3rd Gear grindin...clutch, fluid or bad tranny?

[etxxz]

Hello,

my third gear is starting to grind whenever i shift above 3000rpm, i can feel it wanting to grind below this but i shift it slow and easy on the gas so that it doesnt chip. I just recently did a 20v swap and everything works.

Might be 1 or more of these things: Tranny is going bad? Clutch is too low? or i'm low on fluid) (how do i check?) or it can be something u know but i dont. air in the system?

Things you should know,
*the clutch is holding up fine and it grips very nice and any rpm on any gear...might be kind of low since engine is near 73000kms (45000mi)
*I recenly (1mo ago) took it to a place to have the fluid flushed, tranny cleaned and refilled
*Tranny was working perfectly the first mo after the swap and i didnt even abuse of the car...problem kinda happened overnight
*The downpipe is VERY close (1finger away) to the Slave cylinder line, but the line is intact and shows no sign of burnage or wear of any kind...highly doubt fluid boils.

What should i do and what should i check?!?!??

ETXX

[REN69]

Synchros maybe? or maybe you're changing in too soon.. I do that sometimes, shift too soon and grind.. happens a lot with the 90 GTS because the transmission is not so broken into.. the 89 GTS I can trash the tranny and it never grinds on any gear because its broken into nicely.. but my 5th gear synchro is gone due to highway use.

The 90 GTS only has 145,000km and the 89 has 345,000km so big difference in the wear and tear of both transmissions. I'd say just make sure you're getting the clutch in all the way to the right shift point and it shouldn't do that.

[etxxz]

Originally Posted by REN69

Synchros maybe? or maybe you're changing in too soon.. I do that sometimes, shift too soon and grind.. happens a lot with the 90 GTS because the transmission is not so broken into.. the 89 GTS I can trash the tranny and it never grinds on any gear because its broken into nicely.. but my 5th gear synchro is gone due to highway use.

The 90 GTS only has 145,000km and the 89 has 345,000km so big difference in the wear and tear of both transmissions. I'd say just make sure you're getting the clutch in all the way to the right shift point and it shouldn't do that.

What are synchros? how/where to get and install them?

Maybe your tranny is messed up too 'cause "shifting in too soon" shouldn't be a problem. lots of km on those cars though.

[Flashmn]

My car grinds on 1-2 shifts when above 6500...tranny isnt meant to be driven that high speeds. Oh well aslong as the gear goes in I couldnt care less.. got a spare tranny I might make a dog-box using straight cut gears

[Hotwheelharmer]

Originally Posted by etxxz

What are synchros? how/where to get and install them?

Maybe your tranny is messed up too 'cause "shifting in too soon" shouldn't be a problem. lots of km on those cars though.

Syncros are attatched to the gear shafts and are to slide the gear into place instead of grinding in there. Usually when a syncro is bad it will start grinding in the gear of the bad snycro. More then likley that is your problem. IF you are not slipping in 5th or 4th then your clutch is fine(when clutch is bad then it will start slipping in the higher gear first). It probably isn't the pedal since the other gears are not grinding so more then likley it is something with your snycro. You have to rebuild the whole tranny for that though since you have to take the tranny apart and take all the other gears off to get to the one bad syncro(manual trannys are a bitch to rebuild since you have to press everything on and off). As for shifting at to low RPM that could be a possiblity but chances are it isn't. IT can grind and makes noises and lower RPMS. I had that problem when I was a tech at Nissan had a few Sentra SER's Spec V's come in with a noise from the tranny/engine when shifting and it turned out the people driving it were pussys and only gave the car about 4K rpm before shifting and that motor needs about 6K before you shift so you have RPM's in the next gear you are in. HOwever, I doubt that is your problem although I wouldn't rule it out. Just check real quick try shfiting at higher rpms then you usually do also check your fluid level maybe you have a leak somewhere and you don't have the proper amount of fluid in there.

[Flashmn]

yncros are attatched to the gear shafts and are to slide the gear into place instead of grinding in there.

Actually the synchros lock the gears in place, gears themselves dont move on the shaft, excluding some reverse gears, which I think corolla boxes have. IIRC the reverse gear moves in them.

[REN69]

Just like Harmer said.. if it was your clutch, it would start to slip in high gears. I knew my clutch was gone on the 89 GTS when I downshifted from 5th to 4th to do highway passing and the engine revved up but the transmission slipped for a good 2 seconds before finally catching properly.

For someone who did their own swap, I'm surprised you didn't know what synchros were.

[etxxz]

I see

Is there place to buy the synchros from??

Originally Posted by Hotwheelharmer

Syncros are attatched to the gear shafts and are to slide the gear into place instead of grinding in there. Usually when a syncro is bad it will start grinding in the gear of the bad snycro. More then likley that is your problem. IF you are not slipping in 5th or 4th then your clutch is fine(when clutch is bad then it will start slipping in the higher gear first). It probably isn't the pedal since the other gears are not grinding so more then likley it is something with your snycro. You have to rebuild the whole tranny for that though since you have to take the tranny apart and take all the other gears off to get to the one bad syncro(manual trannys are a bitch to rebuild since you have to press everything on and off). As for shifting at to low RPM that could be a possiblity but chances are it isn't. IT can grind and makes noises and lower RPMS. I had that problem when I was a tech at Nissan had a few Sentra SER's Spec V's come in with a noise from the tranny/engine when shifting and it turned out the people driving it were pussys and only gave the car about 4K rpm before shifting and that motor needs about 6K before you shift so you have RPM's in the next gear you are in. HOwever, I doubt that is your problem although I wouldn't rule it out. Just check real quick try shfiting at higher rpms then you usually do also check your fluid level maybe you have a leak somewhere and you don't have the proper amount of fluid in there.

definetly sounds like its the synchros alright....but i'm definetly NOT up for the rebuilding myself since i'm sure its more complicated than the 20v swap i did.

There's a tranny place near by...but since its in BOCA RATON it'll be damm expensive i'll look for something near miami...will they know where to obtain the synchro and be able to rebuild the tranny? or should i buy myself another tranny?

[drift_ae86_91]

I don't know if any one has said this but,(too lazy to read all) brake fluid resivoir is for clutch as well, dont know how to check though other than opening it up.

[etxxz]

Originally Posted by drift_ae86_91

I don't know if any one has said this but,(too lazy to read all) brake fluid resivoir is for clutch as well, dont know how to check though other than opening it up.

ty though

[zeorai]

Sounds like your synchros, but the only way to really tell is to take out the tranny. You can order the synchros from a parts department.

[Hotwheelharmer]

Originally Posted by etxxz

I see

Is there place to buy the synchros from??

definetly sounds like its the synchros alright....but i'm definetly NOT up for the rebuilding myself since i'm sure its more complicated than the 20v swap i did.

There's a tranny place near by...but since its in BOCA RATON it'll be damm expensive i'll look for something near miami...will they know where to obtain the synchro and be able to rebuild the tranny? or should i buy myself another tranny?

Any professional tranny shop will be able to get the snycros or a Toyota dealership can get them. It will be cheaper getting a used tranny but there you are not garunteed if it will work any better. A new tranny will cost you more money then you will want to spend. Your best bet is have a tranny shop rebuild it because if they are a good shop they will give you a warrenty on it and build it back to when it was brand new.

[zeorai]

A used tranny will definitely be cheaper than a rebuild. However, a rebuild will be longer term solution. That's the trade off. 'Course you can also just keep buying used trannys. It's been a while but last time I checked but a used T50 was about $125, but that was like a year ago.

[etxxz]

what should i expect to spend on rebuilding? and another question, i found the reuild kit w/ synchros gears and what not, how hard is it to rebuild?? i have some idea of how the tranny works and looks inside.

the hardest thing i've done mechanically is the 20v swap on my 86. iu'm definetly up for the job! i know my parents will get pissed for occupying the garage for two weeks!

suggestions on where else to get the rebuild kit is VERY appreciated...would rather spend the correct amt on the correct kit rather than buying some cheap aftermarket thing.

[Hotwheelharmer]

Originally Posted by etxxz

what should i expect to spend on rebuilding? and another question, i found the reuild kit w/ synchros gears and what not, how hard is it to rebuild?? i have some idea of how the tranny works and looks inside.

the hardest thing i've done mechanically is the 20v swap on my 86. iu'm definetly up for the job! i know my parents will get pissed for occupying the garage for two weeks!

suggestions on where else to get the rebuild kit is VERY appreciated...would rather spend the correct amt on the correct kit rather than buying some cheap aftermarket thing.

Unless you have a press and some special Toyota tools I doubt you will be able to rebuild the tranny yourself.