Loud 1st gear

I got a 91 si with 151k on it, and my 1st gear is so loud, sounds like i got a bunch of hampsters having sex in it, also 2nd is kinda loud but tolerable, i just changed the oil in it 2 months ago and it got a little quieter, anybody else dealing with this or is it just me. I was also thinking of draining it again and running full synthetic to aid it, any help or answers....you know what to do

don't put in synthetic. it'll be bad for it. high miles and synthetic don't mix. does it grind going into gear? or just makes lotsa noise once in gear? any shavings or metal bits in the tranny fluid u drained out? how easily does it shift thru the gears? wut vicosity fluid did u put back in? sounds like u have gears that have been beaten to death in there. and the chipped teeth r making the noise. if u'r lucky it's just the syncros and those can be replaced pretty easily at a tranny shop. run by ur local tranny shop and see wut they say. but try to describe in excessive detail so u give them more info than they need to pin point it.

It's either gears, synchros, or internal bearings. Once the noise is there the damage is done, NO fluid will fix it. Time to replace the trans with a used or rebuilt unit. It's a total waste of time & money to try rebuiding your current trans. Parts & labor add up very quickly. 1 gear set alone is like $200 + 6hrs of labor to R&R the trans.

shifts great, no grinds or anything. i put 10w30 in it as thats what the manual said to put in it. The oil was dark as hell but no shavings or anything

the manual says 10w30 for tranny fluid?

edit: damn it does, thats really thin.

i just use pennzoil syncromesh fluid, does anyone know the viscosity and weight of that? it seems to work good.

i just use pennzoil syncromesh fluid, does anyone know the viscosity and weight of that? it seems to work good.
wut's this about "weight"???

anyone know wut the W stands for in (for example) 10W30?

wut's this about "weight"???

anyone know wut the W stands for in (for example) 10W30?


stands for winter, as in cold.

about changing the fluid, you guys should really get the MTF (manual transmission fluid) from honda. ive tried all sorts of multigrade oils, conventional 10w30, syntec 10w30, mobil one 10w30, and even redline 10w30. none of them felt as good as the MTF from honda. i dont know what they put in it, or if its truly nothing special and just tricks me with its "genuine honda" label, but it works.

^^^ Your an idiot of a special breed.

stands for winter, as in cold.




Dude its WEIGHT not winter :rolleyes: :lol2:

weight is pretty much like the thickness and viscosity is of course how fast it flows. heavy weight is usually has better lubrication properties but thickens up in cold weather; which is why 5w is preferred as motor oil. for transmission, from what ive seen, are usually around 75w.

actually incucivic is right; W stands for winter. like in multigrade oils like 10w-30; 10w is the viscosity rating for low temp(like for under 30 degrees F) and the 30 is the high temp viscosity rating.

75w is way too thick for the transmission. I used just a reg. 10w30.

75w is way too thick for the transmission. I used just a reg. 10w30.

i was refering to other manufacturers. if you go to the store you can probally find "Manual Transmission Fluid" with like 90 weight and such, but that doesnt mean its the right fluid for you.

I use 85w90 in my gremlin tranny. The W does stand for weight however. The higher number is viscosity when cold, lower number is viscoity when hot.

i was refering to other manufacturers. if you go to the store you can probally find "Manual Transmission Fluid" with like 90 weight and such, but that doesnt mean its the right fluid for you.

I know. I had the redline fluid that was at 90w but never used it. I would only use it if my tranny is built for performance.

taken from chevron website:
"There are two types of motor oils, single grade and multigrade. Multigrade oils such as a 10W-30, are designed to have the viscosity of an SAE 10W oil at cold temperatures combined with the viscosity of an SAE 30 oil at engine operating temperatures. The "W" or "Winter designation indicates that the oil meets viscosity requirements for low temperatures (below 30°F)."

and castrol website(if you dont believe chevron):
" A monograde is an oil whose viscosity is defined at only one temperature, either high or low. A multigrade must meet both high and low temperature viscosity requirements simultaneously. This makes multigrades an easy and popular year-round choice for drivers who experience hot summers and harsh winters. They are easily recognized by the dual viscosity designation (i.e. 10W-30 where the 10W is the low temperature, or winter designation and the 30 is the high temperature designation)."
here's why: " It is the viscosity modifier additive that produces a thickening effect at high temperatures but is dormant at low temperatures."

They just put it in laymens terms so people would understand.

wow this is bad, lol. Almost every manufactor uses a different type of lube for a manual trans. Some use motor oil like Honda's while others use a gear lube or even some use AUTOMATIC transmission fluid. Thicker oils mean more drag which decreases overall power due to the high resistance. In some levels of drag racing they actually drain the rear differential for less drag because of the heavy oil used.

The W means the oil meets specifications for viscosity at 0 F and is therefore suitable for Winter use

The first number is the viscosity when cold & second number is viscosity when hot.

More than you ever wanted to know about oil - and some of your really need to read this http://www.vtr.org/maintain/oil-overview.html

The W does in fact stand for WINTER, its right here in my textbook. "Oils tested at 0ºF are rated with a number and the letter W, which mean winter and indicates that the viscosity was tested at 0ºF"

shouldnt it be 0 C?, freezing point?.

i thought it was wierd too, but it says 0ºF (-18ºC) :screwy:

all u idiots that said the W stands for weight, yeah u'r wrong it is winter. i just wanted to see if anyone knew that like incucivic
also, oils r not measured in weight but viscosity. there is no weight involved.
viscosity is the amount a fluid RESISTS flowing.

don't believe me, look it up u'rself

weight is the measure, as in used as a unit for measure, not the actual weight. ie they say "10-weight" instead of "10-viscosity" or "viscosity-10", oils are measure in "weight", not whereas mass or gravitational forces pushing object down, but weight as in weight=measure of viscosity at a certain temp.

SAE 30 oil is thicker than SAE 10 oil. so it's easy to say that SAE 30 oil is "heavier" than SAE 10 oil. so that's where people get the weight deal. however the viscosity is not really shown in weight, but SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) grades.
i understand where the term weight comes from but it isn't actaully used to show an oils viscosity. now for whoever said that the low number is the viscosity at high temp and the high number is the viscosity at low temp; u'r wrong. it's actually the other way.
for example 10W30: 10 stands for the viscosity of the oil at freezing, zero degrees Celcius, 30 stands for the viscosity of the oil at normal engine operating temp. so the number before W is the cold viscosity, and the number after the W, or w/ no W after it, is the hot viscosity.

edit: also a 10W30 oil is truely called a multi-grade oil, not a multi-weight. basicly enough people have referred to oil grades as weights for long enough that's it's understood as fact, like a myth.

So now all i need to know is what should i put in my tranny, that gear'y noise is a killer in parking lots, louder than the rest of the car..., yeah i don't care if its 10 (winter)or (weight) just need to know what to run...Thanks 4 the feedback

um dude, no oil is going to help u out. u might be able to put 20W40, or if u can find a 20W30, then that might help quiet the noise, but it is only gonna get worse to the point of the tranny not working. just shell out $100-200 for a used one. i might have a DX manual tranny for ya come spring, works prefectly. PM me sumtime leter if u'r interested in it. i'd only be looking for like $50 plus shipping. anyway, have fun w/ that

um dude, no oil is going to help u out
That's what I said in the third reply . . . .

so does this sound weird, all day today its been silent as night, alittle noise but just a couple of times

That's what I said in the third reply . . . .

yeah i know u did, but it didn't seem like anyone noticed, so i had to say it again.
and still to no recognition. oh well. u just try and help and get no respect, i tell ya... :banghead:

just get genuine honda manual transmission fluid (MTF) and put that in there. its not gonna fix your problem, but it just might make it a little more bearable until you can get a new tranny