Is this normal? time for a gear oil change?

[Oldskool153]

As many of u know i have an 88 with a 4+3, i noticed that if its cold it sometimes grinds on the 1st to 2cd upshift, than once the car warms up it shifts fine. my boss had a few of these when they were new and he told me that its common and that I need to change the gear oil, he said that he used to go from 1st to 3rd until the car was warm. Is this normal and should changing the gear oil help? and can i use a synthetic? (the OD is still disconected, i havent had a chance to mess with it yet, so for now im using it as a 4spd)

 

[muddywaters]

I went with Redline Syn. in my 88 4+3 Trans., changed the ATF in the OD unit that works, I feel the car shifts better, you will have to see for yourself. I went the same route (Redline Syn) with my 99 6spd. and didn't notice much of a difference.

 

[muddywaters]

One other thing, Synthetic lubes seem to leak more readily, probably because of their properties, so if you do have a wet Trans. syn. will make it worse.

 

[Oldskool153]

was yours doing the same thing when cold? I've been on differant forums and according to alot of people its normal for fbodies, im j/w if anyone on here has had this problem with the 4+3?

 

[muddywaters]

My 88 only has 58,000 miles on it, most manual trans. shift smoother when they are warmed up.

 

[Oldskool153]

I just had the gear oil changed and its shifting ok, but the car is warm, so i guess Ill wait a few hours and take it for a spin and see if the problem has stopped. How do u tell if the clutch or slave cylinder is going bad? my clutch grips very well...just get that occasional grinding from 1st to 2cd when cold.

 

[muddywaters]

If your clutch engages with no slipage you should be ok. It wouldn't hurt to bleed the clutch sys. if you haven't already. Have the fluid level checked.

 

[Oldskool153]

let it sit from 3pm-7pm, still grinding when cold...so i ive been skipping 2cd until my car warms up.. once warm shes fine...I filled it with dot 3 this weekend no leakage, it was already inbetween the fill lines I just topped it off. how hard is it to bleed the system? I'll probably be parking the car tonight and probably wont use it until the weekend. I can buy a new clutch kit, and master and slave cylinders for under $500 and have it all put in for around 500, but i hate to buy parts that I dont need... i've already invested $500 on the trans in the past month as it is. new TPS, OD disconnect, and changing the gear oil

 

[Oldskool153]

im thinking maybe my 1st to 2cd synchros are worn? does that sound right? Grinding from 1st to 2cd only when cold?