Hi Guys, my 6-speed seems to be getting harder to shift and synch up as it gets colder around here. I live in the upper left corner of our great nation and its starting to get chilly. I run Redline MT at 6 quarts. Third and fourth are the harder ones to find without a slight cogging unless I pause for what seems like a long time while clutching. I am travelling on a mostly level street for about 4 miles and it gets smoother(the shifting) as it heats up. Is this normal for this trans? I've only had the truck for about 6 months now and haven't experienced colder weather performance yet. Thanks, Kurt

 

We don't have much cold weather here in the lower left corner of the nation but my 6spd doesn't like going into 3rd before it warms up. I usually double clutch for the first couple of miles when going into 3rd. It's strange but there's no problem downshifting into 3rd. I'm running the factory tranny fluid.

 

I have the same problem but it doesn't get easier as it gets warmer.

 

mine does too, can't really tell though unless I'm thinking about it. the lub might be kinda thick untill it heats up ar maybe a synch. if it get better after the tranny warms up, I would say your lub. JMHO.

 

I have the same problem. Even when my truck is warm it still doesnt like doing into reverse any of you guys have that problem?

 

I have trouble shifting into reverse with or without warmup and like you say 3rd usually has some "cogging", is that what you call it? It feels like you can feel every tooth engage in that gear. I had the reverse synchros replaced at 34,000 miles. They were completely distroyed. I run AMSOIL now, 6 full quarts and it doesn't help like I thought it would. My problem is, I think, the clutch doesn't disengage far enought to let the input shaft slow down easily. Maybe that is most of your problems too.

 

Yeah shifting will become a little bit difficult when the truck has been sitting in the cold.

Not only that but the whole motor and everything else to go along with it runs rough since it takes more time for the fluids to get heated up and circulate due to the cold weather.

You really cant help it because it takes forever to get the truck heated up in the cold just by idling but i certainly WOULD NOT floorboard the truck down the road once you just started it in the freezing cold in the morning.

I dont have to cluth though on my 6 speeds.So i cant tell you about clutching

During the winter a good friend of mine with a '96 f-350 powerstroke automatic thats straight piped just wakes up gets in and floorboards it.The truck is even louder i guess because the motor is colder than a usual summer or spring morning.Thats not good but he never had any trouble with the motor and it has over 200k

 

try puting it in any forward gear then into reverse and it should go in just fine. that's what I do with mine when it doesn't want to go into reverse.

 

Thanks a lot guys. I also have to wrestle for reverse now and then. Usually I just let it roll a bit and it will go in. How hard is it to change a synchro? Can it be done thru the PTO covers?

 

The reverse gear/synchro in on the tail shaft. Just drop your transfer case and then take the rear cover or whatever off the tranny on the truck. I saw it done, that is all I can offer. Didn't look too hard at the dealer on the rack.

 

I don't know about the rest of you guys with 6spds, but I always let my truck run for a few minutes to warm up when it's cold outside. I'm sure a lot of you do the same. The other thing I do in the mornings when I start it up is put the transfer case in nuetral and then engage 3rd or 4th gear and let it idle for a few minutes while I go back inside the house. This helps the tranny fluid warm up a little before I drive it. Seems to help the morning shifts if ya know what I mean. Might work for some of you as well.

 

Changing the syncros is no small task. To change all but reverse it requires total disassembly of the tranny. The rear could be changed in truck but requires a special wrench to fit the output shaft nut and a torque wrench capable of 250ft\lbs of torque. I've never done it in truck but it probably requires a puller of some sort to remove the syncro assembly.

 

on my reverse i can just bring rpms a little and it will slip right in. and in the mornings there a certain spot in the rpms that my truck will shift good no matter what. find that sweet spot is what i say.

 

i think a lot of the harsh shifting is just from the transmission itself, its a heavy duty transmission and doesnt have a lot of the features a luxury/sedan manual tranny would.

 

Ok kind of not on topic but sorta is the other day my foot was wet and mid shift from third to fourth i banged it in to forth pretty hard. can these transmission take the abuse if its just bangin a gear really hard once? it feels fine but i was wonderin if there is things i should watch out for