grinding gears

[hootymo]

hi there, well i just swapped in my junkyard manual tranny for my old one which ate itself up, and all went well. the car actually moves! cant believe i actually changed a tranny for the first time all by myself in my driveway in the freezing cold weather, im so proud the only thing i have a question about is when shifting into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears (especially 3rd) i get a little bit of grinding when moving the shifter into gear. is this just a simple case of adjusting the clutch cable? also, i wonder why it does it more when shifting into 3rd than the other 2, and why 4th and 5th dont do it at all. any solutions or advice? just a simple adjust of the clutch cable? or something deeper... hope not. thanks!

[Strugglebucket]

the clutch cable needs to be adjusted so there is about a 1/4" of play, but that's probably not your problem. most likely it is just worn syncros. i know some people have had luck using syncromesh fluid in their trannys. here's one of the threads:

https://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=35...gm+synchromesh

[hootymo]

hmm can i just get that synchromesh stuff from a gm dealer? also, i have 5w-30 in my manual tranny right now. is that bad? i see everyone talking about 10w-30, should i get that 5w-30 out of there or something? also, do i fill the tranny with all synchromesh instead of oil or do i fill the tranny with oil then add the synchromesh stuff as a supplement?

[shepherd79]

well, it could be that your cluch is not being pushed all the way. so try adjusting the clutch cable first. it it doesn't help, i would say get rid of that thin 5w30 oil and swap with GM synchromash. But if it was me i would play with cable first and use Honda MFT or Mobil 10w-40 oil only. no synthetic crap. that will kill your tranny even faster.
oh yeah, i guess adding some lucal tranny oil may help.

[snow_man_20]

i would say syncros, i would also play with the clutch cable first but if it was clutch it would also do it in 4th and 5th. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are the most used syncros so thay usualy go out first. (just my .02 sence) good luck

[BlueBead]

umm... alex meant 'lucas' tranny oil... its pretty good, thickens the oil a bit. Your best bet is gonna be stock Honda MTF like alex said...but then I've never tried synchromesh, so maybe that would be a good bet too... I've found with these cars its better if you stay with the honda fluids (esp. power steering), since most of them have different properties than other manufacturers fluids. From the sounds of it you might have wanted to rebuild that JY tranny before you stuck it in... (I'll be doing that soon).
And I know what you mean about freezing cold weather.. I just changed my clutch in this:

Good luck with that tranny man.. I hope it works out for u!

[hootymo]

i would like to rebuild the tranny, what do i have to do to rebuild a manual tranny the right way? ive never done anything that indepth before, what parts would i need? anyone have a good how-to on rebuilding my 5-spd? thanks!

[nswst8]

i would like to rebuild the tranny, what do i have to do to rebuild a manual tranny the right way? ive never done anything that indepth before, what parts would i need? anyone have a good how-to on rebuilding my 5-spd? thanks!

I have a Honda Technical training video on the Manual tranny $10 bucks and its on its way to you.

[hootymo]

is it something i would be able to understand? cuz im not all that good with these cars yet and kinda would like a how to from someone here who could explain it a little easier u know? thanks though

[nswst8]

Its not a 1,2,3 go, but its a good reference and how to give some great points and trouble shooting how to's.
If your going to keep your 3g I recommend it.

[88Accord-DX]

The most common problem with grinding noise is improper linkage adjustment. Worn or damaged syncronizers, shift forks or rails & excessive wear in bearings,cones, & shafts may all prevent the gears from engaging smoothly.

If your not good with working on cars, then I wouldn't recommend trying to re-build the manual tranny yourself. There are many parts that need to be put in order.

[hootymo]

well i have a parts lxi sitting around right now. if i wanted to and it was warm enough out i could just take a day and put the lxi tranny in my lx, would that be worth it or should i just leave it the way it is? is something actually being damaged every time i switch to 3rd gear? cuz it really doesnt sound that bad, and it doesnt seem to be getting worse it just sounds like it grinds then shifts right into gear. definitely sounds like synchros or whatever, but do you think something will break or should i just drive it like that and chalk it up to wear and tear and live with it?

[HondaBoy]

i'd say yes, things are getting damaged. when you hear the grinding, thats the gears getting ground down slowly. you might find a bunch of metal shavings in the fluid when you drain it. i'd say if you want to have a reliable tranny, dont drive it until you've fixed the grinding gears problem.

[AccordEpicenter]

id run either honda MTF or gm Syncromesh Friction modified (its different than regular syncromesh) 5-30 is too lightweight an oil, the syncros need a heavier oil to work good. Full Synthetics are bad for gearboxes... they dont stick to gears as well as dino oil and theyre too slick, itll just make your tranny worse and more noisy.