Transmission Problem -- No 3rd Gear
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
Transmission Problem -- No 3rd Gear
I think I know the answer to this, but I wonder what every thinks. Third gear has been acting up for a while now. It has started vibrating bad when I shift into the third (MN6). Now, tonight, when I put it in 3rd, there is no gear there. It is just like it is still in neutral. I believe I must have broke something in the transmission. It shifts fully into gear, but it is like there is simply no gear there.
I'm guessing the transmission now needs some major work, but I'm hopin there is an easier solution. I have a Hurst shifter, and I know there have been similar problems, but it usually effects 3 gears at once. Does anyone have any ideas on this one? Thanks.
I'm guessing the transmission now needs some major work, but I'm hopin there is an easier solution. I have a Hurst shifter, and I know there have been similar problems, but it usually effects 3 gears at once. Does anyone have any ideas on this one? Thanks.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,256
Likes: 1
From: Charlotte NC
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
3rd gear went out on my transmission and the dealer said that is the most common gear to go out. On mine 3rd was destroyed and 4th was pretty bad too.
If you have to replace it heres an idea of cost. I paid 2650 for a brand new GM tranny, with the 3 year/100k mile warrenty from Phelps Chevy in Greenville, NC the service managers name is Justin and he went above and beyond to take care of us including extremly fast shipping of a new unit
If you have to replace it heres an idea of cost. I paid 2650 for a brand new GM tranny, with the 3 year/100k mile warrenty from Phelps Chevy in Greenville, NC the service managers name is Justin and he went above and beyond to take care of us including extremly fast shipping of a new unit
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 6,275
Likes: 226
From: Farmington CT
Cruise-In VII Veteran
I strap them onto a pallet and call www.rpmtransmissions.com 
give Todd a call Tuesday, I'm sure they have the answer
give Todd a call Tuesday, I'm sure they have the answer
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
3rd gear went out on my transmission and the dealer said that is the most common gear to go out. On mine 3rd was destroyed and 4th was pretty bad too.
If you have to replace it heres an idea of cost. I paid 2650 for a brand new GM tranny, with the 3 year/100k mile warrenty from Phelps Chevy in Greenville, NC the service managers name is Justin and he went above and beyond to take care of us including extremly fast shipping of a new unit
If you have to replace it heres an idea of cost. I paid 2650 for a brand new GM tranny, with the 3 year/100k mile warrenty from Phelps Chevy in Greenville, NC the service managers name is Justin and he went above and beyond to take care of us including extremly fast shipping of a new unit
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
I strap them onto a pallet and call www.rpmtransmissions.com
give Todd a call Tuesday, I'm sure they have the answer
give Todd a call Tuesday, I'm sure they have the answer
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 893
Likes: 38
From: ATX
I lost second and then fourth and sixth at the same time... and the car had always disliked going into second since I'd bought it. I thought about it a while and decided to pull the console off... sure enough, it turned out it was only the shift linkage was out way of adjustment; the 'bowl' where the shifter mechanism is contained was actually LOOSE. I adjusted everything properly and torqued it back down and all is well. I'd say it's worth looking into.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
I lost second and then fourth and sixth at the same time... and the car had always disliked going into second since I'd bought it. I thought about it a while and decided to pull the console off... sure enough, it turned out it was only the shift linkage was out way of adjustment; the 'bowl' where the shifter mechanism is contained was actually LOOSE. I adjusted everything properly and torqued it back down and all is well. I'd say it's worth looking into.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
I just spoke with Todd, and I feel really good about swapping out the transmission. I also asked him if he or Rodney thought it was possible that the Hurst shifter may have had something fall off or misalign, but they really don't think so. I plan to pull the console and look into the area, but I'm not sure if anything will jump out at me. I guess I will just see if everything is moving correctly from above.
As far as getting the remanufactured transmission, I would actually look forward to it. I asked if I could swap the MN6 for an MN12, and they said that would be possible, too. Since I have the 3.42 rear end, I could basically increase the ratio to an effective 3.82. I guess there is a bright side.
As far as getting the remanufactured transmission, I would actually look forward to it. I asked if I could swap the MN6 for an MN12, and they said that would be possible, too. Since I have the 3.42 rear end, I could basically increase the ratio to an effective 3.82. I guess there is a bright side.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
1 -- 2.66/2.97
2 -- 1.78/2.07
3 -- 1.30/1.43
4 -- 1.0/1.0
5 -- 0.74/0.84
6 -- 0.50/0.56
I wonder why 4th is so inconsistant with the rest of the gearset? It should have been around 1.11, but they used a gear that yields 1.0. That's pretty crazy. With that said, I guess it doesn't make sense to change them. I'm still holding onto hope that I can figure out something is wrong with it that I can fix. I just doubt it. It just baffles me that I could have a problem with just third gear when I didn't hear or feel a failure, and it went out instantly.
Resident moron
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,746
Likes: 20
From: Assachusetts
I could never figure out why they didn't change 4th too. 3rd to 4th is such a big jump compared to an M6 
I find it interesting that you've lost 3rd totally too. Keep us updated. I had an issue with my 3rd gear synchros which kept me from shifting quickly. It would just grind and/or pop out. But I could still put it in slowly and have it work. Having a dead space is interesting, I wonder if it's actually trying to shift at all or if you're hitting some kind of dead spot.
Regardless, unless you've got the tools and the know-how, it's gonna have to be rebuilt, so you might as well start saving the $$
I think Rodney from RPM charges ~1250 for their standard HD buildup. That's what I have now
Dope
I find it interesting that you've lost 3rd totally too. Keep us updated. I had an issue with my 3rd gear synchros which kept me from shifting quickly. It would just grind and/or pop out. But I could still put it in slowly and have it work. Having a dead space is interesting, I wonder if it's actually trying to shift at all or if you're hitting some kind of dead spot.
Regardless, unless you've got the tools and the know-how, it's gonna have to be rebuilt, so you might as well start saving the $$
I think Rodney from RPM charges ~1250 for their standard HD buildup. That's what I have now
Dope
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
I could never figure out why they didn't change 4th too. 3rd to 4th is such a big jump compared to an M6
I find it interesting that you've lost 3rd totally too. Keep us updated. I had an issue with my 3rd gear synchros which kept me from shifting quickly. It would just grind and/or pop out. But I could still put it in slowly and have it work. Having a dead space is interesting, I wonder if it's actually trying to shift at all or if you're hitting some kind of dead spot.
Regardless, unless you've got the tools and the know-how, it's gonna have to be rebuilt, so you might as well start saving the $$
I think Rodney from RPM charges ~1250 for their standard HD buildup. That's what I have now
Dope
I find it interesting that you've lost 3rd totally too. Keep us updated. I had an issue with my 3rd gear synchros which kept me from shifting quickly. It would just grind and/or pop out. But I could still put it in slowly and have it work. Having a dead space is interesting, I wonder if it's actually trying to shift at all or if you're hitting some kind of dead spot.
Regardless, unless you've got the tools and the know-how, it's gonna have to be rebuilt, so you might as well start saving the $$
I think Rodney from RPM charges ~1250 for their standard HD buildup. That's what I have now
Dope
As for what's going on with the shifting, it seems to have most people baffled as well. One easy fix is just to jerk it out and ship it off to have it rebuilt. From there, it is a possibility to find out what it was, but I may never know. I've spoken few different people on this, and it's just baffling. I'd love to at least find one person who has had this problem before. Thanks
Former Vendor
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,719
Likes: 3
From: Anderson Indiana
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 482
Likes: 1
From: Waveland MS
Like I said, I still think it is a great price. I can't complain with any of the pricing I discussed with Todd. I'm thinking I may pass on the M12, but I would still feel like I had an upgrade from the stock tranny.
However, I'm still holding out a slim glimmer of hope that I won't have to have the tranny rebuilt.
However, I'm still holding out a slim glimmer of hope that I won't have to have the tranny rebuilt.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 2,073
Likes: 0
From: East Lansing, Mi
Dope your price was indeed the pre-employee price. I was in a parternership for 9 years and left the general transmission repair business in search of the high performance market. When I built your unit I was in a transition period when I didn't have employees and a TON of overhead. I could not keep up with the demand myself and now three years later we have 6 employees and a 6k sq ft facility and well you can guess the rest..... the website price is correct and as bad as I hate to say it we did have a slight price increase today (after 2 years) This increase was only to cover the increase in price from our parts suppliers over the last year. We are going through growing pains.
