NoFriends26

Ok i have searched as much as i think i possibly can and have found no one one with the same problems that i do..

My problem is kind of weird. It grinds in first and second gear. It only does this when the car is leaning i think. like when I am flooring it in first gear and it leans back or flooring it while turning in second and leaning to the side, but not when just flooring it in second while going straight. It is fairly hard to explain exactly. The grinding is coming from directly under the center console/armrest area and is just a large vibration and grinding sound. It smells like clutch after it happens but i dont think it is the clutch because it, the 2 and 5 gear synchros, and the fly wheel were al replaced like 10k miles ago when it was rebuilt. But i am pretty sure it is the tranny. I dont know. What do you thin could be wrong? THnks for your help.

spurvo

Just a couple quick questions: are you sure you have the proper fluid level in the trans (did YOU check it before you answer?) Are you sure there is fluid in the shifter housing (i.e. you pull up the console, take away the padding, open the shifter cover and LOOK?) Both of these gave me problems in my FC when I first bought it, and I suspect the problem transfers.

NoFriends26

no, i am not sure of what it has in there and if anything is in there, I already put NEO synthetic on order, so i am going to replacem it with that and see if it helps. but anyone else have an opinion?

Dragueur

also, in 1st and 2nd..SOMETIMES. Mines is the clutch though cause it wont grab no more. I drive like 20 miles per week until next month when i can get my clutch in.

check the fluid then too.

sorry, cant help! i need help also.

NoFriends26

well... my grinds everytime i think under full throttle. I just took apart my whole console and top part of the shifter part and i am going to check everything out. I just dont know exaclty what to look for. the oil in the shifter part, the very bottom where the actually shifter attaches to has like 1/2 inch of oil in the bottom of it. How much should it have?

spurvo

just a minute... looking at manual I ALWAYS carry in the car...

NoFriends26

well, do you think it uses the same oil as the other parts of the tranny or is it separate oil? also, should your whole shifter on the car spin around att the way or is that bad?

spurvo

Page J-62 in the '93 manual, Shift Mechanism:

Assembly note, Shift seat: Apply grase to both the inside and outside of the shift seat. Picture shows the little dhingus at the bottom of the shift lever.

Shift Lever
Note: fill the change control case with oil after removing the clutch housing or disassembling the transmission.
1. Fill the change control case with the specified oil.
Capacity: 4.9 - 5.8 cu. in. (80-95 cc)
2. apply grease to the shift lever ball joint.
3. Align the control case pin with the slots in the change bushings and the shift lever, and install

Now, I don't have a picture as to where 80 -95 cc will put the level of the oil, but I'm going to go out on a limb and think that the entire shifter "plate" (that circle on the shift lever) that you see should be covered. I REALLY hope someone with experience with this will chime in. My suggestion is to go to the store or look in your cabinets and find a turkey baster. Suck up the fluid and see how much you have.

Specified oil is Grade API GL-4 or GL-5, All Season: SAE 75W-90; above 10 degrees C, SAE 80W-90

Anybody?

NoFriends26

thanks for your help, maybe ill try that. hmm...

spurvo

Note that the trouble shooting guide says causes for "abnormal noise" are
Insufficient oil
Deterioration of oil quality
Worn bearing
Worn contact surface of countershaft gear
worn contact surface of gears
Excessive gear backlash
Damaged gear teeth
Object caught in teeth

Actually I'm pleased to be able to offer ANY help on the matter.

Umm... do you mean your shift **** spins, or the whole shift LEVER spins? If the second, I theenk a problem exists... Looking in the manual more now...

NoFriends26

yeah, i did download the manual and was looking through it. I am pretty sure that the is "Deterioration of oil quality" because it did smell bad and had an dark amber color. And it probably has insufficient oil so ill just replace it early next week, when i have access to a lift. Do you think id ahve to rebuild the whole thing to find out if something is "worn" in it? Yeah, the whole lever spins. i think its because the whole seal that attaches the lever and the metal part is torn. Ill look up the exact names in the manual then let you know.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

NoFriends26

hmm...
on J-29 in the manual. In the picture, numbers 8(bushing) and 9(wave washer), ithink are the ones that are torn on mine. It says underneath these to check for for wear or damage. I think ill try to pick up one of these from mazda and replace when i change the tranny oil. Do you think they carry stuff like that or do they have to special order it? I dont think this washer thing would cause a grinding but it might have caused my oil to leak out which would could have caused the grinding. The only thing is, the washer is on the top, so i dont think it would be able to leak that much unless the tranny is under pressure. Is it? What do you think? I am just making it up as i go. Anyways, Ill try to pick up a new one ASAP.

spurvo

Not ignoring you, just have nothing further useful to say, though I wish others would look at this and give their $0.02. Replace all those washers, order it from Mazda, the parts fiche should list them. But you know all that...

GOOD LUCK, and let me/us know how you fare. Nice to have "problem solved" closure in these threads...

NoFriends26

spurvo, thnks for your help. any one else?

TAMAatWork

I changed my clutch once and changed my transmission fluid at the same time. Depending on the manufactures fluid the amber color might be fine. Also I remember it smelling really really bad fresh out of the bottle.

-Joseph
'94 Black & Tan Touring

NoFriends26

ok, th

patman

iTrader: (3)

tranny fluid is SUPPOSED to smell bad and be dark amber... just my 2c

NoFriends26

ok, i changed my tranny and differential fluidwith NEO and the seal thing on the top of my shifter today. The car runs a lot smoother and shifts a bit better, but the tranny still grinds in first while accelerating hard and while accelerating and turning in second. Does anyone else know what the problem could be. I am lost. THanks.

turbogarrett

iTrader: (1)

your synchros are probably shot. at least you have reverse, i can't even back out of the garage!

NoFriends26

i thought of that, but i dont know, the second gear was replaced like 150-20k miles ago. I also think it would prolly make a grinding all the time if it was that. Anyone else have an opinion.

patman

iTrader: (3)

nope its not synchros. synchros do not do anything except when you shift gears. all they do is allow the gears to mesh evenly as you shift. i would surmise that something is worn and is slipping. i think this b\c it does it in 1st and 2nd and while accelerating hard ie the time when the most pressure is put on the drivetrain. one question- do you notice any hesitation while this is happening?

ok one more try putting your hand on the shift lever and pulling up when it happens. does this change anything? heres why. if your shift lever is fouled it could be vibrating and causing this sound. if thats not it you either have some bad part or they bent or put a shifter fork in wrong when they rebuilt it.

also look on your exhaust- is there any oil stains on it? this could account for the bad smell. vibration causes the driveshaft seal to leak and the oil gets on the exhaust and burns( yuck)

how low was your oil? if it was real low that probably caused this.

anyway i realize that this is a lot of info but without seeing it its kinda like a shot in the dark.

try some **** and if u have ?s post them. this forum is the most wonderful tool for fixin your car.

Pat

patman

iTrader: (3)

damn another idea- how much fluid was in the diff? and was any of the fluid from anywhere gritty (like it had metal dust in it)?

can you feel any vibration or do ya just hear the noise?

NoFriends26

patman, thanks a lot for your interest. I dont think there is any major hesitation when it happens, but i need yo check to know for sure. I will try to pull up on it when it happens and report back. I dont think that there was anything on the exhaust. I dont know how low it was because i drained it first, but it did seam like kind of a lot came out so it couldnt have been that low. There was definately some metal dust in both of the oils a lot was on the plugs. i think its more of a sound than a vibration but ill make sure. Ill let you know anything else ASAP but does anything i told you mean anything? Thanks for your help.

NoFriends26

after much driving and hard acceleration. I dont think t here is any major hesitation, except for me stopping accelerating when i hear it. There is some vibration, but it is more the noise thats bad. I cant really tell for sure if pulling up on the shifter helped either. Its harder than you think to do. What do you guys think?

patman

iTrader: (3)

from what i can tell it sounds like you have a couple of worn gears. if there was a lot of metal dust that kina backs it up. it could also be that they are not meshing right due to being put together wrong but i doubt it. how did this start? was it gradual or did it just happen?
if i were you id look for a used tranny or rebuild yours.