installed Shep built tranny... need HELP!!

[allturbo]

First of all, I really wanted to get a hold of John before I went to these boards, but I guess he's out for the weekend already and I need opinions on my problem as soon as possible.

I just installed a Shepherd built tranny in my 97 gst. I also put in a new ACT 2100, stepped flywheel, t/o bearing, pivot ball, and fork along with the tranny. As of now, it is very difficult to get into 2nd gear. It will only go into 2nd on a 1-2 shift or if the car is not moving. This is not guaranteed however, as the gates usually get blocked preventing the shift into 2nd. However, one thing is for sure, it will not go into second gear on a downshift at anytime. I've tried rev matching, pushing the clutch several times, nothing seems to work.

Before anyone suggests checking the clutch hydraulics, just know that the system was bleed and both the slave and master cylinder was rebuilt less than 10k miles ago. Also, the trans will go into any other gear w/o grinding indicating the clutch is disengaging properly.

Here is a couple of my thoughts on the problem. This could be just a break-in thing (which I hope). Might be the thick and crappy gear oil I'm using for break in (coastal 80w-90). Could be a problem with the shift linkage/ cables. Lastly, maybe something got messed up during the shipping from Ohio to California.

Does anyone with good tranny knowledge know what could be causing this? Even when I shift into 2nd on the 1-2 shift, if I put it into neutral then try to go back into 2nd, it won't go (blocked gate). Is there something different mechanically to get into 2nd gear on a downshift than from 1st? Doesn't seem like it should matter, but thought I would ask since it only goes in on the 1-2 shift. Any help on this would be great.

BTW, please don't asked for my opinion on how I feel about the tranny right now. Since I got a couple bugs to work out, I want to reserve my opinion on his work until the trans is broken in and the problems are sorted out. For all I know the trans could have been built perfectly and the problem was caused by something I did, or from mishandling during shipping.

 

[allturbo]

Anyone have any ideas??? I was able to shift from 4th to 2nd once. I tried a couple times tonight and all I get is a blocked gate. Funny thing was the motor died twice when i tried doing this.

I'm going to try moving the base plate of the shifter around to see if it does anything. Has anyone experienced the gear selector on the tranny being damaged? I think that could be a possibilty given the condition of the package when it arrived.

 

[Cirus_93TSI]

u might want to check the bushings on ur shift linkage, i had a similar problem, it was absolutly impossible for me to downshift to first, and it was very notchy and unsmooth downshifting into second
i assume by "blocked gate" u mean that 2nd seems to just not be there, as if there was a wall put inbetween neutral and second, my second gear felt exactly like that when u upshifted from 1st to 2nd, sometimes i would pull back shifting into 2nd it would feel like there was no gear there, like i hit a wall, or as if the gate to 2nd was blocked

what was wrong was that my left to right linkage bushing(the one that connects the linkage to the trans, located directly under my intake tube) was completly blown out, there was no bushing left at all, the ring was sitting losely on the pin, i pulled it off wih my hand without even removing the cotter pin from the linkage pin

i replaced them with solid brrass bushings from dsmparts, now i can downshift through every gear without any trouble, if u have gotten it into 2nd when upshifting then its not a tranny problem, it has to be something wrong with ur linkage, theres lots of linkage parts to check though, dont overlook anything

 

[allturbo]

Thanks for the info. It's exactly how you describe, it feels like you're hitting a wall or something and cannot get into gear.

I'm going to check the cables and linkage as soon as possible. Anything else obvious that I should look for besides the bushings? When I put them on they looked fine to me, but I'll recheck anyways.

 

[allturbo]

what the heck could it be???

I just checked the bushings and everything there seemed in order. Looking further, I noticed that one of the bracket bolts that hold the cables to the top of the bell housing was coming off. I thought this would solve my problem, but no such luck. I also took the center console off to look at things and nothing was out of the ordinary. I'm at a loss of what to do. Any other ideas would be great.

 

[wastefuldreamer]

Call shep and ask him. Did u double synchro 2nd?

 

[TRBOTSI]

check and see if the shift selector arms are hitting your upper ic piping...And make sure the cables are adjsusted properly....

 

[allturbo]

I'm definately going to call Shepherd as soon as he gets back to his shop, which is probably tomorrow.

Anyways, I did all the obvious checks like ic piping, bushings, etc. My car is a 97, so it came stock with double synchro 2nd. Also, as far as I know, 2G cables cannot be adjusted. I just find it weird that I can go into 2nd gear (not all the time) on an upshift or when the car is not moving, but can't downshift into 2nd worth a damn.

 

[allturbo]

Well just to close off this thread, it turns out to be a break-in thing. I talked to John and he said that fwd transmissions have a higher bearing preload or something and that my situation is normal.

Anyways, thanks to those who replied. I'll probably post a review on the rebuild when it's fully broken in. BTW, if anyone was curious, I got the standard rebuild along with heavy duty 3rd/ 4th gears and shift forks.