Holden Barina Spark Problems

A sharp clicking noise from under the dashboard when you press or release the clutch is almost certainly going to be down to a sticky or dry clutch-pedal pivot. It could also be the clutch cable itself, but for the 2013 model year, Holden switched to a hydraulic clutch for the Barina, so that rules out a cable noise. But I’ll stick with the theory that something connected to the clutch pedal is either sticking or dragging against something under there are causing the noise; there’s a fair bit going on under the dash of a modern car. A few minutes with a torch, a keen ear and a can of penetrating fluid might yield a good result.

Your problem could be a gear-selection issue within the gearbox or the selector linkages, but it’s also very likely to be a clutch problem instead. Many people think that the first sign of a worn clutch is one that slips when you accelerate. And in many cases, that’s so. But sometimes, you can have a clutch that wears differently and, in that case, an early symptom can be difficulty in selecting gears from a standing start as the clutch refuses to disengage completely. As the problem progresses, you might find it difficult even to select higher gears once you’re moving.

A workshop should be able to diagnose what’s going on, but we definitely wouldn’t be rushing out to replace the gearbox when a much simpler, cheaper clutch replacement might very possibly put things right.

You could try to get one from a dealer, or an auto parts shop such as Bursons, or try a wrecking yard for a second hand one.

Yes, I would suspect that there is an underlying issue that hasn’t been addressed. I would be having a compression test done on the engine to see if it could be a blown head gasket or something similar.

You should insist on having the problem resolved, if that means replacing the gearbox then so be it. But I wouldn't insist on replacing the gearbox straight up, as the cause of the problem might not be the gearbox.