Why Cant I shift into 2nd!?!?!

[wheel1856]

Ok, today I've had it! I put in a short throw shifter about a year ago, ever since then, I grind second. I learned how to drive on a 5 speed, and all my cars have been a 5 speed, I've been driving stick for 9 years and I know the grinding that comes from 9 out of 10 shifts into 2nd gear aint cause of me.

Now, I down shift ALL the time when I brake. The clutch should be fine because I never have problems in any other gear, or getting back down into them. I do occaisionally have problems getting down into second, but nothing major.

so...WTF!?!?! why can't I shift into second!?! RPM's seem to not matter either, I gotta shift it like a semi to not grind it? Do the short throw mess up the linkage somehow? How would I fix it?

thanks again all, I really wasnt gonna worry about it, but its really startin to get to me, plus every time I shift after a light I look like a dick, and well that just sucks. ( no punn intended)

[Kill4A911]

worn out sychros maby? if double clutching helps then thats probably it its

[94tegRS]

yeah, sounds like syncros, mine were bad in 3rd on my integra(bought it like that tho) and a friend of mines car does it into 2nd. but he and I didnt ever fix it yet, and it still goes into the gear, just makes some noise, but I hate driving a car around town and letting everybody hear my car grind and think I dont know how to drive.

[KrNxRaCer00]

bah, its cuz "ur granny shifting an not double clutching like u should" :hehehe:. u said no other gears rite? cuz if its more then one, could be a master cylinder or slave unit, or something as simple as no clutch fluid.

[liquid8]

mine does that too but only when i shift at 6000 an above quickly. if i shift slow it doesn't do it

[Kill4A911]

bah, its cuz "ur granny shifting an not double clutching like u should" . u said no other gears rite? cuz if its more then one, could be a master cylinder or slave unit, or something as simple as no clutch fluid.

yea yea i know i hate the fast and the furious too and double cluching is worthless, UNLESS... your sychros are messed up in which case if you rev match and they dont grind then you have your answer.

[civickiller]

umm maybe its time for tranny fluid change ?

[wheel1856]

yeah see tranny fluid was my first thought, drained and replaced that...no love. And it is only one gear, just second. And when I do manage to pull off a flawless (or at least one that those not in the know would think was flawless) double clutch, it doesnt grind.

tell me more about these synchros...I do not know these ways. or gimme a link so I can learn my damn self. is it a driveway fix? or a real mutha of a problem? if I have to re-build the tranny...f*ck it, the swap is just around the corner and that'll be a new tranny, so...

and yeah, fast and the furious, oi, double clutch while accelerating in a straight line, dumb dumb dumb

thanks all.
-wheel

[92teggsr]

You're probably better of replacing the whole tranny cause synchros are a bitch. You have to get into your transmission and there is so much crap in there it's like impossible to do yourself. Plus it'll probably cost more to have them fixed than getting a new tranny. Mine grinds into second and third sometimes but it won't do it when I double clutch it either. I hate it.
Now if your synchros are only grinding at high rpm then that means it's just the beginning. they'll get worse. So my take on this is: get a new tranny and try to sell the old one for cheap. That's what I'm doin.

[KrNxRaCer00]

Originally posted by wheel1856
and yeah, fast and the furious, oi, double clutch while accelerating in a straight line, dumb dumb dumb

ONLY dumb on cars w/ syncros. the older cars, taht was the only way u could get ur car into gear at higher rpm.

simplistic terms, the syncro's basically help u put ur car into gear an line up the teeth of the clutch to the blah blah blah...jus kno they help u get into gear. if u want the entire story about how they work, then check out www.howstuffworks.com

[wheel1856]

word. wasnt that because the hydro trannies werent that great yet, and the second cluth helped up the fluid pressure to make the shift smoother?

and yeah, if taking the tranny apart is the fix, screw it, the b16 is only a month away, I can live with it until then.

[SiRII]

it can be your clutch, your gear box, or mostly a boot on the short shifter. it got that same problem in 2nd and sometimes 3rd. but, i just need to change the shift boot.

[Kill4A911]

so your saying the shift boot is making the gears grind...?

[SiRII]

well, ya. i was told that when i did the swap. that the boot need to be replaced. if 1 bolt is missing or the rubber is worn out then it wont engage the gears right.

[Kill4A911]

the boot doesnt have anything to do with engaging the gears thats the stick and linkage, are you talking about the bushings or something?