 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Subaru Cars / May 2006QUESTION - Need some 'vocabulary' regarding my tranny...
Hey, all. I'm seeing a symptom with my 02 WRX wagon which kind of bugs me, and I don't really know how to explain it intelligently. So I'll explain it anecdotally. Right - so I'm sitting idle at a stop sign, waiting for the light to turn green. It turns green. I then... -put in the clutch -pop into 1st -let out the clutch, and take off. All's well. Now: it's at the point when I actually move the shifter into gear where my question arises. There is usually some resistance felt, until the tranny slows down once I've engaged the clutch. Once the tranny spins down, the shifter slides nicely into place. But SOMETIMES, I am finding, this 'resistance' simply is not there, or is not as strong as is usually is. The shifter blasts right into gear with the same amount of force applied to the shifter as normal, and the gears smack into each other while the tranny is still spinning down. NOT what I want. I have seen this behavior when taking off from a stop, when taking off from pulling out of a parking spot in reverse, and when gearing down from second to come to a stop. I have brought this topic up before in the context of gearing down from second, and the resulting discussions about double-clutching were valuable. But this is a little different. I'm pretty sure I'm consistent about how quickly I put the shifter in after engaging the clutch, but it's possible that I rush it slightly. I never had this problem with my previous car (91 Toyota Tercel). Is this a behaviour issue on my part, meaning I just have to be more careful and make sure I wait for the tranny to spin down at all times? Or could something be amiss or 'becoming' amiss with the car? Seems to me that this 'detente' or 'resistance' in the shifter before going into gear is a Good Thing, and should Always Work the Same. Thanks! BD It seems as if your synchronizer ring(s) are worn out. > Hey, all. > [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > BD > Hey, all. > [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > BD The term you are looking for is what I've always heard called "beating the synchros" and the underlying effect is usually called "weak synchros." It really is a friction effect which is often a combination of wear from applying too much force in shifting (shows up mostly on second gear) and maybe less than ideal tranny lube. I haven't had a lot of experience with a variety of lubes, but many people here have. Mike >beating the synchros Thanks, Mike. Done some further digging, and apparently this is a sore spot for many owners. Seems my problem is not unique at all. Some have remedied it with getting the synchros replaced, and others have found some help with Red Line Synthetic fluid. I think that my best strategy will be to try to 'engineer' a scenario in which I can replicate the problem, and then take it in to the dealer. Mine got worse when i changed to redline a couple weeks ago. I had no problem with the first gear thing before the change, i did get a crunch going 3>4 when shifting at high RPMs, but i just learned to hold the clutch in for a sec or 2 instead of trying to fast shift and it wouldn't crunch. Now the 2>1 is really bad, and the crunch 3>4 is worse. I used the RL 75W/90 NS. I dont know what was in it before. But I'm going to change it to some dino 75W/90 and hopefully it will go back to the way it was. > >beating the synchros > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I think that my best strategy will be to try to 'engineer' a scenario > in which I can replicate the problem, and then take it in to the dealer. >i just learned to hold the clutch in for a sec or 2 instead of trying to fast shift and it wouldn't crunch. This seems to be key. Have you talked to any shops/dealers about this? Are you still under warranty? What's your take on your driving habits: are you generally really aggressive? No, haven't talked to a shop or dealer, still under warrenty. I drive aggresive sometimes but not that much. Guess I never brought it to a shop cause so many others have the same issue, some even told me they do that right off the lot brand new. I did put some regular valvoline 75w/90 in it, the 2>1 is normal now. 3>4 still crunches at high loads. > >i just learned to hold the clutch in for a sec or 2 instead of trying to fast shift and it wouldn't crunch. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > warranty? What's your take on your driving habits: are you generally > really aggressive? i just learned to hold the clutch in for a sec or 2 instead of trying to fast shift and it wouldn't crunch. Viable option, to be sure - but, especially going into first, I don't always 'think', and sometimes just fire it in. ;-( I did something today with some advise from my local WRX club. I picked up some GM/Penzoil syncromesh from Auto Zone, mixed about a 1/2 qt in it. Amazing ! No grind or crunch even when fast shifting 3>4 from 6,000 rpm. No change change at first. Parked it, went back out later and I guess it took abit to get mixed up... but what a difference now ! > i just learned to hold the clutch in for a sec or 2 instead of trying > to fast shift and it wouldn't crunch. > > Viable option, to be sure - but, especially going into first, I don't > always 'think', and sometimes just fire it in. ;-( >I did something today with some advise from my local WRX club. I picked up > some GM/Penzoil syncromesh from Auto Zone, mixed about a 1/2 qt in it. > Amazing ! No grind or crunch even when fast shifting 3>4 from 6,000 rpm. > No > change change at first. Parked it, went back out later and I guess it took > abit to get mixed up... but what a difference now ! Thanks for the info. I'm sure it will come in handy for others. Mike >mixed about a 1/2 qt in it This may be a dopey question (I have a lot of those), but is there a danger of 'overfilling' the tranny by adding such stuff, assuming you already have a correct amount of fluid in there? > >mixed about a 1/2 qt in it > > This may be a dopey question (I have a lot of those), but is there a > danger of 'overfilling' the tranny by adding such stuff, assuming you > already have a correct amount of fluid in there? Normally not. Gearbox fills are typically done by funneling lube in a hole in the side of the box. When it is full the stuff runs out, which announces it is full. (A lot like feeding a baby, no?) Mike I drained some first, then added it to the proper level. The WRX fill hole is the dipstick tube.Its got a yellow handle, it's under the left (passenger) side of the intercooler and right of the turbo. Need a funnel with a long tube or flexiable nozzel. Just a disclaimer, syncromesh is not the proper weight or GL rated oil for the subaru trans. And i wouldn't mix more then a QT in if 1/2 doesnt work.It did take awhile before i noticed the difference so give it a few miles. I'm guessing the syncromesh must add some friction to make the syncros work better.Some of these guys are mixing 3 different types of oil, i wouldn't go that far. So do it at your own risk. But the difference is night and day. > > >mixed about a 1/2 qt in it > > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Mike You're on the right track with the thinner oil. Some rally and circuit racers use 100% auto transmission fluid in manual boxes to get faster changes and less resistance (bit noisy though). > I drained some first, then added it to the proper level. The WRX fill hole > is the dipstick tube.Its got a yellow handle, it's under the left [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > > > Mike |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.