Hey guys. My trans has been doing this since i got it. At 1st i thought it was just me not knowing how to shift but the problem hasnt improved.
On the shift from first to second, i get a loud grinding sound that vibrates the stick, like it doesnt want to go into gear. At idle it goes in fine and downsifts into first just fine. It also seems to be intermittant. Sometimes it does it and others it shifts just fine, same rpms, i shift the same way. Any ideas??
I took a video of it last night but i have to upload it from my computer when i get hone.

 

Heres that video. Makes me cringe hearing it.

 

And like i said, its intermitant. A few minutes after this video on my way home, it stopped and i drove the 5 miles without it doing it once.

 

Sounds like synchros to me. Mine does it downshifting from 5th-4th unless my speed is below 20mph. It also does it sometimes from 2nd-3rd if I dont got the rpms just right.

 

Hmm, how much do those run?

 

They are pretty spendy. I would guess around $1,000 if a shop did it for you. Im just waiting for some money to buy a Zf5 rebuild kit and Valair clutch. My father in-law is gonna help me rebuild mine.

 

The parts aren't that expensive. The labor is .

Are you sure you're fully disengaging the clutch? Are you putting the pedal RIGHT to the floor?

I seem to hear a little gear rollover noise in the video; is this a replacement clutch with a single-mass flywheel? We have them on both my wife's trucks, and they both seem more "picky" about the 1-2 shift than the old clutch/flywheel. Really needs the (clutch) pedal to the metal.

How's the tranny fluid level? What fluid are you running? How long has it been in there?

 

The clutch has been replaced by the PO, but im not sure what type or if the dmf has been changed to a smf. The PO said he had flushed the trannya few months before i bought it. Im planning on changing all the fluids this friday so i can start with a clean slate as far as mileage and products go.

 

Owner's manual, FSM and even the ZF tag on the tranny case all call for SYNTHETIC ATF. If the PO put dino in it, it could explain things. Fresh start with known fluid is a good idea.

 

And it could be unrelated, but it also gives me trouble downshifting into 2nd from 3rd unless im going about 15-17 mph. Could that be the synchros too?

 

That was my next question, thanks. Any brand youd reccomend?

 

So since atf is so thin... would the trany be pissed off if you just used 80-90w gear oil? I just got a ZF5 for my truck and thats what I run in all my Jeep tranys... I have read about the ATF in a few posts and was planning on using but am curious why?

 

It's not just about the viscosity. Different trannies use different materials in their synchronizers, and require different types of fluid to protect them. I don't know what types of synchros in what trannies require what fluids specifically, but I do know that that's the research you have to do in order to select the right one.

 

Well, i tried stomping on the clutch, all the way to the floor. No improvement. I found that if i make the shift fast, as in make the throw from 1st to 2nd fast it barely does it, but its still there. Changing the fluids this weekend. And brand of ATF yall can reccomend ?

 

Check the pedal box to see of it's cracked if it is it could cause the clutch not to disengage all the way. Also chec the bushings in the pedals too