I have done a search of all the databases here and am not getting any info on a question I have.

My tranny won't downshift from 4th to third.....at all. Not with double clutching, not with prayer, not with force, pleading or threats. It's like you hit a brick wall going for the downshift from fourth. You can get to third from 2nd with no issues. No matter the RPMs either.

Quick question: I am playing with the idea of getting another tranny and rebuilding it and then swapping it out. Any suggestions for mods? Any good info to be had before starting this? I have been advised to go ahead and do the clutch at the same time as dropping out the old tranny, so this will be taken into consideration.

Answer to the obvious questions: No, I have never done anything like this before. Yes, I anticipate this being a long term project. Yes, I could be talked out of this, but only if the profressional rebuilder would let me help and learn it because of my general hatred of Ignorance About How To Fix Something.

 

This doesn't make sense to me if you can get into 3rd from 2nd you should be able to go the other way. Seems to me like this could be a shift linkage problem and not an internal tranny problem.

My 3rd gear synchro is dying a slow death. I am double clutching as often as possible on up and down shifts to 3rd. I will be replacing the tranny soon. It is easier to replace than to rebuild unless you want to learn something new. Anyway, I can always get into gear and I have not experienced what you describe so I say check your linkage first.

 

If you want to spend loads of money on tools and parts, and want to learn, then I say go for it. If you want to make a wise financial decision, buy another good transmission and swap it in. Good, used 944 transmissions are going for around $400-$500 (non-LSD) from private sellers, around double that amount if you purchase from various dismantlers. If you try to rebuild your old trans, you are going to spend a small fortune in hard-to-find (if at all) tools, a press, parts, seals, etc (and the factory service manuals if you don't already have them). Plus, you could get it cracked open and discover there are multiple issues with the trans that make it even more cost-prohibitive to rebuild (almost dead r&p, case issues, etc). If you do the math, it wouldn't be worth it to do so unless you really want to and want to treat it as a college semester's worth of learning experience.

I'm not certain if it is a linkage issue as jonnybgood stated, but it wouldn't hurt to check that first. It could be a synchro. Will it go into the gates easily when the car is stopped and not running? Have you changed the fluid lately? Were there bits of any metal or shavings in it? If so, what color were they? When it won't shift from 4th to 3rd, will it just physically not go in, or does it grind and make noises as well?

 

Yipes, OK, nevermind......bad idea.

Where do you find these trannies from private sellers? I shudder to think how much it would cost to have one shipped......I would bet that would be what doubles the price right there!

It physically will not go in. I haven't tried the gear pattern while the car is off though.....will do that this morning. The fluid change I haven't done. I wanted to do that so I could see if it was full of glittery things. I just got the car on the 2nd of this month :-). There are no noises whatsoever.

Where would the shift linkage be that should be checked? Under the shifter physically?

 

Update:

The problem doesn't exist while the vehicle is stopped and running or when the vehicle is off. The first time I tried <car running but stopped> it wasn't going into third from 2nd then I ran through the pattern again and it went with no issues.

So what changes while the car is moving?

 

I'm not a transmission expert, so I may be talking out of my **** here, but methinks you have synchros dying... no fun.

Also, try changing the gear oil. it's not that tough, and after putting in some Redline synthetic gear oil, I discovered it was easier to shift into gears that were giving me problems earlier...check that out too.

 

You can pull up the cover around the shifter and inspect down at the bottom of the lever. There is a plastic bushing that holds the lever at the bottom. Sometimes this bushing breaks or wears out and creates a sloppy shifting linkage. Also the linkage can be inspected under the car on the muffler side of the transmission near the top of the transmission. I suppose if it were the linkage you would be having issues in all gears. Worth a check anyway before you pull the transmission out.

There is a turbo transmission for sale in the Rennlist classified and they come up on ebay all the time. Shipping is usually 100 -150 dollars.

Good Luck

 

I have replaced a transmission for a guy who had a similar problem. The third gear slot didn't exist because you can't shift in it. I replaced his transmission with a good used one for $550 parts and labor. Around here, you can find a good used transmission for a NA for $250-350 and takes about 3 hours to change out. When I took his transmission apart, I found the synchro BROKEN into 4 pieces and lots of metal.