notchy 2nd gear and loose shifter

[AlphaAssault]

firstly, the shifter in my car is very loose. in any gear, it moves around quite a bit. im pretty sure it doesnt have anything to do with the transmission itself because the shifts are generally smooth and never once have i had a gear grind. the loose-feeling shifter isnt a problem, but i would prefer it to feel more solid. how to i eliminate the play in the shifter?

secondly, 2nd gear is hard to get into most of the time. it doesnt grind, it just wont let me engage the gear. i have to wait a second before it will actually slip into gear. every now and then i wont have to wait on it, but for the most it feels like i have to wait for something to move out of the way before the shifter will fully engage. every other gear is fine. like the shifter, this is more of a nuisance than an actual problem; but still, could anyone tell me whats up with 2nd and how to fix it?

 

[chris9149]

You might want to look at the actual shifter and the mounting of it inside the car and see if that might be loose/messed up. I know when I first got my car I thought there was something wrong with the transmission because the shifting always felt messed up but it turned out to the shifter base thing wasn't secured down right. Might be worth checking out since it would only take a minute to peek down in there.

 

[Zmann42087]

yeah, definitely sounds more shifter related.. pull off that center console and look everything over.

As far as not being able to get in second right away, I used to have the same trouble with first gear. Like when I came to a stop sign, I'd come to a stand still and try to put it in first but it never would go in gear right away. I had this problem until last summer when I changed out the stock rubber shifter base bushings with some Urethane bushings from Energy Suspension. I got them to stiffen up the gear box a little and take some of the notchiness out, but I was pleasantly surprised when it not only did that but also took out that first gear hesitation problem.

 

[96mitsugsx]

Try checking your shifter bushings.

 

[Hefty 14]

Replace your bushings first. Then if you're still having problems with second gear, then you probably have a bad synchro. Does double clutching allow you to shift into second easily?

 

[AlphaAssault]

Well, i took out the center console and quickly found the problem: the metal washers that are supposed to secure the shift handle to the rest of the assembly were woefully loose. so, i replaced the washers with some that fit better, and now the shifter has a firm, positive feel.

as for 2nd however, this helped, but didnt eliminate the issue. i still have to wait a fraction of a second before it will go into gear. still no grinding, but its still the only gear i have to wait on to engage. i discovered the other night, though, that if i floor it, then shift from 1st to 2nd, that i still have to wait a bit, but not nearly as long. lets say i have to wait .5 of a second for 2nd gear under normal driving. when im really hammering on it and try to shift from 1 to 2, i only have to wait for .2 of a second. its noticeable only because every other gear goes in instantly and smoothly, but higher revs certainly seem to decrease the shift time for 2nd gear. does this sound like a syncro, or something else?

 

[brownfinger]

its my understanding that the 1g trans. is notorious for the 2nd gear issue. My 93 has been that way since 95. My brother had a 92 that developed the problem before 60k miles. I lived with it for 12 years/150k miles. One day not long back I decided to try pennzoil synchro-mesh transmission oil. Figured I had nothing to loose since it was starting to not want to go into 1st, 2nd, or 3rd without grinding. New trans and clutch, $1000-2000? Or $20 worth of oil? Shifts like butter (butter being good) now. I might try those urethane bushings though.

 

[AlphaAssault]

see, ive heard mixed things about penzoil syncromesh. general opinion seems to be that it is best for colder climates. im thinking about changing my tranny fluid to see if that helps the 2nd gear issue any. any other suggestions on a good tranny oil that isnt synthetic and wont kill the syncros?

 

[gsxkid81]

I have the same problem, the problem being in the shifter its self, the plastic bushings are missing or busted, that allows the shifter to move to far left at an angle, thus making the bottom of the shift assembly hit on a tab that sits up from the shifter plate. That being the problem, who can answer where to get these bushings that need replacing?