Third gear COMPLETELY OUT...synchro or what???

[tsi1991awd]

Been having tranny issues....we got the clutch done, clutch pedal lever replaced, new master slave all that shit. It is finally driving and shifting perfect....BUT now we ran into the problem on the tranny.

First gear is good...shift to second, it's good....shift to third and NOTHING. Doesn't grind, it just feels like the car is in neutral. Put the car in Neutral and it's in neutral....put it in fourth and it's in fourth. Fifth and reverse are fine. It just doesn't have third gear AT ALL.

Before when the clutch wasn't disengaging (leaking cylinders, clutch pedal lever play, etc. etc.) it would be stuck in gear when the handle in the car was in Neutral. Now, it'll shift through all gears....just have no 3rd.

What would this be? Synchro? Is the gear itself ####ed? It used to grind to shit when the clutch wasn't disengaging right, but now all gears are smooth as butter....no third at all though. We are tearing the tranny apart this weekend and seeing what the hell is up. Suggestions???

 

[BIRDCLAWTSi]

I would check the linkage at the tranny. Make sure the connections are good. Make sure that everything is moving the right way. Check the adjustments under the shifter too. Make sure the clutch master is bled out completelyIf all that checks out i would suspect the tranny. good luck.

 

[tsi1991awd]

Linkage is fine. I can even take the cables off and put the tranny into 3rd by hand and it still wont have anything. I believe it is something in the tranny but I dont know exactly what.

 

[FLASH1970]

I'm thinking shift fork. But, you won't know until you tear it apart.

 

[dsmornothing]

I'm thinking shift fork. But, you won't know until you tear it apart.

Its not a shift fork, our shift fork controls both 3rd and 4th, i blew my shift fork and slider apart and had no 3-4. im thinking you might have chewed off the teeth of your 3rd gear. were you pounding on it?

 

[tsi1991awd]

Let me go over the whole scenario real quick. I bought this 1990 and it had issues....the clutch grabbed right when you let off the floor, and it was grinding every time it was put into 3rd and sometimes 4th but 3rd was grinding to shit.

Supposedly this tranny was rebuilt in 2005. The guy that sold me the car was a total piece of shit and ripped me off for it. Don't need to get into all that shit though....with the clutch pedal lever being bad, leaking master and slave, etc. I'm sure he was beating on it or whatever beforehand and it finally gave out when I was driving.

I drove it home shifting slow into 3rd, and drove it on the next day, which was Monday. Was still grinding. Only drove to the store and home.

On TUESDAY (I bought the car on a Sunday night) I was driving to work, shifting normal wasn't romping on it....and it was grinding. Came to a stop light and rolled off, shifted to second it was fine....shifted to 3rd and NOTHING. Seemed like it was in neutral. I was like WTF is this??? So I went to neutral again and back into 3rd and it caught 3rd. Well, after that the car was STUCK in 3rd. I went to Neutral and whatever and it was stuck in gear...even though the shift brackets on the tranny itself AND the shifter inside the car were in the neutral position.

Then the car died on me because the alternator was toast...didn't know about that til later. Had it towed him and whatever.

FAST FORWARD to NOW and Andre thought it was clutch drag....we replaced the clutch, tranny shifts perfect when it is off of the car, clicks into all gears so I said OK maybe it just is the clutch...but before I thought it was something inside the tranny since it was sticking in 3rd gear.

WELL the clutch pedal lever was worn so we replaced that too, replaced all clutch components (master, slave, shift fork, pivot ball, clip, OEM TOB) all that shit. Then we test drive it and EVERYTHING shifts perfect...ALL GEARS except for 3rd. There is no 3rd gear AT ALL. You put it in third and let off the clutch and it does NOTHING...seems like you are in NEUTRAL. I put it into first, let off clutch and it died....put it in second, let off clutch and it died...put it in third, let off clutch and it just idled! Fourth, let off and it died. Fifth, let off and it died. So something isn't clicking with 3rd gear...don't know if the synchro ring shattered or if the gear itself is f#cked or what the deal is. That's why I'm trying to figure it out....either way, I'm sure the tranny needs to be taken apart

Its not a shift fork, our shift fork controls both 3rd and 4th, i blew my shift fork and slider apart and had no 3-4. im thinking you might have chewed off the teeth of your 3rd gear. were you pounding on it?

See the funny thing about that is when we drained the fluid, there was no metal in it whatsoever. I'd think since it was grinding so much there would've been something, but nope. Strange....

 

[FLASH1970]

Yeah, it sounds like your 3rd gear is toast. Maybe the guy drained the fluid right before you bought the car and got all the flakes, chunks, pieces out. If everything is fine other than 3rd gear, the trans needs to come out and be taken apart.

 

[njdaewoo]

What about the synchros? Would that cause the problem? What happens if u leave the car in 3rd gear (engine off) and start it up (no clutch pressed)? Does it lunge foward?

 

[tsi1991awd]

Yeah, it sounds like your 3rd gear is toast. Maybe the guy drained the fluid right before you bought the car and got all the flakes, chunks, pieces out. If everything is fine other than 3rd gear, the trans needs to come out and be taken apart.

Yea, could be a possibility. ####ing asshat...I should'nt have bought the car but I wanted it We live and learn I guess. Could be that 3rd was on its last leg and then just went byebye and didn't leave any metal behind. Don't know. I'm pissed off about it though

What about the synchros? Would that cause the problem? What happens if u leave the car in 3rd gear (engine off) and start it up (no clutch pressed)? Does it lunge foward?

Haven't tried that one yet. I am at work right now but when I'm off I will head to the shop and check it out. I'm thinking it is too far gone to do anything though....which blows donkey.