86 MM transmission annoyance

[amcervantes]

Are the 5 speed transmissions usually not so smooth when shifting or is it just mine. I should mention I can hear my throw out bearing when the clutch is engage in neutral but damn I struggle to keep a smooth shift in 1st and in 2nd especially when down shifting. I do rev match but even then it will jerk sometimes if I am not damn near perfect in rpm matching. don't want to go out and buy a clutch kit if I need to fix the transmission first.

I have an 86 MM 2.0L

[pennyman1]

Change the gear oil in the tranny - I run Royal Purple in Geronimo and that solved the problems I was having like that. If it doesn't help, then the syncros are going, or your clutch isn't fully disengaging when you shift - you need to have 3/4 of an inch free play in the pedal measured at the top of the pedal where the adjusting screw is under the dash. Use the star wheel on the firewall to adjust the free play

[camoit]

It sounds like you need to adjust the clutch first and re check. Just open the hood and pull the cable housing away from the fire wall. Then turn the adjuster by hand tell it's up to the fire wall. Then re-test the trans. If it shifts OK then it's the clutch. Other wise you will need to pull the trans pan and see what you can see, or find laying in there.

[amcervantes]

Royal Purple gear oil is pricey. Going to try adjusting first haha thanks guys

[4cylinders]

hey, these trans are very wide ratio.
they don't like to be down shifted into 1 or 2nd unless you are
really going slow.

[camoit]

It's not to bad as long as you are in the "normal" driving range. I have exploded a clutch disk before by down shifting. When down shifting, the clutch is disengaged and the clutch disk is speed up by the transmission when you down shift. You can over speed the disk and it comes apart. When up shifting the disk slows down when shifting. This is caused by the taper of the blocking rings of the synchronizer. The synchronizing parts are made of several parts. The gear, synchronizing hub, synchronizing blocking rings, and the synchronizer ring. When shifted the ring slides on the hub and puts pressure on the brass blocking ring. When pressure is applied to the blocking ring, the tapered part of the blocking ring puts pressure on the gear taper. When this happens the synchronizer hub and sliding ring is speed up or slowed depending on the gear selection direction. Once the gear and hub reach the same RPM or close to, then you are allowed to fully slide the hub on to the gear, making the mechanical connection. The gears them self do not move on the shaft only the hub. Simple hu?

[pennyman1]

Conventional gear oils will make it hard to downshift also - but you do have to be careful as downshifting into 1st or 2nd at too high a speed will also overrev an engine with bad consequences. There are other synthetic gear oils such as Redline that will work that aren't so pricy - I got Geronimo's before Royal Purple started to spend mega money on advertising which more than doubled the price.

[amcervantes]

wen i shift back into 2nd or 1st it usually under 20 for 2nd and somewhere 15ish and under for 1st. that is why it bothers me so much because i am already in 2nd gear slowing down to 10mph from 20mph i step on the accelerator and the truck whips back and forth unless i accelerate ever so slightly. and if i sift down it'll sometimes do the same. the level of concentration i have to maintain to drive bumper to bumper morning traffic is what is making this unbearable.

[DroppedMitsu]

Ithink you need to adjust your freeplay or the clutch is going bad. I have no problems with my 5 speed and thats with a turbo4g in front of it.

[amcervantes]

thanks. i kept thinking bad clutch but driving it normally its fines. new shift at work is to blame here haha

[amcervantes]

finally adjusted the clutch, runs a lot better.I'm going to try tightening it a lil more

[DroppedMitsu]

Yea usually it's too much slack in the cable, happened to me a few times.

[Sscorpion]

To me this is weird i have a new clutch with only about 3500 miles on it and a clutch cable with about 1000 miles on it. The cable i got from oreillys has never fit right in the truck the star is completly maxed out with 4 washers on the bottom. Now when i first start the truck and drive its shifts perfect but after it warms up after driving for 15-20 min. It doesnt want to go into 1st or 2nd gear at all and the only way to get going it to slam it into gear to get it home and park it. HELP newer cable and Clutch. Any suggestions???

[DroppedMitsu]

Have some push on the clutch while you look in the engine bay to see if the firewall is flexing. Might be your problem