2nd gear shifting?

[spadepro22]

At high rpm levels(6-7000rpm) I cant get into 2nd gear without grinding unless I let the rpms fall to about 5500rpms. The rest of the gears I can take to 7000rpm and shift fine. I want to upgrade but dont know if it is worth it. Im not trying to get over 350awhp and most of the upgrades Ive seen support way more than that and Im not sure if a stage 1 or economy stage will be strong enouf. What upgrade would I look for to stop this second gear problem and where should I be looking to purchase?

 

[crash89]

A rebuilt trans... No but really, sounds like your 2nd gear syncros are going. The car was most likely abused a lot by its previous owners. You COULD get away with tearing it apart yourself and replacing them, but Im not really sure what all that entails. Maybe Tim will jump in here and fill that part in!

 

[EagleT2000]

I have a friend who had the same problem (it was in a celica though) his problem was his clutch pedal wouldn't go all the way down to the floor but it only grinded in second like what your saying. Try checking your clutch pedal adjustment? Also if I were to do a rebuild I'd go with a sheptrans stage one.

 

[DSMBanditFZ6]

I would say syncros, I had the same problem except I had to shift at a much lower rpm. They might not be completely ruined just yet but they will get there.

Check out jacktransmissions.com they have pretty competitive prices, just get a double syncro in the next one.


Have a good one"

 

[spadepro22]

Im lost when it comes to this tranny thing, so what spline do I have? Car is a 93tsi awd(1g 7 bolt). Im asking just in case I dont have the down time to do a rebuild. Its possible that Ill have to get one that is already rebuilt and want to make sure its going to bolt right in with the setup I already have. The only thing I hate is swapping my tranny(only 2nd gear problem) as a core.

 

[DSMBanditFZ6]

Im lost when it comes to this tranny thing, so what spline do I have? Car is a 93tsi awd(1g 7 bolt). Im asking just in case I dont have the down time to do a rebuild. Its possible that Ill have to get one that is already rebuilt and want to make sure its going to bolt right in with the setup I already have. The only thing I hate is swapping my tranny(only 2nd gear problem) as a core.

My reasoning is that there is only 1 local shop here and I told them my problem with the syncros, they told md 1200$ w/o parts when a brand new one is 80o to 900$. I would rather have a new one at that price. I know it sucks when your car is down, mines been down for 3 months, its cold, and all I have is a motorcycle . Just got to be patient when you don't have all the money in the world.

Good luck man!

 

[spadepro22]

Would a stage 1 or something with double sycros stop this problem? 350 awhp is wax

Does anyone know if TRE has got better with ther customer service?

 

[scott90gsx420]

Would a stage 1 or something with double sycros stop this problem? 350 awhp is wax

Does anyone know if TRE has got better with ther customer service?

If 350AWHP is all you want a normal rebuild with double syncros will work just fine.. My tranny will grind going into 1st,3rd,and4th and has since i got the car.. I launch my car regularly and make at least 320whp and my tranny is still going..If you know how to launch the car properly you can make them last much much longer.. But thats for a different thread..
I say change oil, check clutch pedal adjustments and stuff and go from there.. If it were my car and only second was grinding and especially only up top.. Id swap fluids, wouldn't think anything of it and would continue about my day....

 

[pauleyman]

93 up already has double synchros assuming it's the original transmission. Tear it apart and fix it.

 

[spadepro22]

93 up already has double synchros assuming it's the original transmission. Tear it apart and fix it.

There isn't any tranny shops in my area to fix it that I would trust anyway. I sure can't myself. Sences it my dd, I can't afford the downtime. I'm thinking a stage 1 from a reputable shop to drop in would cure this. I'll just have to give up my tranny which only has the 2 gear up top problem away as a core .. Ive also switched from whatever was in it to pennzoil synchromesh and still the same thing

 

[pauleyman]

Maybe you aren't qualified, but why do you say that? DSMers seem to pride themselves on doing things on their own but I'm becoming more discouraged by the plethora of folks I see who won't try a timing belt or transmission synchro swap. For what it's worth I can tear down an AWD tranny to shafts and cases in 15 min. I've had a tranny removed, disassembled, synchros replaced, reassembled and ready to reinstall in 4 hours flat in a FWD. AWD add for downpipe and transfer. It's not difficult. Just methodical. If you're looking for something killer then the guys that specialize in transmission do have some specialized things they do but as far as shifting is concerned I dont' think there is any black magic. Not in my opinion anyway.

 

[Diamond Star Werks]

A rebuilt trans... No but really, sounds like your 2nd gear syncros are going. The car was most likely abused a lot by its previous owners. You COULD get away with tearing it apart yourself and replacing them, but Im not really sure what all that entails. Maybe Tim will jump in here and fill that part in!

I agree seems more like your syncros are bad. My stock tranny has no problem shifting into any gear at any rpm. I would think a stage one would be sufficient for 350awhp.

 

[spadepro22]

Maybe you aren't qualified, but why do you say that? DSMers seem to pride themselves on doing things on their own but I'm becoming more discouraged by the plethora of folks I see who won't try a timing belt or transmission synchro swap. For what it's worth I can tear down an AWD tranny to shafts and cases in 15 min. I've had a tranny removed, disassembled, synchros replaced, reassembled and ready to reinstall in 4 hours flat in a FWD. AWD add for downpipe and transfer. It's not difficult. Just methodical. If you're looking for something killer then the guys that specialize in transmission do have some specialized things they do but as far as shifting is concerned I dont' think there is any black magic. Not in my opinion anyway.

Dam, wish you were closer. Na I would love to learn but I don't have the tools and extra money for the shit I'd break in the learning process. Wonder what just getting the 2nd gear synchros changed out would run? I just don't want to be assed out if that didn't solve my problem tho

 

[95eclispe]

I would say just suck it up and get a rebuild kit and find someone that can do it for you that honestly knows what theyre doing. or google shops in your town and ask their advice about it. but sounds to me like your synchros too.

 

[gusu]

If you do rebuild your transmission you need to change the oil a few times in the first 5000 miles as the synchros bleed off into the gear oil.

I personally went with royal purple until the break in was done with.

What Lucas English told me was that the first 2000 miles were break in. But I kept checking my gear oil every 250 miles and after about 500 for the first 5k came out to dirty it needed to be changed.

 

[pauleyman]

I can't afford the downtime

So what are you going to do if you are racing etc and completely blow the car up?
I was an early victim of a 5th gear failure that blew a 3" hole in my transmission. The first Saturday that became available I fixed the transmission. I had a big socket (36m if memory serves) a punch pin and a hammer. That's it. A rebuild requires a little more than that. Press is just about a must and some way to get the end nuts off. Impact isn't recommended so what I did was buy a big impact socket and a tore apart a used clutch disc and welded the center out of it to the socket so I could hold the input shaft when tightening down the end nuts. I also had a set of lock ring pliers to make it easier to remove the lock ring on the viscous coupling. The job also requires a caliper/micrometer to measure a few things. Other than that it takes patience and a factory shop manual.