing, at your expense ,no?>
- all vitara/tracker/sidekicks, all have the 2 plastic fittings in the shift box, go, well, to dust, or crack, and then the shift lever bounces and goes out of gear or in fact was never fully in 5th gear, detents.
- loose bottom rear transmission mount, (beat to death)
- shift rails failing, (detent failure (springs and balls)
- burned up fork on 5th gear, due to running trans dry. or near or GL4 fluild looks like, tar and metal filings ; ever consider do ing the service on that, drain and fill, running it on 24year old gear lube?
- the 2 front rubber plugs love to fall out (glued in) and then GL4 slowly is lost and gears/bearings and forks are wrecked.
- bad 5th gear bearing, rear.
- bad 5th gear front bearing. if flops about, and jumps out of gear.
- 5th gear synchro ring, broken, causing ill fitting 5th gear DOGS
bearing 30 and 31 are the 2 bearings mention above.the last guy with 5th failing gear 35 , spins were wrecked.running trans near dry,. expensive fix. with new cluster 26see plastic 27 below. that page even shows how to run and shift trans with extension housing off, to prove the box is good or bad, such a deal , no ?
http://www.fixkick.com/tranny/5speed-rebuild.html