2nd Gear Grinding...Help!!

[NightriderAWD]

I have a 90 Tsi AWD and whenever the car gets good and warmed up i get this grinding sound when i shift into second...especially when i down shift into second. It does not happen if i ease it from 1st to 2nd, but if I shift hard (or at high rpms) from 1st to 2nd, or if I down shift into second there is a grinding sound = bad
I am not sure if the problem can be fixed by simply adjusting the shifter (i.e. replacing the rubber washers with regular washers, and adjusting the shifter cables)...or do I need a new clutch?
Any help will be really appreciated!!

[ralliart]

sorry to tell ya this man
but ya need new syncronizers
and its not cheap esspecially at a dealer
where are you located?
there is probably a good performance shop around that is cheaper
tony

[NightriderAWD]

I'm i Fayetteville, GA...also, i'm fairly new to dsms...are the syncronizers in the trans?
and how much? or do i want to konw?

[4G63Rydah]

Yes the synchros are in the tranny. And also..this is a very common problem with 1G DSMs.....welcome to the club....you're officially one of us now...hehehe :D:D:D

[ralliart]

the parts are pretty cheap.100-150
the labor,hehe
i charge 10 hours to remove & rebuild.
the catch is per hr price
find a good local shop and use them.
in the end you would rather have some you can trust than saving a few hundered dollars.
a good reputation goes a long way.
i dont know any in your area. go to the vendors list on dsm.org
good luck
tony

[4G63Rydah]

Is it hard to do on your own? If it's not all that hard you can save money that way....

[91eclipsegsx16boy]

yeah, about one month after i got the car i had a trans place replace all my syncros and my first and second gear were grounded to pretty much nothing, so those too. all together $1700. they had to order the parts from CA.

-aaron

[AcidSun]

I just replaced my trans in my 92 eclipse n/a for the exact same problem. i found a used (almost brand new from a friend) trans for 400 and it took the car co 4 hours to put it in. it was definately worth it because everytime you grind the gears you double pump the clutch most likely and because i waited and put off replacing it it ate up a new clutch in 3 months! i would advise you to not let it get to bad.

[sab4you]

Yeah, also good tip not to downshift in 1g's because less use/wear on syncro+tranny

[1QWK4]

Yep Synchro problem is right. This is how I became I DSM member as well. My first DSM had syncro problem a week after I bought it (I thought it was a clutch issue at the time). I threatened SATAN with a lemon law suit so he fixed it. The car had less than 65K on it and it was 7 years old, so I was lucky by state law that Satan had to fix it.


93 TSI AWD
92 TSI AWD
91 GST

[NightriderAWD]

Thanks for the replys, i am going to have a tranny place check it out this fri...
But funds are a bit of a problem, atleast until after Christmas...so (1)how long can i wait to get it fixed (i mean like can i wait a month or two). And (2) what kind of tranny should i go with should i decide to replace it(aftermarket or stock-type)...or should i just get the syncros replaced?
thanks-

[turbo=good]

Hey NightriderAWD, how did it go on wednesday for whatever was getting fixed/checked?

[NightriderAWD]

It went good turbo=good, thanks for the help this weekend, next we need to do more free mods...the car is great except for the possible syncro $$$$$ thing...but other than that, nothing that a good wash and wax, and a trip to the junkyard can't fix...i heard that SupaSaint raced you on sat. so what's your side of the story?

[turbo=good]

Well, from 60mph, We both went WOT, at my about 5000rpm he was slowly pulling on me. Since I kind of loose power in high rpm with my the T25, I shifted at about 5800. That wasn't a good idea because, the second it took to shift, Supa gained about 3 feet on me. So I'm going through 4th reaching 100 and slowly gaining inches and pretty much stay with him until about 105mph when we let off. It was cool though. What about the exhaust manifold bolt?

[awd92gsx]

Ralliart,

You mentioned 10 hours to remove and rebuild...

Do you have that flat rate for all of the different models?

[NightriderAWD]

Well turbo=good, the mechanic didn't say anything about that, but he did say that the turbo got so hot that it pretty much welded the headers on there...but if i really want to get it out, i got some stuff off Vfaq about it, it sounds pretty easy, just have to get a $3 screw remover from like pep boys or something, but the guy that posted the stuff on Vfaq had like 2 or 3 missing, so i guess i'll fix it if i have time over Christmas...i'll probly see you and 91LaserT this weekend olen and i are coming home tomorrow (thurs)

[NightriderAWD]

one other thing...if my tranny problem is the syncros, then would i still hear the grinding sound when the car is cold...because i only get the rubbing/grinding sound when i shift into second when the car is good and warmed up...so are the syncros like gaskets that expand with heat or something--and if not then why don't i get the sound when the car is colder...
thanks for the help

[1QWK4]

You could hear & Feel the synchros grind just by having the car parked, then shift into 1 & 2 back & forth and you should hear and feel the grind if its real bad. You can try a quick fix by adding GMSyncromesh Fluid into the transfer case & transmission. This will ease the problem until you are ready to rebuild the tranny. Some people use BG or the redline product synchro fluid as well. I have used the GM Syncromesh fluid with positive results, and you can pick it up at any Chevy dealership.


93 TSI AWD
92 TSI AWD
91 GST

[NightriderAWD]

Thanks for the responces...
i went and got the trans fluid changed today and put in the BG stuff, but it didn't really seem to help--though i didn't really drive my car much today (how long does the BG stuff take to work itself in?)...
also, i was thinking about getting some of my friends (fellow dsmers) to help me rebuild the tranny and replace the syncros over Christmas...how hard will this be and does anyone have a good link on the exact process, also which parts will i need to order from the dealership and about how much are they?

also, i was thinking about replacing the stock clutch while the tranny is out...so what is the price diff between the ACT 2100, and the ACT 2600?

thanks

[SupaSaint69Z28]

whats up.
If i were u, i would change the transfer case and transmission fluids and put some synthetic fluids in, also get that GMSyncromesh from a Chevy dealer.
We all need to race this weekend, my car is noticable faster, i think this time i am goin to whoop 91LaserT, even if he has his little boos controler! Give me a call when u get back from College!