I might be bad at searching.

I have a second gear crunch even when warmed up when I go hard into second. Has anybody been able to fix or minimize this without a transmission rebuild? I'm reading something about a clutch adjustment as well as master/slave cylinder. Also, which fluid has made your 2nd gear crunch go away? I put some Royal Purple Syncromax in it and read later that night that's bad. I'm thinking of going with some Amsoil MTF 5w30.

Thanks!

p.s. my clutch has like 1.5 inches of play. Is this normal? Could this be the cause? Should I adjust?

 

1. Adjust your clutch freeplay, should have none.
2. If that doesn't change, ensure full engagement of the clutch before moving it from 1st to 2nd (moving the seat forward a bit helps sometimes)
3. Get your revs to at least 4,000 rpm before changing to 2nd gear (for some 5K shift 1st-2nd works wonders)
4. I would try GM synchromesh Friction Modified fluid, helped me

 

Alright I have read through every thread possible on this. A lot of what's mentioned does help. My question is do all s2ks require to be driven like that? Shifting high, having the clutch rod disengage the clutch sooner(essentially what u are doing when adjusting for zero play) stopping at the gate for a split second so the tranny speed matches the engine speed?? I feel like ass driving in traffic, reving high and shifitng relatively slow.

This is what I do. I make sure clutch pedal is presses completely before shifitng. since there is zero clutch play(I adjusted the pedal) the clutch disengages almost at the top of the pedal travel, I then take it out of first, stop at the gate ( right when you feel resistance before entering 2nd gear) and shift it in with some finesse and it won't grind, 95% of the time. Now how many owners go through this? I guess I've gotten used to doing it but I feel like its just a way around the problem. I understand we have a direct linked tranny and its quite different from most.

 

You're actually supposed to have a small amount of free play, I think it's about a 1/2" of pedal free play for this car. If you remove all the slack then you run the risk of prematurely wearing the components. How many miles does your clutch have?

 

If your problem is only with grinding into second gear, then your second gear synchro is worn. Nothing to do with the clutch. A fluid change to something different may help the synchro to work a bit better, but it can't fix a bad synchro.

 

Well first into second is the only one I really shift hard at. I think there is enough delay navigating over to third that it's never an issue. Never jammed from 3rd into fourth yet..

 

I'm a big fan of the Amsoil manual synchromesh fluid that Amsoil recommends on their site. It really improved my shifting smoothness. You might give it a try, it only takes two quarts and the DIY is pretty easy.

 

Amsoil was the same feeling as the honda MTF for me. Gm synchromesh was a little better when cold but wasn't as good once hot. I have the same issue but it goes away once the car's warm. Clutch is adjusted properly. I avoid the issue by either taking off from a stop with the car in 2nd (fine for me since my tune gives me enough torque for this), or shift at 3500+ where it's smooth. Under 3500 I get a bit of a crunch.

 

GM synchromesh is buttery smooth at first, but degrades extremely quickly. Honda MTF may not be as smooth at first, but it lasts for the entire maintenance interval plus some. I haven't has a need to use anything else.

 

For me;

GM Synchromesh>Honda>Amsoil

The Amsoil only stayed in for about 500 miles. It felt about like the Honda MTF, but degraded quickly.


I had a bit of a 3rd gear grind. With the following, it’s pretty much gone;

-MTF
-Clutch fluid
-Adjust clutch free play
-Greased shifter
-Weighted shift knob
-Billman high RPM shift burr removal
-Proper shifting technique

The last is probably the most important. I was bad about shifting at too low an RPM. The synchros are designed to work with everything moving quickly (but given enough time to do their job during the shift).


My car was previously owned by an older woman, so I’m betting she never revved the engine very high (causing strain on the synchros).