lately my trans has been wanting to grind from the 5-6 shift. it doesnt always do it though, very intermittent. if i 'ease' it in the slowly and not just drop it down, it wont grind. ever since ive had the truck, @153K had it since 100k, its always been stubborn getting into reverse. never grinds, just didnt want to fall into gear. i know the complete history of the truck, it was driven easy till i got it, but always pulled heavy. ive done plenty of launches and i know the clutch is gone.

so, is it my clutch letting me know its no longer there, or is my trans about to go out? is the snychro between 5-6 going out?

and while we are at it. i cant figure out what clutch to get. i want something that i will never have to buy again. but dont want to spend over a grand. i will probably never see over 500 horse. SB OFE?

thanks

 

My 01 had the NV5600 and sometimes would grind a little from 3 to 4.

2 to 3 was like butter

Sounds like a synchro to me. Although it seems weird because I wouldn't think the synchro would work very hard as it seemed like shifting from 5 to 6 almost didn't require the clutch (rpm drop was just right).

I had the Con OFE and was very happy with it. Had Mach 1.6s (100 hp stix), and the Juice and never had a problem with it in 50k.

Also was easy to drive. I've heard stepping up to the FE makes it a bit grabbier.

 

If it doesnt allready have an aftermarket clutch in it then it could be that going bad, but it would probably not depend on how you shift, it would booger the shift regardless if your hydraulics were leaking or the material was glazed or gone on the disk. I would say synchronizer rings because when your engine trans and wheel RPM are close to the same, you are in a since bypassing the synchros by doing their job for them, thats why it works when you finess it. I have never done a 6 speed before, but synchro rebuilds are fairly easy if you are mechanically inclined. It was one of the things I had to figure out on my own when I learned the ins and outs of buying trucks the hard way.
Good Luck.

 

The 5th-6th gear gave me a fit once. It had a small amount of metal debris in it from when 6th gear blew apart in the trans the first time. As a result the metal built up on the frictions of the syncronizer and caused a rough/grinding shift if I tried to shift any faster than normal daily driving.

When I tore it down this last time, I inspected the syncro's and found the problem. I will tell you this, if you attempt to split the case, be prepared to see 6 shifter forks in there that all have to go back the right way. LOL And the input shaft will lift out with the assembly. If you do not pull it out properly, the 5th-6th gear syncronizer will drop down and shoot the dogs, springs and ***** out. Don't ask me how I know. LOL

Also, do yourself a favor and make a puller set up like the shop manual shows. It will make the job a lot easier. Each shaft weighs probably 65-70 pounds and they have to be lifted out at the same time along with the shifter forks. The have to be reinstalled the same way. The first time we did it with 3 sets of hands so we could get everything lined up properly, This last time I did it my self with the puller I built and a cherry picker, definitely easier that way.

 

it has the stock clutch, stock everything for that matter. if i fully depress the clutch, and finesse it into 6th, it wont grind. everyday driving it want to grind a tad bit before dropping into 6th.

thanks for the replys.

 

When was the last time the fluid was changed? If I go more than 30k mine is a bear to get in and out of gear. Just a thought.

 

pretty sure never. ive always heard that you either religiously change or never change trans oil?

what oil should i use?

 

I used the mopar stuff. Pennzoil sychromesh.

 

Use Mopar stuff or Redline MTL

 

I would try double clutching . This might help with the grinding.