After having my 2nd Manual tranny rebuilt since I bought my Max, I have a question. Is there some kind of shift limiter or something that makes it impossible for you to shift into a lower gear when you've been driving in, say 5th gear, for a long period of time?

I ask this question because ever since I got the tranny rebuilt the second time, I can be driving in 5th gear for awhile, then exit an off-ramp and not be able to shift directly into say 3rd or 2nd gear after taking the car out of gear and coasting to a stop/slower speed. Am I doing something wrong by shifting my car this way? In order to engage the transmission into a lower gear, I have to put it back into 5th gear, and then downshift in to the lower gears in order (5th -> 4th -> 3rd -> etc...) Is this normal, or is there something VERY, VERY wrong going on here? I believe my car is still under warranty for the tranny, so if I need to take it back and have them redo it, I need to do so within the next week. I have no other transmission issues other than what seems to be "notchy-ness" and the occasional tranny shake when taking off from a complete stop, even though I had the engine/tranny mounts redone during the rebuild.

Please help me. As always, your input and opinions are ALWAYS appreciated.

 

if it's more than a bit of resistance while your moving which goes away once your in the rev range for that gear, you need to take it back and tell them whats going on. That is not normal at all.

may I ask why you've gone through two trannys?

 

I'm on my 3rd tranny here too. blew the 2nd one to bits with an ACT clutch...

but no, that's not normal. it may just be cheapo fluid you've got in there, but definitely bring it up with the mechincs.

when you come to a stop, are you putting it in neutral, then coasting to a stop, or do you push the clutch in and leave it in gear until you're stopped?

 

Tranny shake possibly clutch related. Notchiness of gear shift indicates either worn synchromesh (not likely in a NEW tranny, right?), problem with the tranny detents or... ....clutch needing adjusting.
No, it is def not normal to not be able to skip a gear or two when changing up or down. Either the tranny has an internal problem, your shifter linkage is worn or you have incorrect oil level / grade of oil in the tranny. Check oil level first, clutch adjustment second & suspect tranny last.

 

Guys...

Thanks so much for your input and advice. I always know where to come back for advice about the ride. U guys R the best!!!

@Matt93SE --> I guess what I'm doing is how U described it earlier; taking the car out of gear and coasting to a complete stop, then pressing in on the clutch and engaging it in whichever gear I think it should be in (2nd - 4th, especially if I don't have to come to a complete stop at the light). I asked the guy at the transmission shop if there's anything I can do differently while driving to make the tranny last, and his main piece of advice was to make sure to ALWAYS come to a complete stop before putting it in reverse, and to press all the way down on the clutch when shifting gears. That was the extent of his advice.

I realize that what I'm doing may not be the proper way of driving with a manual transmission, but I've been driving manuals for a couple of years now, and it's all I know. The only other car that I've driven with a manual tranny was my little 86 Sentra. If U have better advice for me, please share it with me -- I'm always open for a better way, especially since rebuilt tranny's are so damned expensive to get fixed...

Other than this issue, I don't feel any gear slippage at all, and the car responds pretty well to what I make it do. Acceleration is fine with what I've got, but I just wanted to check in with the experts and find out if I have a legitimate beef, or if it's something that I may be doing to cause the problem. I don't normally drive my car hard at all, just predominantly commuting miles. I drove it to Las Vegas about a month or so ago, and I don't recall having that problem during the trip -- and as a matter of fact, the old girl took the trip extremely well. The weird thing about it is that it only seems to happen when I exit an off-ramp that has a pretty good decline (i.e., 110/PCH exit in Harbor City/Wilmington --almost always happens here).

Thanks again, guys!!!

 

You're driving's not "wrong" with the manual - except taking it out of gear & coasting to a stop in neutral (and that's just a bad habit you've developed). That doesn't necessarily wreck the tranny - but you're no longer in complete control & you'd fail your licence if you did that with a tester. Better to change down thru the gears - helps with braking & your pads will last longer. Listen to the guys that drive 18-wheelers - they change down thru the gears & use the exhaust brake because they can maintain control of their rig.
BTW: if you can change gears smoothly without using clutch (by matching engine revs to road speed), clutch adjustment could be problem with notchiness.

 

Thanks for all the advice, bros!

Unfortunately, my problem came to a head about 4 days ago. I was taking my children to the movies and the car started making all kinds of weird, loud noises when I changed gears. It was very difficult to change gears at all, then finally the clutch hit the floor and wouldn't re-engage. Came to find out that the slip cylinder had broken (had no pressure) and the clutch was completely gone. Also, the bearing housing was worn internally, and wasn't replaced during the last tranny overhaul. The fix: Replace the clutch ($98 - had a 6mo. warranty from the overhaul which had, unfortunately, expired last month), replace the slip cylinder ($65), replace the bearing housing ($140), and another $55 for something else I can't quite remember. All totalling $358 (parts only - not charging me for labor since he gave me a 1-yr warranty on the overhaul 7 months ago). The car should be done by tomorrow, but I may not have the entire amount for him, so I may have to wait another week before I pick it up.

@nismobaron... I have NO IDEA why I've gone through two trannys on this car. I think it was in ill repair when I first bought it over 2 years ago now, so I bet that 's the reason for the first time. The second time is because they told me that the whole thing needed to be overhauled, so I had it redone because it wasn't driving well at all.

Q: I don't understand what you're saying with regards to changing gears w/o using the clutch by matching engine revs to road speed. Does that mean that if I'm going from 0-10mph, I can change gears at 1K RPM, 11-20mph@2K rpm, 21-30mph@3K rpm, and so on??? I'm not so sure about that, so please enlighten me.

Also, if anyone has any recommendations for a good, reliable mechanic that I can go to, please let me know. I'm also looking for a bodyshop that's reasonable. I have to fix the front passenger door/fender from a minor traffic disagreement a few months ago (please see my website if you need a visual of what I'm referring to).

Thanks!

 

if by slip cylinder you mean slave cylinder that definitly sounds like it could of been your problem but there definitly making money on this those prices are inflated hella especialy if by bearing housing you mean throwout bearing because thats a 20$ part ask them if thats inside the trany or not and 98$ for a clutch isnt to bad but i assume thats just the clutch disc and not the presure plate

 

@subs100w...

My understanding it was the slip cylinder that was part of the problem (never heard of it, maybe he means the slave cylinder ). The throwout bearing was already replaced in the last overhaul, so I'm pretty positive that's not what he's referring to in this case (I recall he told me when I had it overhauled earlier this year that the throwout bearing was all chewed up). According to the mechanic, it's the casing for the bearing housing that's gotten worn out on the inside. The clutch disc may be what it is that he's referring to (the normal price of it is $140 plus labor - he was able to get it discounted for me), but I'm not 100% sure about that. I'm not sure what part of the clutch would have been damaged as a result of the slip (or slave) cylinder failing in the way mine did. Another topic for another discussion maybe. . .

I know I need to learn this stuff, but it's a bit too late for that this time, I guess...

Thanks for the advice, though

peace2u