Last hope for my GSX

[eclipsh]

Hmmm, he already checked the gears. and the tranny goes through the gears fine. So the problim is from the cables to the shift lever. I'd open up the sides of the console again and peer into the shifter base. Could something be there lodged? Or either the shift cables are bent/kinked/rusted inside the cable cover.

This is good advice. If the transmission goes into gear by hand under the hood you've got problems with the mounting points, cables or the shifter assembly. I'd disconnect the cables at the shifter and try moving the shifter around to see what is happening. Then I'd disconnect the cables under the hood and try pushing them in and out to see if they are moving freely.

Did you ever have anyone row through the gears while you were watching under the hood? You might also want to take your hood off, sit in the passenger seat and watch the cable ends as you shift to see if the movement seems appropriate to how you are moving the sifter (if you can get a good line of sight anyway).

 

[Srt4RacerDave]

Well what exactly am I looking for? The problem can't be the actual cables themselves, as I replaced them. When I move the shifter around, what am I looking for? The shifter is VERY hard to move back and forth, it has a ton of resistance.

NEW UPDATE------- DID SOME TESTS

Had a friend come over and help me out. Here's what we found out. When the ENGINE IS OFF, it shifts into every gear with very little resistance. With the ENGINE RUNNING, the bottom gears won't go in and the ones that do go in are VERY HARD to put in. Reserve grinds when the engine is running, but it did that before. I also bled the clutch, and that seemed to help, but it is definately still not right. What's the next step? Someone mentioned something about shimming the pivot ball when I did the clutch. Wondering if that could be the problem/ or a bent shift fork? When I did the clutch, exactly 527 mile ago, I inspected the fork and it was in good shape. Since I was breaking in the clutch, the car saw no abuse.

 

[dsm-onster]

Crank walk?

 

[Srt4RacerDave]

Cough 6 bolt cough. Haha. But in all seriousness, what next?

 

[Morphius]

Per all the suggestions before with links to TRE's/Jack's, is the release lever in the proper postion? (about centered in the opening on the bellhousing?) Have someone actuate the clutch, does the release lever move a decent amount?

 

[Morphius]

Crank walk?

(Cough) wiseman? (Cough)

 

[eclipsh]

What I was suggesting above were methods of testing all the components you can in order to eliminate possible problems. Since none of us are there to do anything we can't feel what is happening and have to rely on your responses. What I'm trying to do is narrow down the list of possibilities. Here's the checklist I'm doing:

1: Will it go into gear with the engine off while using the shifter?
Yes: The problem is not in the shifter linkage. Time to check for the clutch releasing properly, go to step 2.
No: There is a problem with the shift forks/gears or the shifter assembly/cables etc, go to step 3.

2. Is there air in the clutch lines? Has it been bled properly in accordance with the factory repair manual or other credible source (clear hose on the bleeder so you can see if any air bubbles are still coming out).
Yes: continue to bleed while keeping master cylinder full until no more air bubbles are escaping and pedal feel is firm from 1 inch of travel onward.
No: Possible issues with clutch step height, shift fork or pivot ball.

3. Check the shifter assembly for unimpeded movement. Disconnect the cables at the transmission and move the shifter around. Does it move freely?
No: fix issues with shifter not moving properly.
Yes: Check that the bracket at transmission is properly secured. Check that the base of the shifter is properly secured. If these do not fix problem but transmission will shift into gears by using levers at the transmission shift linkage is likely adjusted wrong. Adjust linkage until shifter properly selects gears.

Honestly, at this point my bet is that you had issues with hydraulics, replaced those but didn't bleed the system right then went on to replace your shifter cables but didn't get them adjusted right. So now even when you get the clutch bled properly you will not be able to select gears because the cables need adjustment. An easy way to test is to put the car in first with the engine off, push the clutch in and try to start it. If the car tries to move your clutch isn't disengaging and you need to fix that before you can address anything else.

So... I'd make damn sure there was NO air in your clutch lines (use the clear tubing I mentioned and consider buying a speed bleeder for the slave so no air can get back in). Then once I was sure the clutch was disengaging properly I'd work on adjusting the shifter cables as per the factory manual (buy the CD if you haven't yet). If both of those AND all the steps above fail to fix the problem THEN I'd look into draining the transmission to see if any metal comes out and go from there.

EDIT: Did you ever check to see if your clutch pedal assembly has failed? 1G cars had a very poorly designed pedal. http://www.machv.com/1gdsmclpelej.html

 

[92 GSR-4]

Eclipsh is all over it.

I don't care if you threw a new flywheel in or not. Anytime you use a heavier pressure plate you MUST check step height. I use a chromoly ACT flywheel that had to be stepped. Also, throwing in a new master/slave cylinder in doesn't compensate for bad step, improper clutch bleeding or a worn pedal assembly. Again, I suggest you actually read and comprehend the TRE FAQ, since it absolutely covers ALL this and will lead you to solve your problem.

If it goes into gear when the car is off but won't when its on, this is called "gear blocking". It is caused by the clutch not disengaging properly. This is common in 1G's.

If you are using an original 1G clutch fork, I suggest you buy the new style (2G style) from the dealer. They superseded all the 1G forks for the 2G anyway, so just order it for your car and it will be the newer style. 1G forks are prone to bending, the new style will hold up better.

 

[Srt4RacerDave]

The clutch has been bled properly. That is not the problem. The clutch fork is in good condition as well. I have read the FAQ. It's been suggested 4+ times, do you think I ignored that? I didn't put in a new flywheel, I just put in a new plate. The fidanza flywheels have replaceable plates. I don't think that this problem would just emerge 500 miles later after doing the clutch if that flywheel wasn't stepped correctly. I'm trying to solve this problem without having to drop the transmission. I'm going to work on what Eclipsh posted tomorrow. Thanks all, keep the advice coming.

Update..When I pull back the boot on the slave cylinder and I run my finger on it, there was a small amount of brake fluid on my finger. Not a lot, but it was definately noticeable. The carpet undernearth wasn't wet though. Could this be a sign that the slave cylinder is bad?