Gearbox?

[Tony de Wonderful]

Shifting into 2nd is a bit 'stiff', 'clunky', also down shifting into 1st.

Doesn't make a difference if vehicle is well warmed up.

What does that mean? Gearbox knackered? I think my clutch is ok.

What's the $ to sort this if it is the gearbox?

[heslo]

Synchros are worn mate, nothing much you can do. Changing gearbox oil will help MASK the problem but it won't ever be fixed. Either get a new gearbox or freshen up your current one

[Tony de Wonderful]

Synchros are worn mate, nothing much you can do. Changing gearbox oil will help MASK the problem but it won't ever be fixed. Either get a new gearbox or freshen up your current one

What's the rough cost of say rebuilding my current one? Can you just buy new synchros?

[89CAL]

think youll need new sychros and bearngs..... $500 - $1000 depending on where/what u get and who u know

dont quote me on that but im just giving u a rough idea while ur waiting for someone with more knowledge to answer lol

[brodie7]

might aswell upgrade the box dude.

after you have done one syncros in racing it always seems to be a recuriing thing.

[The Dan]

What's the rough cost of say rebuilding my current one? Can you just buy new synchros?

Around $1100-$1300 is what I would set aside for a synchro and bearings change. Have done many before but each one is different.

[Birds]

Need to recondition the thing with new synchros. Will cost about $1000-1200 with you taking the box out.

Why are you downshifting into 1st? Unless the car is at a stop you shouldn't be putting the gearbox in 1st. It'll just wear out your 1st gear synchro something bad.

[Wacky Dee]

at $1200 + labour ($300-400 for labour?) ...how much is a new gearbox ?

never mind ..found an R33 genuine nissan from a popular jdm sho in sydney (ie. exxy shop) for $3200 ..so I'm guessing it should be doable for $2500 or so.

[Tony de Wonderful]

Need to recondition the thing with new synchros. Will cost about $1000-1200 with you taking the box out.

Why are you downshifting into 1st? Unless the car is at a stop you shouldn't be putting the gearbox in 1st. It'll just wear out your 1st gear synchro something bad.

I mean going into 1st when still rolling, not then engaging the clutch as such, but keeping the clutch out until stopped and ready to move off again after say the lights change. Is that a no-no? Damn I've been driving like that for years.

Anyway I just was wondering if I get the gearbox rebuilt that would be worn syncros, seal and bearings? right? Is there any disadvantage to doing that over getting a 'new' box (which would just be one from a wreckers right? so low km?). I don't need an 'upgraded' gearbox since my car is stock and even though I'm planning some mods I doubt I'll get more that 200 kw at the wheels since I'm not planning on anything more that stage 1 (ish).

I mean I can live with it since the car still drives ok(ish). But it's just a niggling thing that isn't going to get better then and is kinda annoying to be honest.

[Wacky Dee]

have you considered draining your gearbox oil and putting in some Redline Shockproof Lightweight oil instead ? So many people swear by it ... as it 'masks' all the existing problems with your gearbox ie. worn syncros. So it feels as new until it completely dies I guess ..which could be in 10 years time, long after you've already sold/crashed/written off the car.

I have the same notchy feeling, especially on cold starts ... so I'm gonna try this shockproof oil soon. Don't see the point in reconditioning gearbox as I'm not gonna take my car over 200rwkw anytime soon. For $100 I can get the same feeling as new/recon box

[89CAL]

redline shockproof is from what i hear not good for syncros or not approved for use with sychro gearboxes

[The Dan]

redline shockproof is from what i hear not good for syncros or not approved for use with sychro gearboxes

You heard incorrect information then

[Wacky Dee]

redline shockproof is from what i hear not good for syncros or not approved for use with sychro gearboxes

Best I could figure out is that the Shockproof oil is good for worn boxes with synchro issues etc ie. any 10+ year old car. On a new/reconditioned box you would use the normal oil (MT90 or whatever it is)

[Birds]

at $1200 + labour ($300-400 for labour?) ...how much is a new gearbox ?

never mind ..found an R33 genuine nissan from a popular jdm sho in sydney (ie. exxy shop) for $3200 ..so I'm guessing it should be doable for $2500 or so.

Is that a brand new gearbox you found or a second hand import? If it's second hand that's a rip off IMO. If brand new it sounds about right / worthwhile.

I mean going into 1st when still rolling, not then engaging the clutch as such, but keeping the clutch out until stopped and ready to move off again after say the lights change. Is that a no-no? Damn I've been driving like that for years.

Anyway I just was wondering if I get the gearbox rebuilt that would be worn syncros, seal and bearings? right? Is there any disadvantage to doing that over getting a 'new' box (which would just be one from a wreckers right? so low km?). I don't need an 'upgraded' gearbox since my car is stock and even though I'm planning some mods I doubt I'll get more that 200 kw at the wheels since I'm not planning on anything more that stage 1 (ish).

I mean I can live with it since the car still drives ok(ish). But it's just a niggling thing that isn't going to get better then and is kinda annoying to be honest.

I recommend waiting until the car is stopped, or atleast around 5km/h. The synchros match vehicle speed with gear speed, working somewhat independantly of the clutch. I'm not saying "you can't do this, blah blah", I'm just saying that this is what wears out your synchros. They are a wearing, serviceable item just like any other mechanical part of the car. And it's always a balance between how hard you want to drive your car and how long it lasts

A full and proper gearbox recondition will have all the worn synchros, seals and bearings replaced. I highly recommend doing this over buying a second hand box, as the process leaves the box refreshed in an as new condition. The only disadvantage is on some really worn/old boxes you can be left with a slight rollover bearing noise in neutral, which comes about after resetting gearbox tolerances. Second hand boxes in general are cheaper, but it's lucky dip whether you get a good one and most places won't offer you a warranty on them. Some last 1000km, others last 100,000km. Also remember that the car went to the wreckers for a reason and it's not uncommon for accident damage to have an impact on the gearbox. This is just my opinion - not everyone has a spare grand or two to get their gearbox reconditioned.

have you considered draining your gearbox oil and putting in some Redline Shockproof Lightweight oil instead ? So many people swear by it ... as it 'masks' all the existing problems with your gearbox ie. worn syncros. So it feels as new until it completely dies I guess ..which could be in 10 years time, long after you've already sold/crashed/written off the car.

I have the same notchy feeling, especially on cold starts ... so I'm gonna try this shockproof oil soon. Don't see the point in reconditioning gearbox as I'm not gonna take my car over 200rwkw anytime soon. For $100 I can get the same feeling as new/recon box

No harm in trying the stuff on a worn box, it probably does wonders (have no experience with it myself), but you are correct in guessing it masks the problem and it will be an unfortunate surprise for the next owner

For the record guys, synchro wear doesn't have much to do with the power your engine is putting out...it has more to do with your style of driving; type of clutch; how fast/slow you change gears. Power/torque is more likely to strip or blow the gear itself. If you want to preserve synchros, avoid changing down at high RPM, double clutch when appropriate and don't slam the thing into gear. A smooth, positive shift is a fast shift anyway.

[Wacky Dee]

on that note .. maybe some shockproof lightweight + one of those ebay shortshifters would be a good idea? You get easy shifts due to oil and you can shift faster without damaging the synchros any further since it's a much smaller throw to put into gear ?? That way your worn/factory box will last as long as possible AND feel great... Just an idea

[Birds]

Well actually, those short shifters usually only change the pivot point (and therefore the throw) of the gear shifter...the synchros still travel the same distance to engage. Short shifters alter the balance between ease of gear shift and speed of gear shift, much like closing a door by pushing on a part closer to its hinges rather than using the handle. Thus making it worse for the synchros because more physical force is required on the shifter to change gears...and across a shorter throw...making for a harsh and not-so-smooth shift. Nice try though

I really should go home.

[Wacky Dee]

I get what you're saying but I woulda thought a short shifter would allow you to shift without missing a shift ..where most of the crunching is done and damage to synchros. ie. with a short shifter you could still shift SLOWLY but it wouldn't be such an annoyance as the throw is shorter... ah well, just an idea albeit a pretty weak one

[Tony de Wonderful]

Took the car to a mech and he took it for a blast around the industrial estate (literally, I'm glad no cops were lurking about ) Reckons syncros aren't worn too bad, but maybe a tooth has been knocked off here and there making a few shifts clunky on occasion. His advice is to change the oil to something more suitable (not sure what), probably not worth a full rebuild. Anyway I'm gonna take it in to do that if a couple of weeks and also get them to check the whole car over for EVERTHING. The guy could easily have told me to do a rebuild. Had a chat about light mods (exhaust, inflow) and will probably do that after he goes over the whole car.

[Birds]

Just wanna point out the difference between reconditioning and rebuilding, with the latter involving the replacement of every component in the gearbox (including the gears) for brand new parts. It is an unnecessary and overly expensive process, because gears themselves only break with excessive torque or driver abuse. Reconditioning involves only replacing the worn items plus all the bearings and seals. It is much cheaper and realistically what you would get done if you had the cash / wanted to fix your synchro problem for good.

[BLK33GTS-t]

My R33 GTS-t has pretty much the exact same symptoms as you have just described. i have been thinking about the above options and recon ill look to get it reconditioned. looking to eventually push at least 250 kw atws out of it by the time if finished doing it up so i recon a strong drivetrain will be the best place to start. at the moment it is 100% stock except for a pod filter.

anyone know any good gearbox places in adelaide? preferebly once with experience in working with these gearboxes???