My car started doing this recently. Downshifting from 6th to 5th, it won't go into 5th at all, as if 5th gear is locked out, but from 4th to 5th, it shifts nice and smooth, no popping out, grinding or hard to shift from bad synchros or slider keys. It's also like this from neutral to 5th. I've never hard shifted 5th before, so I'm not sure what's going on here.

Jason

 

are u sure ur not going from 6th to reverse????

 

I'm positive. I tried everything from 6th to 5th and neutral to 5th and nothing. I'll go try it again, but I'm positive it's not me as I downshift from 6th to 5th on a regular basis.

Jason

 

Your problem sounds to be the shifter fork(s). When you drive, do you find your self holding on to the stick, maybe even keeping pressure on it? This is an easy/semi cheap fix/inspection. Take off the ****, top boot, shifter, bottom bood, remove console, bull off cover plate and take out the 3rd shifter fork and inspect for uneven wear or any wear at all on the prong looking things. It this is the case, you will need to replace the fork. I believe this is about a 40-50 $$ part. Hope this helps. And if you are not too familar with cars, may be a good idea to purchase a Haynes manual, they are 13-16 $$$. Good luck.

 

I encountered the same issue after missing 3rd & hitting 5th at the track one night. 5th gear synchro was toast.

 

Would a bad shift fork keep it from going to 5th when stopped? I would think a bad synchro would, but since it's smooth from 4-5, I don't see it being synchro related.

Jason

 

02transhawk, i don't believe you have any idea what you're talking about. first the tailshaft of the trans has to be pulled off to get to the 5-6 shift fork. if you do it while the trans is in the car, you'll have to be a magician to get the linkage to line up again (as it slides into the tailshaft when put together to maintain proper alignment). and a haynes manual is not going to have any information regarding transmission disassembly.


as far as the question. mine is doing the exact same thing, i never speedshift into 5th. It started to do it when i went to get off the highway one day and will only very seldom go from 6-5. when it seems to be locked out, it'll shift fine from 4-5. i meant to pull it apart this winter but had no time, i'll have to pull it out sometime soon to rebuild it as drag racing season is upon us.

 

SRP is correct about having to remove the transmission to perform repairs on it . Its not a simple task either . 02transhawk - have you tried that Mechanic in a bottle ? You pour it into your windshield wiper tank and poof it fixes all problems both now and in the future ........... Great stuff and only $0.99 too !!!

 

Your car probably has a bad shift fork for 5-6 gear along with marginal syncro rings . It will require the unit to come apart and you might as well spend the extra cash and get a steel 3-4 fork and all new syncro rings .

 

What may be confusing( other than the clueless 02transhawk diatrab) is the fact that you can get 5th from 4th but not from 6th. The 6-5 is more work on the synchro than the 4-5 and if its worn( pretty sure it is) it will only be time before you develop the prob there too.It could be combined with a damaged fork too.No matter- must come appart to tell.

 

Well that sucks. It will sometimes pop out of 3rd if you're just putting around town and shifting it really soft, so I've been thinking a rebuild will be in order here fairly soon, but it looks like it may be sooner. Hopefully I can find a good job right after I graduate in May and start ordering parts I know I'll need (synchro kit, shift forks, bearings). I've heard good things about D&D up in Michigan. How much would they charge in labor to rebuild it and how long is turn around time? Also, anyone else on here rebuild trannies? Bugsquasher you still doing this?

Jason

 

OK, I forgot to add that the tailshaft had to be removed (Big ****** deal). Last time I had this problem, my father fixed the car while I went on vacation, so giving the exact instructions were off. I do have an idea what I am talking about and your insult there SRP and calhoon were uncalled for. Grow up, if you have something to add, try it in a more constructive way. I am just trying to help him. He asked for opinions on what was wrong with the car, and I provided my knowledge. From what he describes, the problem is the shifter fork. The syncro wouldn't bother the car when sitting still, however, the shifter fork would give it problems the way he described. And yes, the syncro rings also go bad as the shifter forks do, however, they would not be the main issue with a problem placing in gear @ stop and upshift.

Jason, once you get this fixed, please let us know. I really don't believe you need a rebuild. Alot of mechanics tell people that when they have tranni problems because: 1-they don't know what the originating problem really is--2: It makes them more money to rebuild tranni vs. fixing minor problems.

Also, the factory warns not to rebuild and would rather you directly swap for a new one then rebuilt...not much more expensive either compared to the cost of a good rebuild.

 

The source, I don't believe you are a registered sponsor, and I see that you are advertising in your sig for what seems to be an e-bay business. Wonder how the mods would feel about that???

Edit* If I am wrong and you are a sponsor (Didn't see you on the list)--I appologize.

 

Well I did notice today that it will go from 6th to 5th standing still or barely moving, so it does look like it's a synchro. It'll be rebuild time in the future, hopefully late summer or early fall. I just got LT's and true duals and don't want to fork over another $800 or so for a rebuild. Thanks for the help though 02transhawk.

Jason

 

02TransHawk. My apologies if I offended you. I just reread my post and saw nothing to offend someone. Like you said in your post, your family member did the work for you while you were gone. You had no part in it, therefore no experience. I know T-56's are expensive to repair or buy new, i rebuild about 6-10 a month, just haven't had time to rebuild my personal one. Thats why i chimed in and didn't want this guy to get into it himself thinking a Haynes manual would be able to guide him through it! Then the general mechanic would probably charge him more since it was brought to him in pieces. This website is here for people to help each other out and to help eachother save money or point them in the direction of a good supplier/shop to have work done to their vehicles. Thats all i was doing, was helping to guide this guy through his problem, didn't want him to go along with what he was being told about a haynes manual being able to help him rebuild a t-56.

 

Un-Adjusted shift fork. play with it, see what happens.

 

What got me a little T'd was you said you don'g believe I have any idea what I'm talking about. Then 2 more people chimed in. No big deal.

I actually know enough to properly troubleshoot a problem and correct the minor ones. To me, a shifter fork is a minor problem, esp when compared to syncro rings and the other what nots of the tranni. I don't own a Haynes manual anymore, I gave them to the person who bought my old 94 Formy. I did think it would get you through the shifter to the tranni, but I may be wrong on that. Also, I realize that not everyone knows what shifter forks look like and how to work with them. I have done numerous of the "minor" tasks when working with tranni's, but I do not claim to be an expert, sorry if I seemed that way.

To the poster, if you are unsure of what you are doing, find someone who does or take it to a shop. Good luck with the car!!!

 

Nice post ! The same thing happened to me in my previous BMW

 

Jason, anything resolved with this yet.

 

Nope. 5th will now pop out about 1/2 the time though, and the car now will sometimes grind a little 5th to 4th . I just need a rebuild. Kinda pisses me off too as I have 83k miles. T56's are supposed to be tough, and I've never shifted 5th hard much less missed it.

Jason