5spd Cold Tranny Fluid = Grind?

[ptballer]

The weather over here has recently dropped and in the mornings when I take my car out third gear always grinds a little. The problem goes away after the transmission fluid warms up after a few minutes. Was just wondering if anyone else has this problem. I'm using Mobil1 75w90 gear oil which I just changed about 500 miles ago and its an E153 if that matters.

[99BlackSandv6]

Sound like the car will probably explode if you continue to drive it. You should give it to me so you are no longer at risk.

Seriously though, does it grind coming out of 3rd or going into 4th? Or does it grind going into neutral from 3rd (like 3rd to 4th and 3rd to 2nd)? Could just be a sycro giving up, and the cold isn't helping simply because of a temporary lack of lube at low tranny temps. Or some gear wear.

[alltrac92]

I had the same problem and after a change to Red Line MT-90 it was like driving a different car.

[KILLA CAM]

I run Redline MT-90 also and it gets cold here in Ohio. I've never had a problem.

[99BlackSandv6]

That makes since. Because you are using 75w90 the lube is 75 when cold and 90 when hot, switch to 90.

[Gibson99]

or try adding some Syncromesh to the gear oil. the 3rd gear synchro is getting pretty worn on my 98 after about 120k miles, and it's especially hard to put it into 3rd when it's cold in the mornings. once it's warmed up it's better, but still not smooth... but since adding syncromesh, it NEVER grinds unless i let the clutch out too early.

i know autozone sells it - it's in a yellow bottle right next to all the other gear oil in the back. its like $8 a quart or so. cheap, considering how much nicer it makes the transmission behave.

[Ruski]

can Syncromesh be used on auto trans ?

[ndeguzma]

You can double clutch until the fluid gets warm.

[Gibson99]

can Syncromesh be used on auto trans ?

NO! it's way too thick (90-weight vs atf's base 30-weight) and the friction modifiers in it would most likely destroy the clutch packs in your automatic.

[akora12]

+3 for Redline MT-90. If anything, I think it shifts better at colder temps than when warm. I didn't even have any grinding when the temps hit below 0.

[trd4life]

Synchromesh is BAD A S S

[ptballer]

Grind happens from 2nd to third. I had synchromesh in the car before and decided to try out mobil1 to see how they compare . Gibson how much synchromesh did you add in when mixing?

[Gibson99]

it's been a while since i filled it... i'm thinking last time we did it, we drained it, put in one quart of syncromesh, and filled the rest with mobil1.

but yeah mine was grinding on the 2-3 upshift as well. now it's just a little stiff, and sometimes i have to just wait and hold pressure on it. lately i almost feel like i am double-clutching, but i'm not letting up on the clutch - i just give the gas another blip to help revmatch the next gear.

note - i have a fidanza flywheel, so revs drop faster than they would normally.

[hskrsolara]

i too have been having issues with a tough shifting 5 spd., especially down shifting into 1st is almost impossible. 2nd to 3rd when running hard is tough too, tends to grind if I dont hit it perfect. Any verdict on what is the best fluid? I'm thinking 1 quart of synchromesh, then fill with Redline MT-90. Whadda ya think, should I just stick with all Redline? Is the synchromesh too thin? GL-4 or GL-5?

[Gibson99]

i've never had a car be easy to downshift into first while still moving. i have to double-clutch and heel-toe the miata to get back into first at race speeds, and on the street i just try to avoid it because it's so hard to rev match perfectly. i'll bog it in 2nd rather than trying to get back into first... unless i'm in a situation where i need to get the hell out of the way RIGHT NOW! then i'll just floor it, jam it in first and dump the clutch and hope for the best - to hell with grinding gears, i don't wanna die!