My 5th Gear is getting bad. When I go to put it in it grinds everytime. Is this an expensive thing to fix? Do I need a special shop to fix it? Should I get a special part? Help me out guys..Thanks

Also, I am still on my stock cluth, and it is starting to get bad..Any buddy recommend anything? thanks

 

the part is cheap, go through malloy's. the work is hard (i still haven't tackled mine). i will see if i can dig up the write up. if you do a search it should come up.

 

There are two writeups. https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...&highlight=5th and http://mahjik.homestead.com/files/ho...o/synchro.html. I found them quickly from the FAQ thread at the top of the forum. You should read it - '5th' is in big red lettering.

A regular transmission shop is all you need. Tell them you want the 5th synchro replaced - it's one of the first parts they will get to when dismantling the gearbox, so most of the labor is in getting the tranny out of the car.

The hard part is dropping the transmission, putting together an extra-long reach bearing puller, and doing all the other things that people recommend when the tranny is out. (Bearings, clutch, flywheel, etc). Stock clutches are fine for stock power, if you've want some extra headroom an ACT heavy-duty street clutch is a good choice.

Dave

 

having the exact same problem with mine. Was hoping that it was a minor fix, guess I was wrong....

 

You can probably save yourself alot of money if your willing to R & R the transmission yourself. Then just take it to a trusted shop for the actual synchro replacement.

I searched here for various reviews and, for relatively stock cars, I never found anyone unhappy with ACT Street/Strip. Had mine for about a year and no complaints. IIRC, they advertise the PP to be good to 400 whp.

 

How much harder is it to replace the throwout or pilot bearings?

 

Throw-out bearing is easy and takes no time at all. Slide it onto the input shaft and clutch fork (which should also be replaced, since they sometimes fail with a new PP).
Pilot bearing will require a special tool (the FSM calls them SSTs) to remove it. Since they're a specialized tool, I think some of the clutch vendors will rent them to you. A search will probably turn up alot more info and possibly even a "How to".

 

Agree. Get the Pilot Bearing SST though - without it, you'll probably make a mess of things. The Autozone Pilot Bearing puller is sized for larger bearings, and even if you grind it down it's a cruddy substitute. Beg/borrow/steal the SST.

Someone once said you need to remove the flywheel nut to take out the pilot bearing - entirely untrue. It's right in the end of the shaft. See pics.

Dave

 

While the SST works perfectly, it's very expensive for a "one time use" tool. I've used my modified "Autozone" tool on over 30 FD pilot bearings without a problem.

Tool = $16
Slide Hammer = Threaded rod, 2 nuts, 2 washers, copper pipe, 5 lb cast dumbell weight = $5
Total investment = $21

 

I considered that, but someone here said that even with grinding the tool wouldn't work well. It would seem craftsmanship makes the difference

If I didn't have the access to borrow the SST, I think grinding the Autozone puller (27059, $20) is the next step.

Dave