brh986

Is this normal? Until it warms up it can sometimes be VERY hard to get into and out of gear. After it warms up its fine. ALso at all times when shifting while moving there is a real soft (but still audible) thump noise when it goes into gear, sounds perhaps as if it's toward the back of the car. Thanks.

red9four4

i have never heard of this. my car doesnt have this problem. i took the rubber insulator off and it seems to shift better.

booster

Try changing the transaxle oil, that can cause problems like you have described.

BRB_85.5_NA

Year, model, mileage? My Land Cruiser is like this, 232k miles on the original tranny. Could mean your syncros are going. Usually it's the 1st-2nd syncro that goes first. Do you have to come to a complete stop to get it into first? Is going into second particularly hard? And 3rd and 4th and 5th are easier? Then it's the 1-2 syncro. I agree--change the oil. I don't know if this is cool for these machines, but you might also try one of the super lubricants out there, e.g. Prolong. If the oil change doesn't do it, it means a rebuild or new tranny down the road. Make sure your depressing the clutch all the way to the floor.

B

BRB_85.5_NA

Also, check out this Swepco oil from Pelican parts:

Pelican Parts: Transimissions

And that's "you're" not "your" up above (if my students read my posts on these boards I'd never hear the end of it...)

B

jim968

Another vote for changing the transaxle oil. For the 'clunk' when going into gear, I'd also:

A) bleed the clutch linkage, and

B) check the condition of the CV joints on the half-shafts.

My guess is you've got both old tranny oil & a bit of air in the clutch linkage.

And yes, telling us the age & miles on the car will likely get you a better diagnosis, as will any info on driveline repairs / maintenance.

Jim, with a fresh wash job hiding from the rain in the garage...

brh986

88 60k miles. It does seem like bad synchros that's what I was afraid of. Can't you just fix the synchros and not rebuild the whole damn trans? The hard shifting is only when it's cold and it doesn't seem to matter if I'm stopped or rolling, as a matter of fact I think the times when it's the hardest tend to be when I'm stopped more often than not but it's just all around hard to shift until it warms up. It is particuarly gears 1 and 2 I think (and reverse can be hard too).

BRB_85.5_NA

60k is too few miles to warrant a new tranny. If it's all around hard to shift when cold, then it's probably just the oil. Did you do the last tranny oil change? If not, it may have been a long time ago and/or somebody may have put too heavy a gear oil in it. Yes you can just deal with the syncros--they have spacers/bushings that wear out and can be replaced without a whole new tranny (but is still has to be pulled and opened up). Check out the Pelican parts page for the parts and an explanation. But I really think it's just the oil and clutch with this few miles.

The fact that it's hard to get in gear when stopped, however, means that the clutch may not be releasing all the way when cold. Bleed the system as Jim968 says--if there's air in there, it won't allow the full force of your pedal action to disengage the clutch.

Oil and clutch I'm sure. Jim968 was right on.

B

Damian in NJ

This may not help bad synchro's, but it may help forestall a problem--when it's cold I go 1st to 3rd until the car has warmed. This was a common procedure to save 2nd gear syncros on italian cars, which were notorious for wear. Our cars have even more torque, so unless you're in a real hurry you won't notice doing it after a while. Here's another tip-now that it's cold, run your A/C once a week-keeps those seals nice and lubricated.

BRB_85.5_NA

Land Cruiser trick: put the transfer case in neutral and the tranny in 2nd while warming up the engine--spins the tranny and loosens up the oil before driving. Of course, P-cars don't have t-cases, thank god.

Luke

that did it for me! My first was hard to get out of in the cold before.

brh986

what's the best oil to use?
if not available in a generic auto parts store where do you get it?

jim968

brh... I used Redline MTL in my '88na from purchase at 55K miles until sale at 110K miles. A slightly noisy transaxle got no worse, and a slightly balky second gear synchro was actually better. Changed it twice in that time, at about 20K mile intervals. You may not find it at the big chain auto parts stores, but an import specialist parts store will likely have it, or you can probably order it online / phone from Paragon or Zims.

Hint, if you DIY the lube change... be sure you can get the fill plug loose _before_ you take the drain plug out (a hat-tip to Hans).

Jim, as always, YMMV, caveat emptor, & carpe diem...

brh986

Why such frequent intervals? Why do you say a noisy transaxel got no worse? Does redline have a reputation for making your gears noisy?

BRB_85.5_NA

Folks correct me if I'm wrong, but this is one situation where the synthetic is ideal, especially since you still have so few miles on the car. It's more expensive initially, but since you change it less often than engine oil it's not bad. Also, trannies are much more sealed units with fewer gaskets, potential leaks than engines, so the leak problem is less of an issue. I plan on replacing mine with synthetic this weekend. Both Pelican and Paragon have this Swepco oil which seems to be the ****, but it's $40. I guess that's cheap compared to a transmission, and if it's half as good as billed, your shifting problems might soon be over. Remember that you need a 17 mm allen wrench for the tranny plugs (Pelican has them).

B