6 Speed Manual problem getting into 3rd gear

Hi guys, I can't find any information on this and hope someone could help.

I have a '99 360 6-speed manual and I am encountering some problems shifting into 3rd gear. No issues when shifting 'slowly' but when shifting 'normal to fast' from 2nd to 3rd or 4th to 3rd, there is an occassional "crunching" sound when getting into gear. I spoke to someone familiar and was told one of the rings inside the gearbox is wearing off.

Has anyone had similiar issues?

Much appreciated..

 

Usually if its the shifter bushing (easy fix) its on R, 1-2 or 5-6... You being middle gears hopefully isnt something alot more serious... Has the gearbox fluid been changed often (like once a year?) If that fluid goes to hell from heat, gearbox issues are known to arise...

Lets us know what you end up finding & good luck hoping its a easy fix..

 

This is not a good sign or normal for a fully warmed up car with fresh fluids. So the first questions are does this happen even when warm and have your fluids been changed recently/regularly?

If your answer to both of these questions is "yes," then you might suspect worn synchros. If that's the case (I'm not saying for sure this is), this means the transmission will have to be pulled and rebuilt.

You should get a qualified tech to do a real diagnostic. Also there are a couple things you might try first before taking the plunge with a rebuild. First, you might try replacing the fluid with the right spec Redline fluid to see if that helps any. It may or may not solve your problem but it's relatively cheap to do that compared to a transmission rebuild, and won't cause any harm. The transmissions in our cars are surrounded by high heat producing elements and heat can destroy even a good synthetic fluid (which is why transmission fluid needs to be changed at least 1x/yr. along with engine oil).

The other thing you might try, although it seems more of a long shot, is replace the reverse shift bushing with the upgraded Hill Engineering part, and make sure the shift cables are properly adjusted (do the bushing first; often, when you do that, any cable adjustment problems go away). Again, less expensive than a rebuild, it won't do any harm, and chances are, the stock bushing is worn or damaged anyway and could stand replacement (it's only made of plastic, while the Hill Eng. unit is metal). You can tell if it's worn if the shifter in neutral has more than 0.5-1.0 mm of play in it. There is DIY thread on this, although you might choose to have a tech do it for you (should take ~1-2 hrs. labor; HE part is ~$75 from Ricambi America).

I hope it works out for you. Post back with whatever you find was the problem.

 

This happens when the car is warmed up. My last gearbox fluid change was Aug 09 and gear bushing has been upgraded to 'Hills Eng's' from Daniel and it shifts precisely.

I will get the fluids changed and see it goes away (but I doubt so since this problem only occur getting into 3rd)

My greatest fear is the transmission has to be pulled and rebuilt. Any idea who does gear box rebuild/reconditioning work?

Thanks Chris and Need4Spd for your input...