Hard Shifting Tranny

[96lt1]

Hey all, man I am definately feeling what it's like to own a SHO again. I just spent all night dealing with rusted and breaking bolts on the rod shifter. Finally got it back in one piece and where it won't come apart on me anymore. Now that the shifter is like its supposed to be I took it for a test drive.
The problem I am having is mostly between 1st and 2nd gear. When I shift, it shifts very very hard. 2nd to 3rd is better but still a little hard. It's like the shifter hits something and then goes into gear, kinda hard to explain. Anyways, I am wondering if it is clutch related or tranny related? I have tried changing the fluid and I went with whatever Beth recomended. It didn't change anything. So, anyone have any idea what it is and what it is gonna take to fix it? I am hoping it is something that can be fixed with the tranny in the car. I do need to do a clutch so I guess if I have to pull the tranny to fix it thats what ill do. Other than this the tranny is ok.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanx

Sean

 

[dstig1]

On the 3 occasions I have changed tranny fluid, I always noticed hard shifting for the first few minutes of driving.

Redline MTL - really BAD for a while
Mobil 1 ATF - bad for only a few shifts
Redline D4 - somewhere between the other 2

If I bother to change it again (given the car's age that may not happen) I'll probably go back to Mobil 1 ATF.

What you are describing sounds like the tranny mechanism (blocker rings and cogs I think they call it) of the synchros being stubborn. They are engaging hard for you now. Could be the fluid type, could be age. 1st to 2nd has always been the toughest shift on this car (typicall for all cars, I think).

Either try a different fluid, or it may be tranny rebuild time. Or just live with difficult shifting.

BTW: It helps if you include some details like year, miles, previous work done to help narrow the options.

-Dave
'92, 140k

 

[SHOman247]

sean i bet you money it's blocking rings or the syncro's themselves. Does it grind at all when you try and shift it like normal?

 

[96lt1]

Gregg, that is kinda what I am thinking. It doesn't grind at all when I shift through any of the gears. If I shift normal and slow it is fine, it just has that hesitation. Are the blocking rings and synchros something we could do when we put the clutch in or is it a little more time consuming? Unfortunately I am not an expert on manual trannies. Word on the street though is that you are becomnig quite the expert on them. :big grin:

talk to ya later

Sean

 

[Bizzy]

Sean, changing the blocking rings doesn't take that long to do. For obvious reasons the time to replace them is when the tranny is down for the clutch change. When are you guys doing the work?

 

[96lt1]

Sean, changing the blocking rings doesn't take that long to do. For obvious reasons the time to replace them is when the tranny is down for the clutch change. When are you guys doing the work?

Well, we haven't really talked about an exact time to do it all. I would liket o get it done before Lapeer beacuse that is the one thing I don't know if I trust. Gregg says he can do a tranny in a day and that he could probably help me. I'll let ya know once we get a time figured out and maybe we could make it a party? My problem right now is time. Not to mention while I was fixing my rod shifter I noticed my CV boot is torn. Lucky for me I have some good axles off my old parts car. Seems like if it's not one thing it's another.
Lastly, how much do blocking rings cost? By the sound of them they don't seem too expensive. Is it something I can change or r they better left for the professionals?

Sean

 

[batchman]

In my case hard shifting is DEFINITELY due to the clutch, not the trans. My clutch is no longer disengaging completely, even with all adjustment and foot to the floor.

Symptoms include hard to put into gear, any gear, from neutral. OK, I leave it in the gear I'll need when I shut it off LOL. Also on level ground in 1st/reverse it'll creep like an automatic. Other clues amount to real trouble shifting unless the revs are matched very very well, which thankfully I can do with no problem.

Looking forward to a new clutch before this all puts a hurt on my trans!
- Jeff