Hey all,

I have an 01' C5Z and recently have had difficulty with my shifter.

Problem

My shifter has recently had problems finding 3rd gear under hard acceleration. On top of that, in just the past week or so, I've been unable to shift to 3rd without grinding (it doesn't matter how much I press the clutch pedal in or ease the shifter into 3rd).

Sometimes, shifting to 4th will grind.

Once I shift into 4th, it's impossible to get back into third without first shifting to 2nd.

What I've Done So Far

I've searched the forums for people with similar problems, and come up with two solutions:

1) Flushing the fuild per Ranger's article, and
2) Performing the shifter adjustment, per the RPM Transmissions PDF.

Although, I'm not very technically proficient when it comes to adjusting shifters. The whole process looks like you simply remove the system, put it back on, and torque it down? Is there anything specific that would help me identify if the adjustment is the culprit?

And I think my biggest questions is: Does this look like the start of a much bigger problem? I know that I'll need to actually do both of these before I know what's really wrong, but I want to find out if I need to start saving up for more expensive maintenance down the line (is this a precursor to synchro or total clutch failure, etc)?

I'll be performing the fluid flush and adjustment sometime this weekend, but am curious as to whether or not there are any other areas I haven't looked at that may be causing the problem, and are easy fixes (ones that I could perform at home).

Thanks

-K

 

No need to worry about syncho's just yet, complete the above tasks and report back if the problem hasn't been fixed. Good Luck!!!

 

Change the fluid in the tranny. Dexron III is fine.

 

Could you post the link for:

Performing the shifter adjustment, per the RPM Transmissions PDF

need to do mine as well.
thanks, tom

 

When was the last time that you changed the tranny fluid??? Dirty worn out fluid will cause shift issues. My 98 started grinding in 3rd and just changing the fluid solved that issue.

You can up-grade to a synthetic ATF. It helped mine a lot. AMSOIL had a very good Synthetic ATF fluid that works very good in our tranny.

Heres the inside of the shift box:



Bill

 

What size is the torx on the linkage?

I need to adjust mine as well but I have an MGW shifter. I lost the little pin that goes in front of the shifter box!

 

I have the same issue with third and fourth on my '98. But - it's funny in that it only happens on the first shift into third, and the first shift into fourth, after the car has been sitting overnight (long enough to cool down to ambient temps)

I drained and refilled the transmission last week and it seems to have helped the hard shift/grind going from 3rd to 4th, but I got a hard shift/grind going into third during a 1-2-3 highway blast this afternoon.

 

had somewhat the same problem, shifting up and down between 3rd and 4th was impossible without some grinding, it rapidly progressed once it began. I had tranny rebuilt due to bad synchos. While I was at it, i replaced the clutch since I belive thats what lead to the tranny going bad. I have been flushing my fluid for about the last year, or so. I went with a LS7 clutch and upgraded some tranny parts.

 

Brave comment without knowing how many miles are on the tranny. I have been racing and daily driving my C5 for years and have had 3 tranny rebuilds. Typically, when you are having grinding issues it is the syncros. Changing the fluid will mask the problem and allow the gears to "slip" together for a little while. What is happening in the tranny will ultimately catch you. That grinding you hear are the gears trying to mesh together. The higher the RPM of the internals, the more difficult it is to get the gears to slide together. The syncros "syncronize" this process and that is why you don't feel a new tranny grinding. WOrn syncros, grind!!!! I would put at least $1,000.00 aside for a tranny rebuild. I would also do it soon to avoid having extra parts replacement. While your at it, have the 3rd gear chryo treated. Makes it much stronger for the next time.

 

This is what I went with:

http://www.rpmtransmissions.com/levelivt56.html

Got the bronze fork pads as well.

 

Sorry, I should have explained a little further that you don't need to assume that your transmission needs to be rebuilt before trying some simple fixes. ( shifter alignment or fluid change )

 

It dosent sound like the shifter is out of adujstment in this case. Also you can try a fluid change/flush but this is only going to mask the problem if it does anything at all. If you feel that a rebuild is in need give us a call and we will help you decide what fits your transmission needs.

 

Interesting comments. I just got through talking with a fiend who feels the aftermarket shifters installed on these transmissions may introduce different leverage forces and wear out the syncros sooner. Could this be true?

 

I don't know for myself but I have read similar thoughts like that on other car forums but it wasn't for Corvette's. Mechanics are mechanics so I would say it's possible? I read that on another forum in reference to aftermarket Scion shifters.

However, I can say that if the transmission, clutch or shifter was changed, I would adjust the trans per RPM:

http://rpmtransmissions.com/files/c5...adjustment.pdf

I have changed all 3 in my car. Afterwards, car would pop out of 1st on occassion. Adjusted it yesterday and haven't had any problems since. When I loosened the bolts, the shifter box did move and the pin would not push in previously when in neutral, I had to push the shifter towards 3rd a little bit to align it correctly.