I drove out to Philly this weekend to visit my girlfriend, who is going to college there for the semester. Its like a 300 mile trip there, 300 miles back. Car ran PERFECT there, not a flaw. Parked it in the parking garage for the weekend.

On the way home. About 150 miles into my way home, im in 6th gear doing about 80ish? All of the sudden I hear this terrible noise coming from the transmission area. It almost sounded like someone was dropping a fist full of nuts and bolts into a empty pan, while dragging it on concrete. I know its a weird description, but thats the best way to explain. Now my car, ONCE before, threw a hissy fit and wouldnt go into 6th gear, so I thought maybe its just the gear. Go to throw her down into 5th, and the shifter wouldnt go past the nuetral area. As this is happened, it was making that "Grinding" noise it makes when someone new at driving a s stick is pushing it into gear without the clutch in. However, I had the pedal TO THE FLOOR. So I moved the shifter left and right, to assure im in nuetral, while it was still making this sound, I slowly let the clutch out and the moise goes away. However, when I tried putting it into 5th, then I let the clutch out, it shot the shifter back down and kicked it out of gear. So then I pulled over, glanced over the car, and got back in it. It was ok going through 1-4th, then it didnt want to go into 5th. I got it back into 6th gear.

So now here I am on the Turnpike, 6th gear tryin to keep up with traffic. Every time I would have to decelerate ( Note: NOT braking, just not accelerating, as in letting off the throttle) The car would make some type of faint "metal tumbling" noises in the tranny. Id give it gas, it would fade away. However, every time I gave it gas, if I wasnt SUPER easy coming into it, it would make some weird *** noises too. So then 6th gear started to get even noisier. I tried to downshift it into 5th, and it was like I didnt have the clutch in, it started grinding and shot it into the Nuetral spot. However, The clutch was to the floor, and the clutch IS fine. It is not the clutch.

Now I'm almost home, about 20 more miles away, and I start getting into more residential areas where you are using 1-4th only. I shift it into first to pull forawrd to a toll-booth. As I shift it in ( From a stop ) it was fine, I roll forward, push the clutch in, and am braking, but the shifter is still in gear. It continues to make this terrible noise like someone is forcing up on the hsifter, trying to put it into a gear without the clutch in. However the clutch WAS in, and the clutch seems to function fine?

Now the only way that it is ALMOST normal shifting ( As in wont make noises and pop right back into nuetral, sound retarded and making loud noises like grinding, or droping nuts and bolts ) is if I double clutch it. Like Start out in first, shift to Nuetral, let clutch out, back in, shift into 2nd. clutch out, and hope it doesnt make noises and **** up. What the hell can cause this? And as soon as I start to decellerate, it goes right back to making slight, but bad noises, like metal scraping metal or something.

My transmission has only 15,300 Miles on it, origional. The fluid was fine earlier in the summer when I checked it, and it never leaked a drop. I NEVER pound on it. I never downshift it hard ( As in no downshifts that will throw me over 3500 RPMs, in fact, I usually will shift into nuetral and just use my brakes cause brakes are cheaper to replace than a clutch ). You oculd pretty much say my car is babied. I have NEVER, in the 3300 miles I've put on it, ground a gear, missed a shift, did anything stupid that will mess up trannys, no powershifting. The car RARELY sees abuse. What the **** could be causing this?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

One update ... The Clutch fluid, well, Brake fluid, is a dark color instead of the typical light tinty shade it's suppose to be. Is it possible that my fluid is bad ( Possibly boiled since the line is close to the headers ? ) And thats why it started acting up out of nowhere? If the fluid was bad, wouldnt that prevent the slave cylinder from working right? Which would then make my clutch not disengage all the way, and occasionally grind and **** when I try to shift ... ??? Anyone

Also, if that was the case, it would explain the noises even with the clutch in when I tried shifting. The gears would start to grind, from not fully disengaging the clutch, and then the gears would all be spinning in the tranny making the slight noises it made even with the clutch to the floor.

It seems to screw up the most when your already moving and go to shift. From a stop, shifting into 1st from muetral, its usually OK.

 

It is very possible that your hydraulic lines are too close to your headers. You could be boiling the fluid. This would explain why you can double clutch and make it all work. When you initially push the clutch in it works until the air that is formed by the boiling is compressed, letting the clutch back out without you moving your pedal foot. Then when you push it again it works again for a second or two. I had a similar problem, just made sure it wasn't near anything.

jonota

 

This seems kinna dumb, since the explination above is prolly the reason for your probs. Just currious how your tranny fluid is, is it low by chance ? I mean what was said above makes the most sence, but I'm just trying to help out.