007max

Like the title says, I shift into 4th and the car acts like I'm still in neutral, though the shifter is in the 4th gear position. After that it will not go into 4th gear until I shift back into 3rd or go right to 5th. This happens about 20% of the time now, I've also noticed a bit more slop in the shifter than it used to have, but that has been a gradual thing... Whats going on? Time for a 6spd?

280zx2by2

4th gear syncro mabe? that seems to be the case when you either cant put it into gear or it pops back out of gear...

when you push it into forth do you get the little sound(sounds kind of like your drilling through metal)? you mainly hear it on down shifts when your rpms are too high

KasbeKZ

sounds like the shift linkage to me. i'd take the boot off and check those bushings at the bottom of the shifter and make sure it's all tight.

280zx2by2

wouldnt he have trouble in more gears than 4th if its the shift linkage?

i mean check it first though because...well its a hell of alot easier to chech that than the syncros

KasbeKZ

true story^^^^ yeah i'm not really sure if it could happen in such a way as to only affect forth. but that really sounds like the best possibility to me.

rtmorgan

well im not a trans guy and know nothing of this particular trans.
but if its anything like the motorcycle trans i had in my fzr then it could be a shifting fork but idk?
it doesnt sound like syncros to me cause the syncros in my trans are gettin weak in 4th and it just makes it harder for super fast shifts but regular driving is perfectly normal.

NismoPick

Has anything happened recently? A nice shove into 4th? Maybe some grindage of gears? Any clutch slippage? Hard to get into any other gears? Have you checked the fluid level?

KasbeKZ

people keep saying snycros, but when i've seen syncros go out, the tranny was always able to be jammed into that gear. it just gave a little grind. i've had a car that didn't even come with syncro on first. it always went into gear. the syncro idea doesn't match up for me.

snwbrderphat540

ugh.... kids, if synchros go bad change the fluid it often helps and double clutch for that gear. its probably the clutch not fully disengaging for w/e reason or one of the shifter forks.

rtmorgan

ha like i said probaly not syncros but forks yeah

oh replace the forks with sporks, their stronger and multi purpose!!

rtmorgan

yeah i know that was random and dumb

007max

I drive pretty hard but have never had it grind gears or have trouble getting into any gear. What happens is that I shift into 4th, the shifter is securely in the 4th gear position, but the car remains in neutral, no weird sounds either... The clutch has started to squeal recently getting into gear, especially 1st and 2nd, but it never slips once fully engaged. Have never had this issue with anything other than 4th either... going to check fluid level, brb.

rtmorgan

sounds like you have a bent shift fork in your tranny.
i had on a motorcycle of mine but it would go into second and pop back out into neutral kinda like you situation

snwbrderphat540

the forks are pretty thick dont look easily bendable but a part that keeps the shifter attatched to the fork, pins clips etc., could have broken making it in operable

rtmorgan

yeah that what i thought when i saw the ones for my bike but his car is 29 years old and if some previous owner jammed it into 4th time after time it can bend

rtmorgan

the previously owner on my bike jammed it into second while doing wheelies and bent the fork over time

snwbrderphat540

thats a bike the rod section on the shift forks are like 3/4 inch diameter solid metal of some sort im assuming steel. ever break apart one of these trannies? pretty astute for the most part

007max

So I haven't driven the car at all in the last two weeks because I've needed my truck, drove it to work today, and it shifts fine Oh, and the fluid level is fine, I did have it changed a year ago before I drove from NY to AZ

RedVonHammer

Hmm looks like a problem similar to one of the trucks that my dad owns, sometimes it worked, and other times, when shifting, the shifter just popped out of its designated position, and the tranny gave a grinding sound. Which required shifting without the clutch. It could suddenly work for a week with no problem, then the problem would occur again..

The problem was metal fragments in the clutch fluid box, getting caught up at the bottom of the fluid box outtake, resulting in a temporary block of clutch fluid when the clutch was disengaged, or simply slowed the flow. Once clutch is engaged again, the metal fragments may go back into the box or further into the circulation system, so determining whether this is the problem or not may give you a very deceiving result. Should you see fragments on the intake, try using a Q-tip on it, as this is probably the most probable spot that the fragments would gather.

If you are to check whether this is the problem or not, be careful when screwing off the bottom outtake, if the rubber enclosing wont loosen that easy, and you use pure force to try and unhook it, it might get damaged and may leak fluid. Finding a stock rubber enclosing for a bottom clutch fluid box outtake for a widely produced and sold 1982 car is not as easy as it may sound (My dads truck just happens to be a widely distributed 82 model, the Toyota LandCruiser HJ60 to be exact.) And trust me when I say shifting without clutch is uhmm lets see: NOT FUN!

There is a lazy mans way to clean your clutch fluid circulation system as well, you unhook the bottom outtake, start the car up, and simply push the clutch pedal till all the fluid has come out, (A good sign is when the fluid is pouring down the drive way, hint: Utilize car mirror wisely, hehe.) then refill, then stand on the clutch again until its empty, then refill, etc, do this a couple of times, or more, and it should be clean, you`d be amazed what fluid driven by the immense force of about 2 bars of pressure does to clean out unwanted elements, hehe.


Ow well, thats just if thats even the problem, just thought I`d toss in my 2 cents, good luck!