92_rugby_subie Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 So to preserve my EA82 tranny, I want to know what going on when I start the car in the morning: I pump the gas a few times (its carbed, weber) Turn the key, it starts up, the rpms climb slowly and steadily to about 2500 (takes a few minutes) and when they reach 3000, I touch the gas and they drop back down. This is all normal. Its usually a little above the notch on the "C" for temperature I back out of the driveway (shifting is super stiff into reverse) Back into first is super stiff as well I turn down my street and accelerate, and when I shift, its stiff and (even with clutch to the floor) it grinds going into 2nd. After about 20 minutes of driving, I have no issues and its pretty loose... -Checked: Tranny fluid (gear oil) its yellowish/gold/clear and pretty thick, and full. Is this a dying tranny? Vehicle is 1986 G Sedan, 5 speed, 168.8k miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 That's pretty normal. When the gear oil is cold, the synchros will be sluggish to engage, especially as they age. There are options for gear oil that will help that, BUT all they are is thinner oil, which means the bearings won't be properly lubricated once the oil is warm. Subaru makes a great gear oil called Extra-S that will improve shifter feel without sacrificing lubrication. Unfortunately, it's only available by the drum. One of the dealers in the cities will transfer it into used ATF bottles and sell it by the quart, but that's pretty rare. If it bothers you, you can run ATF for a bit (500 miles or so) to clean it out, and then swap back to regular gear oil. But it's not a sign of failure. The RX trans that was in my wagon used to do that pretty badly in the winter because I ran 80w90 gear oil. I had to start it with the clutch in on really cold days, because the transmission would create enough friction to prevent the engine from starting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-3-2-4 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I'm new school but I have the same issue.. the first shift into 2nd gear is very jerky but after driving for a few it's fine... only when cold like below 32f I have that.. i know when the gear oil is due for a change I get a clash going into 2nd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Normal. Mine does it too in 2nd and 3rd. I use 75w90 non synthetic. It makes the shifts when cold a bit better. But here is a tip for you (and everyone) that will make cold shifts easier. Double clutch 2nd and 3rd until the car is up to temp. I might need to explain that a bit since i didnt know what it was until i started to drive stick. When you go from 1st to 2nd instead of going straight into 2nd put the car into neutral and let the clutch out. Then push it back in and put it into 2nd. Do the same for 3rd. This aligns the gears so that the syncros do not need to work as hard so there is less chance of the gears grinding. Ive been doing that for the past 5 years or so and my trans still shifts perfect because of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-3-2-4 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Well i live so close to the highway (5,000 Ft) I never have to go back down to 1st so it's always the first shift of the day and that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Sounds like a good idea, Ned is still warm now, so I wont know a difference until tomorrow, but hopefully it does well... I like my Ned running and driving lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkwing_Duck Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Could the cold weather also cause my manual trans to not climb to speed properly? The other morning it was about -15 or -20 outside started it let it warm up about 5 mins the engine was at temp but driving out of town which was less than 1 mile the car got into 4th but wouldnt go above about 40mph until I got about 5 miles out and the trans had warmed up could the cold weather on the gear lube be the same reason for this or am I looking at somthing diffrent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 With a weber you really should only need 1 pump to get it started and set the choke. My old GL had a stiff tranny when I bought it at 217K or so and the gear oil looked like grey poupon Put in some fresh 80W90 and it cleared up the stiffness. Over time the second gear crunch even went away. I got it up to 321K before I blew its replacement engine and sold off the tranny... who knows where it is now or how many miles it has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Redline 75w90ns. But it's $10.48 a qaurt at DIP and you will need 4 qaurts. GD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 The ATF flush works great for improving syncro operation. Also, if you add 1 pint of ATF to the lube during cold months, it will help ease shifting. I know GM used to recommend doing that back years ago for the 4-speed truck trans. Greatly helped the '67 and '68 I used to own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjw Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I had the same thing going on with a loyale 5 speed. I replaced the gear oil with a qt. of Rislone Engine Treatment, topped off with gear oil and the thing actually started shifting much better over a period of a month or so. I read about that "Fix" on the board here. It worked for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennyt Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I switched to Redline synthetic, I forget the mix, but it helped dramatically on cold mornings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I had the same thing going on with a loyale 5 speed. I replaced the gear oil with a qt. of Rislone Engine Treatment, topped off with gear oil and the thing actually started shifting much better over a period of a month or so. I read about that "Fix" on the board here. It worked for me. I've done the rislone thing too. It actually resurrected the synchros in my dad's old '94 LGT (couldn't shift it into 2nd when we first got the car). But, transmission bearing failure is what finally killed that car last summer, and I think the additive was a factor in that. Granted, we got almost 100k miles on it after that original trouble. If were to do it again, I'd just run straight ATF for a bit, and then switch to a nice gear oil (I'm partial to Castrol HypoyC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjw Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Pretty old thread here but I wanted to update. That 5speed I added the Rislone to also suffered bearing failure (many many months ago). Although the synchros cleaned up and started working better, I can't shake the feeling that the Rislone was the cause of that. I'm having synchro issues again with a different 5speed, this time I'm going to use ATF instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerthis Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 I'd like to say something about this thread My 86 rx 4 door sedan When its cold outside it won't go into reverse It doesn't grind or stiff shifting but when I put it into reverse its like its in neutral it shifts into the reverse positioned perfectly the backup lights come on and everything But the car just won't move After a few attempts at going into reverse then it will finally go What in the biscuit would cause that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 This is my experience with cold and shifting. It was a long time ago, with my 1976 4WD 4speed. Really stiff making that first shift or few. By the time it would move from 1st to 2nd, I would almost want to be back in first, the car slowed so much. I put Amsoil synthetic gear lube in the gearbox. Used the normal weight recommended in the Subaru manual. Never had the problem again. Temperature made had no effect on shifting any more. Never had a transmission problem with that car, made it over 250,00miles before the body rusted in half. I've been using their synthetic ATF and gear lube ever since. I experienced a similar effect with the 3AT transmissions - temperature has no effect on shifting after switching to their synthetic ATF. The single transmission / diff failure I have had in about 30 years of driving Subarus was due to the gear lube running low on one, and the pinion bearing failing. [slow leak, and I overlooked checking frequently enough - D'oh!] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 To those with crunchy cold start gears. Double clutch. If you double clutch in to gear, it won't grind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Pretty old thread here but I wanted to update. That 5speed I added the Rislone to also suffered bearing failure (many many months ago). Although the synchros cleaned up and started working better, I can't shake the feeling that the Rislone was the cause of that. I'm having synchro issues again with a different 5speed, this time I'm going to use ATF instead. That's very interesting, thanks for the follow-up! Yea, I don't think I'll ever run any additive long-term again. There are a few flushing/cleaning agents that I've seen....ATF being one of them.....and I think switching back to straight gear oil for the long term. I'd like to say something about this thread My 86 rx 4 door sedan When its cold outside it won't go into reverse It doesn't grind or stiff shifting but when I put it into reverse its like its in neutral it shifts into the reverse positioned perfectly the backup lights come on and everything But the car just won't move After a few attempts at going into reverse then it will finally go What in the biscuit would cause that Is yours an automatic? That's the only thing that makes sense....a manual transmission (what the rest of this thread is about) has solid mechanical linkage, if the shifter is in reverse, the synchros are engaged. An automatic transmission is hydraulically operated, and it seems (Auto trannies are my weak point....) that reverse seems to be the first to have issues if the pressure drops. You may have issues with the pump/or solenoid(s) within the trans. First thing to do is check the fluid level (engine running, transmission warm). If that's good, SeaFoam makes a flush product for auto transmissions, add a quart of that and drive the car for a hundred miles or so, then drain and fill with regular ATF, drive for a few hundred miles, and then do it again. Fresh fluid does wonders for an old auto trans. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerthis Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 That's very interesting, thanks for the follow-up! Yea, I don't think I'll ever run any additive long-term again. There are a few flushing/cleaning agents that I've seen....ATF being one of them.....and I think switching back to straight gear oil for the long term. Is yours an automatic? That's the only thing that makes sense....a manual transmission (what the rest of this thread is about) has solid mechanical linkage, if the shifter is in reverse, the synchros are engaged. An automatic transmission is hydraulically operated, and it seems (Auto trannies are my weak point....) that reverse seems to be the first to have issues if the pressure drops. You may have issues with the pump/or solenoid(s) within the trans. First thing to do is check the fluid level (engine running, transmission warm). If that's good, SeaFoam makes a flush product for auto transmissions, add a quart of that and drive the car for a hundred miles or so, then drain and fill with regular ATF, drive for a few hundred miles, and then do it again. Fresh fluid does wonders for an old auto trans. no it is a 5speed dual range 4 hi 4 low Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subarubrat Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Another vote for redline gear oil, I use a mix of thin and thick (about 50-50) in my 82 BRAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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