Well, I've had my car for about a week now and am really coming into my own with the manual transmission. It's so easy at this point, I stall maybe once a day, but that's not the issue here. Today I went to shift it from neutral to first and noticed it took a lot more effort than usual, progressively becoming worse throughout the afternoon. After that it wasn't just first, it would take all of my strength and at least five seconds to shift from first to second, then third, fourth and, finally, fifth. The gears were so jumpy and tight that I was sure the transmission was completely fucked. I looked into the manual for support when I got home and it said it was possibly a problem with the gear oil, which makes perfect sense to me but I wanted to run this by GC before heading out to Autozone in the morning. I wouldn't be so concerned if transmission work weren't so fucking expensive.. anything guys?
yea, make model and engine would help alot....but in general it does sound like you need to replace the transmission fluid....
Maybe you're timings just a little off? I had some problems with my stick at first, but I had a picky car (it was an auto that was transformed into a stick)... If it wasn't at the exact rpm, or if the clutch wasn't let off just right, it'd be a bitch and a half to get it to shift (sometimes I had to use both hands and jerk the shit outta it). I hope that's the case with your whip and there's no tranny probs.
No, it's not that. I shift with the clutch fully depressed and I still have to use all of my might to shift from gear to gear. I believe it's a cable clutch, and if that's the case then the cable might have to be replaced which shouldn't cost TOO much. This is a pity because I've had nothing but problems with this car since I got it, even after a week. Hopefully this will be the last one for a while.
a 90 sidekick is always going to be giving you problems get a early 90s honda man but yeah flush the trans relace the filter/screen (if it has one) and take a look at the shifter linkage see if its tight loose what might wanna take off the center console andmake sure its all god down there
Same in my case. I shifted with it depressed fully, but if it wasn't at the exact rpm, or the exact speed, it gave me problems... When I was talking about letting off the clutch, I was referring about trying to get it into 1st, or reverse... Like when ya let off the clutch a bit to get the car goin so ya don't spin out... But like I said, my car was picky. It was originally a automatic that my uncle turned into a stick... You check your fluids? That could be the cause, too... ...I dunno, really. I'm not much of a mechanic... Here's hopin it's nothing expensive! I know the feeling, though. My first car (was a stick), and it had nothing but problems from the get-go. I dumped more into the car than what I paid for it after only a couple weeks... I bought it from my pops for a grand, so it wasn't drastically expensive, but still a pain in ass nonetheless... Good luck mayne...
who sold it to you? run that fucker over for selling you a fucked up car...that might even fix your tranny if you hit him hard enough it just might wack it back into its working condition...or it will just fall off period.
I worked at a dealer for some time and loved to work on transmissions. Like head4life suggested you should do a visual inspection from the shifter linkage all the way down to the transmission. Check for binding, loose or jammed components. Check the fluid level and quality (no burned smell or discoloration). If you are going to replace the transmission fluid and filter, when you drain the trans. fluid, check for metal shavings or large pieces of clutch material. Any metal in your fluid = money for new transmission. What I tell everybody that comes to me with a car problem that if it is not something you can easily see and fix (a leaking radiator hose) your best bet is to take it to a good shop or garage. I can throw a bunch of educated guesses as to what your problem might be, but I really need to raise it up, take it for a drive and go through a real diagnosis before I can tell you exactly what is wrong. Oh yeah, when you check your trans fluid, make sure it is fully warmed up (the trans fluid takes longer to heat up than your engine) and that your engine is running when checking the fluid. That's how we did it on Mercedes'.
It definetly sounds like you need to replaced the transmission fluid. It should not take all of your strength to shift gears.
Flush the ATF and you should be golden. Thats a telltale characteristic of old sludgy tranny fluid. While you're at it, change the motor oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering...the best thing you can do when you're buying a used car is to flush and replace ALL fluids when you get it, because you have no idea how long its been since the last owner did it. If you have any other problems, let me know.
Sounds like the syncros were fucked on that tranny. They are the little gears that synchronize the gear speed with the motor's current speed (rpm). If those syncros are ground down, you will have to manually match the engine speed with your rolling wheels for each gear. Before they had syncros in manual transmissions, you had to do this anyway.