Hi, I just got my 87 se 2.8 ready to drive after sitting for 5 years. I changed the gear oil, replaced the clutch slave and master. Bled the system according to rodneys method (his slave.. highly reccomend) and now its shifts ok but going into 3rd its grinding a little. I have Zero experience with manual transmissions so any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Could be a bad/weak syncho. Also could be the fluid. I run GM Synchromesh in my Getrag and it really does make a difference in shift quality and smoothness. If you are not running Synchromesh, try that first.

It's always the 3rd gear syncros with getrag 5spds...you can try syncromesh, but it's expensive, and if it doesn't work, you'll just have to live with it until it breaks and get another transmission.

arghhh It has Synchromesh in it.

If you shift really slow and it doesn't grind odds are the synchro is the culprit. It would not hurt to double check your hydraulic system is properly bled and working properly.

If you have a good clutch pedal with good pressure at the top, it's a syncro...just went through this in March. If the sound doesn't bother you then you can probably just keep driving it for now, but it will get worse and "Performance driving" is going to get very, very hard. I drove a 4spd Muncie with 2 bad syncros until I had 2 gears left...lol.

Want to buy a Getrag?

Thanks, Im going to bleed the system again just to be sure..

Another thing to try if you want to make sure you're getting maximum clutch throw is to add a longer pushrod at the slave.

Hmm Never heard of doing that! Where do you find one? Thanks

What did you put in the tranny for oil?

I have a bad syncro on my muncie 4spd, it is the 4th gear that is bad on mine. To get around I just double clutch it. Works for me 90% of the time. Its all in the timing of the double clutch. I will do this until the tranny totally dies or if I drop the cradle for any other reason. I have another trans to put in, but until I absolutely have to I will use the double clutch procedure.

Dave

it may be the synchros, but i had an issue like this, but mine was 2nd gear. come to find out, the clutch disc had a puck missing, rivets were still there, but the material was gone. Previous owner must have been beating on it pretty good. I had to double clutch it as well.

I have new master and slave was shifting great then one day it started grinding a little going into third about a week later my shift cable broke...put in a new one and now it shifts fine...

Well I dunno if I'm lucky my reverse is goin bad so before I even start the car I put it in reverse or it grinds like a mother. Sometimes double clutch works for me tho