So finished fixing the seat... that was a fiddly job for sure, so I was finally able to drive the car for the first time. I had driven around the block before (without the seat) and thought that the car was having issues only downshifting. Well today I found that it had issues going into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. 4th and 5th gear went in without any issue, but the rest grinded nearly every time. I tried double clutching and occasionally it worked, but for the most part it didn't. So I'm guessing it's not just the transmission fluid? The other issue was a fairly noticeable shimmy above 60 mph. Not sure if that's the tires, wheels, or something in the suspension. How difficult is it to work on these transmissions? Could I accomplish it myself, or is this something that really needs to go to a person with experience. How much am I looking at in either case? Thanks for any insight.
How many miles on it? First thing I'd do is check the clutch adjustment (threads on this; easy to do) and ensure full clutch pedal travel (no floor mats in the way). Then determine if it is actual grinding (implying worn synchros) or just difficulty getting it into gear (quite often due to fork misalignment sometimes accompanied by worn bushings in the shift shaft). Lots of info on oils, usually coming down to Redline MTL (75W80 weight and GL-4) or MT-90 (same chemistry as MTL but 75W90 weight). The Manual says Agip F.1RotraMP SAE 80W/90, but these oils today are GL-5 which I'm told is not best for the synchros. I'm using MTL and shifting is normal (after replacing bushings and seals, adjusting the linkage, rebuilding the shifter box, and straightening a several degree bend (!) in my shift shaft).
108k miles so a lot I kind of ruled out the clutch since it goes into 4th and 5th with ease. Would it be a clutch issue if it was just 1-3?
It’s possible as the synchro rings for those gears could be worn out or it could be just a linkage adjustment.
I think you should provide much more detailed description of your problem. How far did you drive (was the gear oil good and hot)? "Grinding" means that there's a gawdawful metallic grinding noise? For how long? Are there any issues going into gear when the car is off and stationary? Everything external to the tranny is straightforward, picky, and fiddly. Swapping synchros and/or replacing gears is likely to be a professional job. Just getting the tranny out means pulling the engine. That's a whole 'nuther rabbit hole.
Question (I'm not clear on this): have you changed the transmission fluid? If you know what you're doing, it's not that difficult. If you don't, I wouldn't advise attempting it.
It was definitely up to temp. I drove maybe 15 miles or so wasn't really paying attention, but was out for a good 45 mins or so. While it's off and parked, Reverse, 1st, and 3rd go in easily. 4th, 2nd and 5th do not go in, which is weird since 4th and 5th go in easily when I'm driving it and 1-3 are the ones that have the issues. I did a search for shift linkage, but couldn't really find any "how to" posts. Does anyone have a procedure for it... I read that you have to make some sort of wood thing for the three balls and springs but that didn't make much sense to me.
Not yet, planning to do that next. Well I've never rebuilt a transmission so I'd say no I don't know... I'm fairly mechanically inclined, but never done that in particular.
Worth checking out this post which has some great description and pictures of the shift operation in the bottom of the gearbox. Look from post #7 on-wards, as Rob was changing the shifter seals which involves a lot of extra work around shifter removal and engine sump removal. You will have to make a little jig to hold the balls and springs in place while the gearbox pan is off. That way you will have detent feel. I can send you a picture of what I did if that helps, but you basically emulate that area of the pan and bolt it in place. i made mine out of some plastic shim material glued together. Also be prepared to get oil dripped on your head for days on end https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/robzworkz-2-shifter-shift-shaft-improvement.282800/ Cheers BB
I've had the pan off and done the adjustments and never bothered to hold the balls and springs in while the pan was off. The synchros have enough action on their own for the feel. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything, but I didn't find it necessary.
Indeed FChat has amazing posts that help you through rebuilding the shift shaft and realigning the fork from A to Z, including bolts, washers, torques, parts, etc. Verell/Unobtainium sells a plastic piece (molded from a trans pan) to hold the balls and springs in place, if you do not want to make one. I would not recommend doing the job without something like that. However, you will need to determine first if your synchros are bad, or you’ll end up doing a lot of work only to have to open things up again. The amount of debris on the magnetic drain plug could be one sign, although I am not knowledgeable how to tell for certain.
Congrats! No, that's a typical sinchro problem, it needs gearbox opening and synchros replacement (all, much better): here is about 2 k, more or less Usually caused by suspension bushings problems, but steering rack big play could "help" too. ciao
Hmm I'm not either... I'll look for metal and take some pictures and post them up... maybe others would be able to tell?
Well that's not what I wanted to hear Do you have a way to tell if the synchros are definitely bad? I guess if it's 2k to fix it'll be sitting a while.. .which sucks :/
It's quite a tight gearbox with careful alignment, wiggling, patience to get back together. You can check your synchro gaps with the pan off-- new gap is 1.2mm, limit is 0.4mm. See this page and the following: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/dereks-308-engine-rebuild.535247/page-13 First thing I would do is dump the oil and put in Redline MTL. If it doesn't work, save the oil (to reuse) before you pull the pan to check gaps and/or adjust the selector forks. Your silentblock bushes may be shot. Good luck!
