Didnt really know where to post this question but I know the people in here a much more knowledgeable than the 4th gen forums so I figured Id give it a shot. Recently me car has had trouble getting into 3rd and 5th gear. I can slam the shifter in place and it will stay but its not near as smooth as it used to be and it just feels like something is off. A few times I thought I was in 5th and hit the gas and the car had just stayed in neutral. Any ideas on what could be the problem? Shifter rods maybe? Car and tranny have 98000 miles and I replaced the tranny fluid with Amsoil synthetic 10-15000 miles ago. Any help is appreciated, thanks guys

Grant

Note - I have a B&M STS with a polyurethane bushing

 

syncros might be on the way out. check your gear oil and make sure its all there and the driverside axle has no leaks.

 

Does it grind at all when you try to put it in 3rd or 5th? If it grinds its prolly the synchros(?)
If not probbaly the rods or the shift fork could be bent

 

How does the shifting feel with the car off?

 

No grinding when im trying to get it in gear, it just feels like it half way goes in.

 

Interesting find - I just tried that. When the car is off it shifts great. I turn the car on with the clutch in and keep hitting 1st, 3rd, and 5th and its fine. Once I let the clutch out for the first time with the car on and push it back in, 1st, 3rd, and 5th become much more difficult. I then pulled it back into 2nd and 4th which feel fine and then back to 1st, 3rd, and 5th and its like it resets itself - its easy to get back in those 3 gears again after hitting 2nd or 4th the first time I try it. But the second time I throw it back in any of those 3 gears after hitting 2nd or 4th it goes back to being hard again. Hope I didnt lose anyone there.

 

I'm sure you ran this past BlackMaxx96, what was his .02 cents?

I'm sorry G, I am not tranny literate.

Let us know what it was. (Hopefully nothing big, money to be 'hidden' in other ahem.....tasks)!

Swee

 

were not sure yet, but after driving to work tonite it only goes into 5th half the time....... i may just buy a 5th gen tranny which is stronger and put a phantom grip in it for the SC.

 

Almost sounds like your clutch isn't completely disengaging (i.e., you might have lost some clutch fluid (pretty common) and then air has gotten into the line).
Try this: with the engine off, put it into 1st gear. Depress the clutch and start the engine, keeping the clutch depressed and the tranny in 1st. Then very slowly let the clutch out, trying to get a sense of how far the pedal comes off the floor before you can feel the clutch starting to engage and the revs start to drop.
Normally that ought to be 1.5-2", but if air has gotten into the line that'll become less and less, eventually going to zero (which is what you may have).

 

Thanks Curt, Ill try that and let you know - im goin to change the oil now at a friends house.

 

You guys are never gonna believe this.......... I got under the car today and my polyurethane shifter bushing which Ive loved so much was shot! Ive only had it for like a year. The polyurethane block had become dislodged from the housing which would make sense that 1st 3rd and 5th were so mushy. Everytime I would shift forward it would push the block downward thus throwing off the throw of the shifter rod. To make things worse the stabilizer bar had cracked near the weld by the shifter end and actually broke off while I was under the car. So I had to take it out and have a friend weld it back together. As for the bushing, my friend Mike (blackmaxx96) put a screw through the plates and polyurethane block to keep it from moving at all. Hopefully he'll post pictures. Long story short it shifts better than ever before. And as for that 50$ polyurethane bushing............. have to say Im pretty disappointed.