crosswound

okay now everytime i shift into 5th gear at a regular place high rpms or low rpms it makes a grinding noise it only doesn't do it if i granny shift or shift really slowly. does this mean i need a new 5th gear synchro?

tom94RX-7

iTrader: (5)

yes, most likely, very common problem (I think caused by missing third gear when trying to shift fast, although that almost never happens to me when street driving). Mine is bad, was bad when I bought the car. I let the rpms drop all the way down, then I wait a second or two and then put it into 5th gear, that way it barely grinds at all and sometimes it doesn't grind.

http://mahjik.homestead.com/files/ho...o/synchro.html

crosswound

yea damn that missing 3rd gear at high speed i think thats what happened whats the cost for 5th gear synchro fix?

Snook

iTrader: (12)

Yes your 5th gear synchro is broken/cracked
Doesn't mean you need to do anything about it right away. 5th gear will grind there are no tricks to totally stop that without replacing it. If you drive only in the city and no interstate/highway driving you'de never use 5th any way. So yes if it bothers you then you have a pretty expensive fix on your hands in the future. Otherwise you can drive around pretty much forever with it like that. Something else will break before that causes the car to be undrivable.

tom94RX-7

iTrader: (5)

to me it's not worth fixing now, I'll probably go as long as possible and not fix the problem until I can barely get it into 5th gear. I don't know how much, but not cheap considering it's internal tranny work.

crosswound

well when i granny shift it doesn't grind at all its perfectly goes in and thing is it never did this until i miss 3rd gear 3 times in one day not all consecutively.

TpCpLaYa

iTrader: (10)

thank you come again.

Jay7 Nyc

iTrader: (3)

Double clutch before throwing into 5th gear worked for me till I fixed the problem which is a syncro..

FDZero

iTrader: (10)

Ah, I remember my days of 5th gear syncro probs. Eventually, my 5th completely went out and "popped." Started to make a repetitive popping noise. Not only was my 5th gear gone....an associating gear had a minor chip which was the cause of the noise. I didn't dwelve in the repair myself so I let my local Mazda dealership (!!!!) w/ 10+ rotary veteran on board do mine. Went ahead and replaced some other internals in the transmission. End up costing $2,000 after a discount. Sorry to sound harsh but if possible, try to have it fixed ASAP. Best of course if doing labor yourself which saves you money but regardless, have it fixed one way or another. Good luck!

Here's the original link from me (different user ID):
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...=crap+5th+gear

tC

crosswound

okay at least everywhere i go except one place doesn't require highway driving so i can save up for the repair.

caredden

iTrader: (148)

From what I remember reading, it is most likely caused by an improper shim/syncro (earlier 93s). I don't remember the specifics, but cars manufactured before a certain date had an incorrect part/shim used. I had the same problem where I could only get it into 5th (without grinding) if I let the car go back down to idle revolutions before I put it into 5th. If I was in a hurry, it would always grind. I ended up ordering a new 5th gear syncro from Malloy and had it changed while my engine was being replaced. There is a thread (search) that details how to do it by yourself. I watched mine being done, and it doesn't seem too complicated, but that is just my $.02...

Best of luck

silver_7

I would probably get ready to do it asap. My 5th gear started doing the same thing, I let it go because I could granny shift into 5th ....a few months later I couldnt get it into any gear and the car almost wouldnt even move when it was in gear. I think it might have been cheaper if I fixed it earlier. U might have more than 1 problem in there and might not know it.

crosswound

is this a problem with one 93's or 94-95 too?

Snook

iTrader: (12)

I can't speak for 95s as I haven't had one but 93s and 94s both have it if you miss 3d enough

the cheapest way would be to just buy a used transmission with the problem already fixed and then sell yours. I wouldn't get it fixed by mazda. Had them fix it on my 93 and the new owner had the same problem soon after he bought it. I think they put the same part # synchro in there again
And really I promise if you use 5th every once in a while the trans will outlast every part on your car...

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

There was nothing wrong with the original synchros or their installation. However, the 5th/Rev select spindle (the spring that pushes against you when moving the shifter toward 5/R) wasn't terribly stiff, and it turns out it's not hard to jam right between 5th and 3rd when you miss a shift. So Mazda made newer 5th synchros out of a harder material, and stiffened the spindle spring to make it less easy to smash it. Since Mazda can't fix the nut behind the wheel (the real cause), they made other changes.

You can fix it yourself, if you can drop the tranny. The only trick is you'll need to buy a bearing puller and also make an extension for it. It's actually not too hard and documented in several places. But it takes a little time and the gear oil smells WONDERFUL.

Dave

FDZero

iTrader: (10)

Depends on how reputable the Mazda dealership was. Most have been reported bad but mine had great service, support and repaired my issue. Even called me in to come and check out the process.

...also, forgot to note when I got my FD back from my Mazda shop...I literally was given a bag full of the stuff that all was replaced including the 5th gear ring broken in two halves. Gears, shaft, bearings, hub, etc. Technician pointed out all the worn/broken parts in the bag. (My clutch was still very good so it wasn't replaced!) Bag smelt like tranny fluid gone wild..haha. Not sure why I'm keeping the parts in my storage shed....

dinosaur

Where's a good place to find one? I'd like a JDM and rebuild my current one so I have a spare.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Hmmm...am I the only guy who's broken a replaced 5th gear synchro? I had my 5th gear synchro replaced back in Sept '03, and I'm 100% sure it's broken now. W/ 89K on the original engine & turbos, the motor mounts are shot, and so the engine shifts significantly under load, to the point that shifting from 2nd to 3rd at WOT requires pushing up and to the left a bit to actually catch 3rd. Otherwise, you'll grind & miss, or go right into 5th.

I really have no plans on replacing the synchro, at least not for a while, as long as it doesn't cause bigger problems down the line. This thread is really the first I've ever heard re: not fixing it causing other problems...is that true? And am I the only one who's broken a new synchro (within 2 years)? I'm not using an ETB either cuz my motor's coming out, and I didn't feel like band-aiding the prob. temporarily.

Snook

iTrader: (12)

I guess you read right over my post. I had mine replaced and it broke againsoon after. I also answered your other question about it causing other problems. It won't in a reasonable amount of time...you'll go through an engine or two before that's an issue.

Sorry I don't know where to get a transmission. I think the ******* scum of the earth that bought my car sold it already : )

crosswound

sucks for me i guess i have to save for a tranny rebuild and a engine rebuild now.

crosswound

okay wheres a good place online to get all the parts i need to do the 5th gear synchro fix?

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Whoops...my bad man. I was skimming the posts cuz I was tired, bout to go take a nap. Just re-read your posts now. Good stuff

As for me... lol

riptor

mine has the same symptoms...guess its time to touch my tranny on the inside... j/k lol. but seriously i think ill do the rebuild...give me some exp.