FrankieWS6

So, I have a few general questions. Just picked up my first F-Body car, 02 WS6, 65k miles. Has a few small things I'm about to take gear of (mainly a squeal from the rear end, mechanic says it's a pinion gear in the rear end, only noticeable in 3rd gear and up really)

ANYWAY, my questions are related to general transmission noise. Here they are.

A)I notice that sometimes I hear a small amount of noise when switching from gear-to-gear. I notice there's virtually no noise if I am extremely precise with my shifts, but I just notice a small bit of clunking here and there if I'm not 100% precise with my shifts. Is this normal? I've never owned a manual tranny before so I don't know if this is considered normal or what.

B) Also, sometimes, I hear a "Chopping" noise when I place the car into gear (mostly 1st and 2nd), then once I begin moving in the gear, the chopping completely dissipates. It's only when I switch into gear initially and then release the clutch it stops. Sometimes it does it, other times it doesn't.

C) Reverse sometimes pops out, but I notice that I believe sometimes I only "half-way" put it into gear and then it pops out. Does anyone know what I'm talking about, or does this sound defective/off to you? I notice if I really slide it fully into gear, it doesn't seem to do it. Obviously, I attempt to put it "fully" into gear everytime, but sometimes I mistake it as I'm still getting used to a manual transmission.


Thanks for all of the time. I know the issues may even sound worse than they really appear, but I just want to make sure nothing is "wrong" with the transmission.

FrankieWS6

Anybody?

Firebrian

Squeal from rear end could also be not having the proper fluid(s) in there. If it's an Auburn unit it occurs more often as that gets a different lubricant package than a Torsen. Most rear end gear issues are more a "whine" that increases with rpm. I'm assuming that you probably changed all fluids on the car as soon as you got it unless you were given documented records of proper trans/diff/coolant/brake/clutch fluid changes.

A)I notice that sometimes I hear a small amount of noise when switching from gear-to-gear. I notice there's virtually no noise if I am extremely precise with my shifts, but I just notice a small bit of clunking here and there if I'm not 100% precise with my shifts. Is this normal? I've never owned a manual tranny before so I don't know if this is considered normal or what.

Seems normal to me, especially if the gear shifts aren't precisely done. The clunking feel could be from the engine vs. trans/drive train rpms being a bit mis-matched at the time of the shift....especially at lower speeds when the car's weight/inertia is a bigger player. As you get better it will occur less.

B) Also, sometimes, I hear a "Chopping" noise when I place the car into gear (mostly 1st and 2nd), then once I begin moving in the gear, the chopping completely dissipates. It's only when I switch into gear initially and then release the clutch it stops. Sometimes it does it, other times it doesn't.

Is this what most might call "bucking" as you feather the clutch out? If not providing the correct balance of rpm (throttle) vs. clutch pedal the car will buck/chop/etc. at lower speeds due to the car's inertia.

C) Reverse sometimes pops out, but I notice that I believe sometimes I only "half-way" put it into gear and then it pops out. Does anyone know what I'm talking about, or does this sound defective/off to you? I notice if I really slide it fully into gear, it doesn't seem to do it. Obviously, I attempt to put it "fully" into gear every time, but sometimes I mistake it as I'm still getting used to a manual transmission.

Any gear popping out is a potential issue. Even when I was learning to drive a stick in the early days I never had a gear pop out on me due to partial engagement. What I often would hear were the gears grinding due to clutch being positioned wrong. This is something to get looked at or be very precise where you have the shifter when preparing for "reverse." It shouldn't occur again if you know it's fully seated in the right place. If it continues to pop out at times despite your best efforts there's probably something wrong. Can't say I can relate to a "half position" in reverse as either it's in or still back in neutral, or actually in 5th by mistake.

You might want to take the car to an experienced transmission or auto repair shop that you trust and have them test drive the car. They'll have a better feel for any transmission issues than you will. When I got my very first manual trans ('69 roadrunner 4 speed) I complained to my mechanic that the "built" engine in this car had no real power. It turned out I was shifting the car at way too low an rpm to generate proper hp. The car was fine....the problem was my inexperience.