bluedd

hi guys. my 968 shifts nice and good but until the engine is in high rev. when i'm downshifting from 3rd to 2nd when the engine is at say around 4k, it just won't let me get into gear. only when the engine drops to around 2k, then i can get into 2nd. it doesn't happen to 4th to 3rd shift though, only 3rd to 2nd. i haven't hit this before one the street until recently first time with the 968 at track. anyone know what's going on? synchro?

FRporscheman

With my 968, when it's cold out, it won't go into ANY gear. I have to shove the shifter as hard as I can to get it into gear, and even then I hear the most awful grinding noise. And if I try leaving it parked in gear to avoid this problem somewhat, I notice the car moves, even with the clutch down! Turns out, when the car is cold the clutch won't go through its full travel.

Next time this happens, try pushing the clutch petal down as far as possible, to the floor. See if that helps. So I guess the answer is: synchro is probably going, but this might be due to / caused by a minor clutch issue.

mavfan

maybe the tranny needs a flush, i'm going to do that because mine seems to be having a harder time in the cold. and i know there are lots of opinions on this, but what do you guys use for tranny oil and whats recommended by porsche?

Zero10

Tell me you are at least matching revs on the downshift. From the sounds of it you are trying to get the synchro's to do the work, and if that is the case then they are probably just about worn out.

Otherwise, I would recommend changing the fluid, there are lots of good suggestions on here about which fluids to use.

Techno Duck

Are you double clutching the downshift? Usually if the synchro is worn enough it wont go into gear, you can double clutch and that takes the load off the synchro making it easier to get into gear.

harrisonrick

Here's a dumb question...how do you double clutch? I've heard of it, never done it to my knowledge.

BTW...the 2nd gear syncro is known to be one of the first to go. They are made of bronze I believe. 944online sells the 944 syncros for like $35 USD each....the labour may be somewhat more though.

I'd try some pure synthetic gear oil...Swepco or Mobil 1...or...slow down and not drive as hard until the tranny is rebuilt.

mavfan

to double clutch push in the clutch, put the car in neutral, release clutch, then push it in again and select the gear you wanted, release clutch. its supposed to happen very fast.

StoogeMoe

You forgot one important step - the blip.

push in the clutch, put the car in neutral, release clutch, BLIP the throttle, then push it in again and select the gear you wanted, release clutch.

____________________________________
1986 944 NA - Guards Red - 91k miles - minty
1983 944 NA - Platinum metallic - 6000 mi beginning a new life
1985.1 944 NA - Guards Red - donor car
1984 911 Carrera Coupe - Guards Red (gone, but not forgotten)
"If you're not living on the edge, you're not living"

GeneralTso

With practice, you should be able to use your right foot on both the brake and gas at the same time (a.k.a "Heel Toe"). This will let you double-clutch a downshift (including the "blip") while keeping the brakes on consistantly...

I went to the Bertil Roos racing school and that technique was WAY easier on a Formula 2000 car than on any street car. Your feet are so close that you basically just lean your knee to the right to give it some gas....Also, the gears on those are non-synchro so you probably won't break anything if you get your feet a little confused... Also, you don't need to use the clutch to take it out of gear with a non-synchro box...


Jeff

bluedd

thanks guys. i always heel toe at track and after hitting this 2nd gear problem i tried to double clutch. i'm quite used to heel toe especially at track which is easiest when you have to floor the brake pedal anyway and the gas pedal is easiest to hit with the brake at floor. i'm not used to double clutch yet and that created a bit of drama when i'm practising but not able to get into gear and almost miss turns with cars behind me also.

transmission can probably use a flush anyway so i'll start with that. i'll need to practise double clutching too. i thought only cars without synchro need double clutching?

GeneralTso

Bob Bondurant has a great book out that describes double-clutching and lots of other go-fast techniques. I found a cheap copy on eBay... It's great reading!

http://www.amazon.com/Bob-Bondurant-...e=UTF8&s=books

Best of luck!

Jeff

harrisonrick

See, you learn something every day. How does the double clutching help when the syncros are worn?

GeneralTso

Double clutching basically gets everything spinning at the same speed before you try to change gears...just like a syncho...