Wondering if anyone else has had a problem with the 6 Speed grinding gears when shifting up from 1st to 2nd or down from 3rd to 2nd. I have a 2002 Roadster which I bought new in 09/2002. The car now has approximately 34K miles. I first noticed a problem about a year ago when then the gears would "clunk" when shifting. I took it to the dealer and they could not "reproduce" the problem, so they didn't do anything. It has gotten progressively worse and now grinds terribly. I have not raced or "hot rodded" the car, so it hasn't been abused. I also have not forced the CAGS when shifting. I recently took it to another dealer, and the transmission tech says it most like is the throw-out bearings, etc. Unfortunately, the 36 months time limit ran out last September. I had purchased an extended warranty, which at the time I thought as a GM warranty. However, now that I have attempted to use the warranty, I learned it is an "after market" warranty. So, I'm having a lot of red tape trying to get the repairs covered.
I am just trying to see if there was an inherent problem/defect with this transmission and perhaps GM would cover it. Wishful thinking and a shot in the dark I know, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I would appreciate comments or information from anyone who has had this kind of problem. Thanks......
Compulsive

 

If it's a clutch mechanism failure, you're screwed, as fas as warraty is concerned. You might want to take it into another dealership for a diagnosis, since you do have at least an extended warranty of some kind. It may turn out to be a tranny problem, and if it is, it will be covered.

 

MrLeadFoot--
Thank you for your response. The problem does appear to be in the transmission as I can skip 2nd by going from 1st to 3rd and there is no gear grinding. Also, when shifting to the other gears, up or down, there is no grinding. The grinding only occurs just when I try to go into 2nd. So, I don't think the clutch is the problem.
Again, thank you for your response.
Compulsive

 

your second gear synchronizer is shot... the syncro allow for perfect meshing of the gear. when the syncro is shot this alignment is gone and you have to force the gear in place , this is what causes the grinding..

 

 

What is the name of the company you have your extended warranty with?

 

"Easy Care" service contract which is administered by Automobile Protection Corporation (APCO) in Atlanta, GA. Do you know anything about this company?

 

nope

 

You're welscome. And, thank YOU for taking the time to thank me.

Regarding the warranty: FWIW, in my previous life, I sold a ton of third-party extended warranties.The most important aspect of the warranty is not necessarily the administrator, but the underwriter. See if you can find out who underwrites the policy. That way you'll have somewhere to turn should you experience problems with a dealership and/or the administrator of the policy.

And, although your chain of communication usually starts with a dealer, you might want to consider contacting the administrator first. Explain your problems, and ask if they can assist you. Tell them that you want to find an authorized agent in the area (nearest dealer that has a working relationship with the administrator is what that translates to be), and maybe even explain that you're coming to them because you've had problems with dealers in the past. You may get lucky and they might actually start a case file for you. It's definitely worth a shot, especially if they refer you to a dealership, and you have problems. Don't forget to document ALL your communications with anyone you talk to about the problem. Get names, numbers and names of firstborns whenever possible to help protect yourself should things get sticky. Remember that an extended warranty company is typically underwritten by an insurance company, and you know what that can mean.

HTH

 

Th very first thing I always recommend to people who are having trans problems with the C5's is to change the fluid. These transmissions are very sensitive to fluid quality.

It may or may not help but it's always a good first step.

 

Hi Evil-Twin---
Thank you for the information. Can you tell me what would cause the second gear synchronizer to go out?? Is this something that happens often because of design fault, or what?
Thank you.
Compulsive

 

MrLeadFoot--
Thank you for the very useful information on extended warranties. I am not sure who the underwriter is, but will try to find out. For future referrence, do you have any recommendations for an extended warranty?? I have been told by the dealership, that the GM extended warranty usually has the least amount of hassels. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Compulsive

 

This sounds like a logical first step, one you can do yourself ......there's a how to posted somewhere, sorry I am not good at posting links.

For maybe 20 bucks the fluid change may solve it.........some use Dexron III and others faithfully claim better shifts using synthetic like Mobil and Royal Purple and Amsoil.

 

Thank you. Your point is well taken!

 

Seems the two are GMPP and Warranty Direct. I had Warranty Direct but never had any issues (knock on wood) I think you car is well within the warranty limits with Warranty Direct. If the fluid change solves the problem and your tranny acts up in another year or so, then Warranty Direct or the GMPP may cover it. I said may......it's almost like rolling the dice. Seems sometimes they will and sometimes they won't. But read read read the warranty BEFORE you sign and buy. They may have clauses saying they won't repair certain components no matter what.
This is where lawyers come in and take your mod money.

 

As stated, most likely the synchro but try changing the fluid. My car did the same thing, but with 3rd gear. It was worse when it was cold outside. or when the car was first driven. When my slave cylinder took a *, I tore open the tranny and replaced the synchro. 1.5 years later so far so good

 

When trans fluid losses it's lubricity and the additives break down, rough shifting could occur in any gear. When you said your problem was 2nd gear only related, that took the fluid out of the problem... your description of your specific problem can only be two things. 1) very high probability a bad synchro
2)very low probability a bent shifting fork
A bad 2nd gear synchro is usually caused by missing second gear a few times, clutch not fully dis-engaged while forcing into 2nd gear. This is usually not the fault of the transmission but the driver...

 

Manufacturer's extended warranties are always better than 3rd party warranties, but they also tend to cost more. With that said, if you buy a used car, sometimes you don't have the option to buy a manufacturer's extended warranty, so you have no choice but to go with a 3rd party warranty.

For what it's worth, sales of any brand of extended warranties are an additional source of "back-end" revenue for dealers; in fact, sometimes profit on the sale of a car is less than the profit on the sale of a warranty. And, know that mark-up on warranties is 50 - 100%, so you can bargain on price.

 

Most manufacturers extended warranties are nothing like the original warranty,
Most manufactures extended warranties are a break down warranty meaning the car has have you stranded before they will fix it..
A wear a tear warranty is much better.
I have Warranty direct, the oldest extended warranty company on the planet, they were writing extended warranties long before GM ford and Chrysler got into the extended warranty business...
Warranty direct has the highest B&B rating available at A superior.

I have Warranty Direct ..
Read this: http://www.carbuyingtips.com/warranty.htm
I bought Warranty Direct 4 years ago... 7 years 100,000 miles zero deductible bumper to bumper... for 1200 dollars... I paid 200 dollars the first month then 100 dollars a month for the next 10 months... with no interest..
Warranty Direct is one of the oldest extended warranty companies in the country... they were writing extended warranties years before GM and Ford ever got into the extended warranty business.. Their D&B rating is "A" Superior.. which is the highest you can get... To date : I have used them seven times.. Water pump, oil sending unit, Door control Module, and Headlight actuator control motor..[alternator, belt tensioner and idler pulley ](this was one claim ), new seat adjuster.., and a radiator recovery tank. They had paid over 3,000 dollars in claims so far , and always with a thank you and, we will be here for you if you need us again... And the Best Part is I do Not have to take it to the dealer...Although many dealers will take this warranty because it actually pays them 40 % more for labor than GM pays them... I don't have to deal with people that know less about a Corvette than I do.... No dealer 18 year old Lot jockeys lighting up my tires... No inept techs working on my car... no threats or hassles from a guy that was working at McDonald the year before.. MY repair guy has been in business 40 years.. can do anything GM can do... he doesn't have any kids working for him... I can watch... My repair shop told me that Warranty Direct is the best warranty company he has ever worked with... he even Now has his personal cars covered by them.. Never a penny out of my pocket... MY guy calls Warranty direct to open a claim... he repairs the car... calls me when it is done.. submits his repair bill Via a fax to Warranty Direct, and he gets paid right on the spot via corporate credit card,,, just as if I gave him my credit card,,,
I still have three years and 50,000 miles left on this warranty... it would be worth 6 to 800 dollars to anyone who would buy my car... if I decided to sell it.. Would I do it again...? in a heart beat !


Experience
Well over 1.5 million contracts sold.
Over $400 million in claims paid.
Over 800,000 claims paid.
Over 9,000 claims handled every month.

Stability
A Forbes Magazine Top 200 Company- three times.
Over $140 million in assets, mostly in insured claims reserve accounts.
Celebrating our 25th year in business and 10 years on the Internet.

Reliability
Over 18,000 dealers and repair facilities do business with Warranty Direct.
Over 2,200 car dealers, banks and credit unions sell our coverage.
ZERO Better Business Bureau complaints in the past 16 months.
That is over 144,000 claims without one single complaint..Licensed and approved to do business in all 50 states.

Coverage
It's a Wear and Tear Warranty not a breakdown only warranty
A breakdown warranty means the car has to be broken to be fixed
A Wear and Tear Warranty is much better, because something could be failing, and still be fixed.. e.g.. alternator bearing starting to go bad..
A Wear and Tear claim will fix this before you get stuck..
A Breakdown Warranty means you have to be stuck somewhere before they will fix it.
The industry's most comprehensive coverage.
Wear and tear, seal and gaskets, overheating- all covered!
No restrictive, vague or fuzzy contract language.

When your vehicle breaks down or starts to fail, Warranty Direct pays.

 

ET, sound like you found a GOOD company. Very few out there. FWIW, GMPP will also address failing parts, which is huge, because you're right, some of the fine print on some warranties states the part must fail completely. But, they also sometimes write stuff in there so you don't even try to file a claim. Of course, if push comes to shove, they could cover a failing part before it fails completely because they know some failing parts are cheaper to fix before a complete failure, which can cost them even more, especially if a complete failure of one part can cause other parts to fail.

Most warranties do NOT cover wear and tear parts, and although manufacturer's standard warranties don't say they will cover wear and tear parts, they sometimes do, depending upon the situation. For example, a clutch is not something that's a manufacturer's standard specifcally states is a covered part, but depending upon the circumstance, manufacturers can and do make exceptions here and there.