Think its time for a Tranny Rebuild

[Solorange]

So ive been noticing when I shift gears that the shifter doesnt slide into each gear as they used too. And every now and then my gears grind when the clutch pedal is fully pressed in. I think its time for a tranny rebuild. My car has 183,000 miles. Are there tranny rebuild kits I can buy. If so, have any of you tried one? Whats the cost range likely to be to have a tranny shop do this?

[Got2XLR8 NYX]

Does the pedal stick to the floor some times? Just wondering cuz I had the same symptoms plus the sticky pedal and I'm at 162k Miles. Got my master/slave cylinders changed and all the problems went away.

[chriscarter]

Hi - Your problem is in the clutch, not the gearbox. Check the clutch hydraulic fluid, if low top it up. You may have to bleed the system if it got too low and allowed some air into the line. Also understand that clutch master cylinders can bypass internally without leaking. If the fluid is full, but the pressure required to disengage the clutch is less than you remember, you may have a bad clutch master. The previous poster brought up this possibility too.

All this being said, you could also need the clutch internal components replaced...but start with the hydraulics. In terms of diagnosing a gearbox issue...you can't accurately diagnose that until you know the clutch is operating properly. Go step-by-step and eliminate the basic/easy stuff before moving on to major repairs. As I have mentioned on this forum before.......take the time to think through your problem and properly diagnose your driveability issue before throwing (often expensive) parts at your car.

PS - Driving on a worn clutch that doesn't properly disengage CAN damage internal gears and synchros.....address the clutch problem quickly and save even more money.

[Solorange]

I don't think my clutch assembly is an issue. The clutch releases in its normal spot. I replaced my clutch at 110,000 miles, so I have little over 70K on the current one and it bites just fine! Still can chirp the tires in second gear, despite the small chance of a slight gear grind when going into second (hence my theory of a tranny rebuild). The clutch hydraulic oil reservoir is full. The only issue with the clutch that Im aware of is I can hear a creak when I press the clutch pedal in. Is there anything else I should look at before I start getting estimates of a rebuild?

[Got2XLR8 NYX]

chriscarter i think went way to in-depth with diagnosing your problem... it is hard to go into some or all of the gears or is it just 2nd or 3rd... if there is a slight grind only on specific gears then I will say the synchros are bad. If this is not the case and it is occasionally hard to shift in or grinding on random gears then I will say that the problem is on your master and slave cylinders. Even though the fluid reservoir may be full, the cylinder may be malfunctioning not allowing or partially allowing the fluid to work the hydraulic that disengages the clutch thus making it hard to get into gear OR causing the grind due to the clutch only being partially disengaged.

[ThurzNite]

I've seen a few 5sp solaras with torn slave cyl boots. That'd be a good place to start too.

I wouldn't be surprised about worn synchros at 183k, esp if you got a performance clutch. With the stock clutch, you'd be granny shifting and taking your time, allowing the engine to slowly down-rev itself before shifting. With performance clutch, many drivers aren't patient enough for revs to drop, so they rely on the synchros to do the job.

Dr J

[chriscarter]

"way too in-depth"? Are you serious?

[Solorange]

I notice it takes a slight more effort to get into 1st and 2nd compared to the rest. This makes sense to me since these gears are used the most.

Today when starting up my car I put it in first gear to move foward and the gears grinded. I tried it a couple more times to see if it was repeatable and it was. I had the clutch pedal to the floor before I slide it into first gear. Once I got going the problem went away.

The only gears that occassionally grind are 1st and 2nd. No problems with the other gears. I also have a stock clutch.

I too have a gut feeling its the syncros going out. I will probably just find a good tranny shop to have a look.

[ThurzNite]

So it's worse when you first start driving, and kinda gets better car is warmed up? I had that symptom. In fact, on mornings when it's below freezing, It wouldn't go into 1st or reverse. After I switched to synthetic, never had that issue again, and grinds went bye-bye. I went with Amsoil, lemme know if u want the contact info of the Distributor I bought from.

Dr J