'91 Protege manual tranny 'reloaded'

[Pete]

I posted the previous msg. I replaced the ATF with ATF. 2,000 miles later the tranny still shifts like it has molasses in it. What gives? Could it be stiff linkage? Any other ideas? Thx, in advance.

Pete

[mazdaguy]

ATF burns the bearings up. I have overhauled maybe 50 of those and every single one that was using ATF had blackened overheated bearings. 30w motoroil is best. 80-90w is too thick and causes hard shifting when cold. It does fine after warmup. You may want to check the shifter linkage to the trans. There are rubber bushings that wear out. Is it hard to shift in every gear or just 1 or 2 gears? Do you live in the rust belt? Salt on the roads?

[Pete]

Thanks, Mazdaguy. It is stiff going into all gears. I checked the bushing on the linkage today and that might be the problem. Hard to tell until I take them apart. Any chance that it might be the shaft binding that attaches to the end of the shift rod that goes thru the side of/and into the tranny? Bushing there? Seals? I'm guessing not likely as it should be lubricated by the tranny fluid. You say 30w motor oil, eh? I was thinking more along the lines of Royal Purple Synchromax 75w-90. Money is no object, of course. I have to admit, my '83 Honda has always had Castrol 10w-30 in the tranny. Any more feedback? Thx again.

[mazdaguy]

I have never seen the shift rod bind before. If the shifter bushings and new oil don't help i would lean toward the pilot bearing locking up. It might make noise when you depress the clutch. If it is hard to shift in every gear anyway. Is there any noise? Other than that the trans has to be torn down and inspected.

[Pete]

No, no noise from the transmission. Just the stiff shifting. I'll have the local mechanic check the shift rod bushings and replace the ATF. Thanks again.

[Pete]

Well, as a wrap-up to this thread, the culprit was the shifter bushings! I had the bushings replaced and it shifts like a dream. Now that I'm moving to east central Texas, I plan to definitely replace the ATF with a synth 75w-90 before I go. Thanks for all the responses, especially to Mazdaguy.