3rd gear '96 sc1 issues. the rest are fine. (wordy post)

[jhonky]

1996 saturn sc1, 167k miles

Background on car
I have a beater saturn that I've been driving since july. When I bought it I was told the syncros on the 3rd gear was messed up(they told me because it makes a noise when it shifts to third, and since I was new to driving a manual, they didn't want me to think it was something really bad). The people I bought it from were fairly mechanically inclined, therefore when they say the noise it made when shifting to 3rd was the syncros, I'm guessing thats an accurate diagnosis. When I asked how long they thought it would last, they said at least 6 months if i put oil in regularly as it burned a quart per gas tank)

Now in the time I've owned it, it popped out of 3rd gear maybe 2 dozen or so times. Scared the bejesus out of me the first few times, but as of late I could actually tell when it would pop out. Every so often(about as often as it would pop out of 3rd) I could switch into 3rd without any noise at all. When that would happen I would know not to accelerate, because it would pop out. My way around that would be to switch to another gear and switch back into 3rd and hope it made the sound cause I knew it didn't pop out when it made the sound.

intermission
I put all that as background for when I describe what is now happening.

Problem
So today I'm downshifting from 4th to 3rd, to get on the local highway. (just another day going to work...nothing out of the ordinary)- It doesn't make the half second grinding noise that is caused by the faulty syncros. As stated earlier, this means its going to pop out. This time I want to try and see if i just barely give it gas, rather than accelerating more quickly, it won't pop out. No luck. It pops out. Surely it won't pop out next time, so i try again to go into 3rd(just like always when it pops out), and it just pops out imediately upon giving it gas. So I try a few more times(no luck), and my car is losing momentum, so I drop into second, speed up, try third a few more times(no luck, either popping out or grinding), and eventually just went from 2nd to 4th. That was to work, and I've since drove back from work. I tried numerous times on the way back to drive in 3rd and it just wasn't happening.

My random thoughts
1. My ultimate hope is that this is so very obvious that someone can tell me exactly what I would have to fix, and how much it costs(plus labor).

2. I can definitively say that I'm not investing a lot of money into fixing it. If theres multiple solutions and something cheap I could try that might keep it going another month, I'll do that.(one of my bosses said maybe it just needs more lubrication because its cold outside, which sounds like it'd be cheap to fix) But I'm definitely not doing something thats worth more than the car.

3. How long will this car last with me going from 2nd to 4th. (days or months?)

4. I bought it for $600, with the problems it has now, I sell it for _____?


I have nothing but appreciation for those who provide help after this extremely long post! Thank you.

[RC1488]

Check your bushing where the cable meets the shifter under the console. They most likely need to be replaced.

[jhonky]

what is the likelyhood that fixing the bushing under the console will fix the problem? cost estimate?
thanks for your reply

[RC1488]

Originally Posted by jhonky

what is the likelyhood that fixing the bushing under the console will fix the problem? cost estimate?
thanks for your reply

It will be very obvious if the bushing is broken or loose.

Cost is about 25 bucks iirc.

Thanks for asking! Yes, during the summer months I ship between 8 and 20 bushings every day! Saturn's OEM molded bushings don't fail nearly as often during winter months, but I am still shipping about a dozen per week. I'm guessing that close to six thousand Saturns have now been protected with one of my bushings. Both Delrin and stainless steel bushings are available. Both are precision-machined, not molded, and are warranteed for as long as you own your Saturn.



As you probably know, the plastic end loop molded onto the shifter cable's end shaft is known to eventually separate. I also offer a replacement end loop precision-machined from moly-impregnated nylon. If ordered with either my Delrin or stainless bushing, Priority Mail shipping for both is free.


A written installation guide and free email and phone support are included.


The Delrin bushing is $19.99, the stainless is $29, the end loop also $29. First Class shipping is $3, Priority is $6.75. If you will indicate your bushing and shipping preferences, I will send a PayPal invoice describing your purchase, and will ship right away.


Please let me know if you have further questions.


Thanks again!
Jerry
Jerry Borshard <[email protected]>