Tranny problems. Wondering what my options are
 

Third gear on my MS6 has been getting worse and worse over time. When I first got the car (almost 3 years ago) every once in a while when I would shift from 2nd to 3rd instead of going into gear it would just grind (I’m not sure if I missed it or it was the car). Over time it started to happen more frequently to the point where I knew for a fact that I didn’t miss it but it would still grind. Also, there were times where I would be in third gear accelerating and when I let off the gas the stick would literally just fall out of third when there was no load on the transmission. Still drivable by all means I just looked like an idiot every now and again. Forward to last Friday. A guy in an A8L was acting tough and jumped off the line at a red light, so I took off right next to him. Caught up to him by the end of first, started pulling on him in second, but when I went for third all I got was the grinding noise. After a double clutch I was able to grab it and despite the lost time I still ended up a car length or so ahead by the end of third. But after this third just didn’t like me.

Now, when I am accelerating the only way to get the car to go into third is to rev match almost perfectly and it will still grind a little. I can’t get it to hold third at all if I grab it on a downshift. And just like before it pops out whenever there is no load on the tranny, except now it does it EVERY time.

My first question, what is it that is damaged? It seems like it is the synchros but the fact that it pops out of third once I am all the way into it concerns me.

Second question, what are my options? Obviously a tranny swap would be the easiest but is it possible/feasible/worth it just to replace the synchro and maybe third gear itself? Can I get these parts? Anyone have any idea on an appx cost of each?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I have the jumping out issue with my 2nd gear and the grinding issue with my 4th on my ms3. I'm trying to trade it in without a dealer noticing the issue lol.

The grinding is a synchro issue and I'm almost positive the jumping out is caused by a bent shift fork.

LMK if you wanna be guinea pig for upgraded internals.

talk to jwilks...he knows all about trannys.

I had the same problems a few months ago. the problem first started with it falling out of 2nd then as time went on when i was in 3rd or 4th it would shot ut and make a horrible bang. at that point i only had 1st, 5th and 6th... took it to the shop to get fixed, guy told me for him to take the trans apart and find out whats wrong and replace what was broken wasn't worth it so i ended up going with a used trans... he found me a used trans with 30k miles on it for $1,700 and he also got me the transfer case since my seals were blown. your best bet is to just look for a used trans, rebuilding it just isnt worth it.

I disagree. Why would you replace a part that has failed you and some others in similar fashion. Upgraded parts and installation would cost you right around the same price and the tranny would be more solid than the 30k mile used tranny your putting in.

Shift fork seems plausible. Can anyone confirm this? Is the gear itself still OK? It would be awesome if it was just a synchro and a fork.



And thus you see my conundrum. But as sore-ass pointed out above it may be as simple as replacing the synchro and the fork. If they can do that I don't see how it would be more expensive than buying a used tranny.

The gear is still fine. It wouldn't stay in gear under a load if you'd stripped all the teeth from it.

Joke fail...

FML

... Late jwil reference

Which is why I am dying to get a tranny because I would like to look into doing custom syncros and shift fork or hub if they are needed.

How many miles are on the transmission fluid you have in the car? What's the condition of your motor mounts? Have you ever tried adjusting your shift cable linkage?

Those three are the easiest to check. After that, possible mechanical problems include damaged detent spring(s), bent shift fork(s), bearing/case wear.

Not sure the exact number of miles but i went to the ford fully synthetic stuff about 18 months ago and I drive less than 10,000 miles a year. So it couldnt be more than 15-20k.

Replaced the RMM a few years ago with the 70 duro CP-E wishbone mount. All others are stock and i havent checked them for cracks or anything.

Have not. I was curious if this was the problem at first but based on the severity/frequency of the condition I knew that there were definitely problems with the tranny itself.