whats up guys, took advice from last weeks post on using gm synchromesh fluid in my trans. soooo many of you loved it I had to try it out. my teg got 65,000 on it with no synchro grind problems but does have a weird whine in 5th gear just cruising on the highway, it's a light noise so I'm not terribly concerned but figured I would throw away $30 on trans fluid. well, now my car still shifts the same, feels fine, no problems, but I can't downshift for ****. The car don't wanna downshift while I'm slowing down and when I'm stopped it still feels tough getting into gears..WTF never had this problem before the fluid change. So what do you guys think, go back to Honda fluid, leave it and deal with it or what. If the fluid is so much better I'll leave it in but it's weird that this "miracle" fluid is giving me this problem. could I be damaging my beloved lsd tranny? thanks guys in advance

 

Could be a bent shift fork issue with the shifting. Also, could be the syncro's themselves. The synromesh "helps" but will not fix bent or worn out issues. You may want to crack open the case and take a look.

 

Was it the friction modified oil? That's the stuff that works good. I think they have syncromesh and syncromesh friction modified. Check the bottle.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mires &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Was it the friction modified oil? That's the stuff that works good. I think they have syncromesh and syncromesh friction modified. Check the bottle.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Good point, and yes there are 2 different ones. If you search the archives, I believe there's a thread with the part numbers from both.

 

ya, got the fluid with the part number from last post from gm dealer with friction modifier. don't get me wrong it feels good while shifting but downshifting is kinda bad. no problems before I put it in but now i do have a problem just downshifting, all speeds.

 

How much did you put in?

 

i don't think fluid alone should dramatically change it that much..
could also be coincidence that it happened during the fluid change

 

This might seem like an obvious question but, how much fluid did you put in ?? It sounds like you may have put in too little. I don't have my manual handy, can someone post the correct amount of fluid required ??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iperez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't have my manual handy, can someone post the correct amount of fluid required ??</TD></TR></TABLE>

2.3 quarts, but I think I added closer to 3 quarts.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iperez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">This might seem like an obvious question but, how much fluid did you put in ?? It sounds like you may have put in too little. I don't have my manual handy, can someone post the correct amount of fluid required ??</TD></TR></TABLE>

You just fill until it dribbles out of the hole.

 

-- As far as the 5th gear whine and the difficult shifting- I would suspect the bearings are worn (specifically the endcase and input shaft bearings.) Fifth gear is closest to the endcase bearing. This will perpetrate a bent shift fork like trait and cause whining. I've got 76k on my R and I'm replacing all the bearings this week. I would recommend replacing the bearings on the main and coutershafts( before you start grinding the synchros ). Bearing wear is very common on all the B series trannies and most people think it's their synchros going out. Most of the time it's the bearing wear that causes the harsh shifts thus rounding the synchros.

 

I used the same syncromesh and it worked fine for me. I also top'd it off. Think is was 2.5-3quarts. Then again, it was very low when I did it.

 

ya it worked for me, still have grinds now and againg but am happy with the result of using it

 

the book say put 2.2qts. for the R and 2.3qts. for other manual trannies.

bc I just change my buddies R tranny fluid with gm synchromesh and he was having a little trouble getting into 3rd but now it fine and a lot better instantly.

But i hope u find the problem with ur tranny.

 

I put GM synchromesh in my tranny like 2k miles ago and it made no difference whatsoever.

It's time for a teardown of my tranny anyway.

 

i hope the car was level when filling the tranny.
checking the fluid level is a must at this point before any further action.

 

I have dyno 10w30 oil in my tranny. It works. I don't beleive the tranny fluid hype anymore.

OP: I bet you need a rebuild, but it's cheap to try some Honda MTL to see if it's any better.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Chris F &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have dyno 10w30 oil in my tranny. It works. I don't beleive the tranny fluid hype anymore.

OP: I bet you need a rebuild, but it's cheap to try some Honda MTL to see if it's any better.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Im kinda thinking along your lines, but at 3.72 a quart for OEM fluid, I kinda dont see a reason to not run it(10% over cost account with the dealer )

 

Here's a non-technical explanation of your problem:

The difficulty shifting is caused by mechanical parts (the ones mentioned by Dave_B and Soichiro's way above). Sometimes a different fluid will help the problem, other times it won't, but even when it helps, it is just masking the problem's symptoms, rather than fixing their cause. Still, it's worth trying a different fluid like you did, because it's cheap and may help you avoid the extensive work of opening up the tranny. You tried it, and it didn't work. Now it's time to open up the tranny, take a look at the parts, and replace the ones causing the problem.