Ok so here's my transmission problem, I can shift my manual 5 speed into all gears but something is not engaging it seems because the wheels won't spin, I just did a complete clutch overhaul on this adding a new pressure plate, new clutch disk, and new slave cylinder put everything back together and still the same problem, the wheels won't turn or if they do start turning I can stop them with my foot then it just kinda rattles while I hold the tires from spinning. any idea would be greatly appreciated because I'm completely lost about what could be going on inside there, I should also mention that for some reason I can't bleed the clutch I just see it dripping out the housing but the slave is 100% brand new. Thanks fellas.

Sounds like your pulling the engine/trans apart...

Sounds to me the combination of the fluid drip and the fact the wheels wont spin sound like the clutch was misaligned when the trans went in, cocked the slave cylinder (now leaking) and caused the pressure plate to be always released...

But then again you just did the clutch and had the same problem previous?

Did you get a new flywheel or have the current one machined? because you should have... The old one may be worn too much to allow the disc to grab... did you have to pull the pressure plate onto the flywheel when installing it over the clutch disc or was it flush with the flywheel surface before you put bolts in?

I would pull the axles... see if you can look inside at the differential and see if you notice anything out of place... could be a spider gear issue... when did this start?




Buildin' n' Boostin for 08' - Alex Richards

thanks for the quick reply, this was the same problem the car was having before I replaced everything. let me fill you in with what happened to it when it broke. I was sitting at a red light and in front of me was a small 2 foot patch of black ice that I hadn't notice. the light turned green and I stepped on the gas to go and one of the wheels started to spin like crazy, then it hit the pavement and went bang bang bang, kinda like wheel hop, I made it about 100 feet and I couldn't get it moving from there.

Sounds like you broke the spider gears inside the diff.

so I guess its time for a new trans? or is that something thats fairly easy to replace?

It's not a major job, but for the price you can find a decent used tranny, it might be better to just replace it. Another option would be to hunt down an actual Isuzu tranny from a Geo Storm GSi, and use the carrier and spider gears from that. The carrier itself is stronger than ours. Also, you would have the option of taking the 4.11 final drive ratio from it as well, if you want to improve performance a little.

It depends on what you want. If you want to just get it working, the simplest route is to just get a decent used one and swap it in.

Mr. Quick wrote:Sounds like you broke the spider gears inside the diff.

Yup, sounds like it... pull the drain plug and see if you get any mettallic chunks...



Buildin' n' Boostin for 08' - Alex Richards

Alex Richards wrote:

Mr. Quick wrote:Sounds like you broke the spider gears inside the diff.

Yup, sounds like it... pull the drain plug and see if you get any mettallic chunks...

I actually already pulled the axles and did the clutch and put in the new slave then refilled the syncromesh but I didn't notice any metal chunks, not that I'm doubting you guys because you all seem to no alot more about this stuff then myself. I think I might do a small video to show you all what is going on and that way also people will be able to properly diagnose what happens when they break there spider gears. Thanks guys for all the help. I just wish I had of asked you all here before I went ahead and listened to this bone head mechanic that told me it was just the clutch.

PS. where the heck is the drain plug on these things, I know where to fill it but that's about it.

brianh wrote:

Alex Richards wrote:

Mr. Quick wrote:Sounds like you broke the spider gears inside the diff.

Yup, sounds like it... pull the drain plug and see if you get any mettallic chunks...

I actually already pulled the axles and did the clutch and put in the new slave then refilled the syncromesh but I didn't notice any metal chunks, not that I'm doubting you guys because you all seem to no alot more about this stuff then myself. I think I might do a small video to show you all what is going on and that way also people will be able to properly diagnose what happens when they break there spider gears. Thanks guys for all the help. I just wish I had of asked you all here before I went ahead and listened to this bone head mechanic that told me it was just the clutch.

PS. where the heck is the drain plug on these things, I know where to fill it but that's about it.

Should be on the bottommost portion of the trans, down by the diff.

Now that I think about it, jack up both front wheels, put it in gear and spin one wheel, the other should spin the opposite direction... have someone hold the other wheel while you try and turn one...it should not turn with someone holding it... it should turn opposite directions with both off the ground and noone holding the opposite wheel.

This will tell you if its spider gears or not.



Buildin' n' Boostin for 08' - Alex Richards

Ok folks thanks for all the help, gonna head out today and pick up a new tranny and see what happens, hopefully this time I get this car on the road. If I got any questions Im glad I can count on all you guys because the mechanics around here seem to be tools so thank god for jbody.org.

Mr. Quick wrote:Sounds like you broke the spider gears inside the diff.

Must be why the owners manual says not to spin the tires faster than 30mph or something like that.





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

OK folks, I finally got a slave working taking parts from 2 different ones, the tranny was working great for about 20 miles and now I have no 2nd gear whatsoever, clutch hydralic pressure is holding and the synchromesh fluid is still dead on according to the dipstick. The parts I've replaced are as follows.. new pressure plate, clutch disk, flywheel, slave cylinder and a used tranny I paid 350 for at an auto wreckers. I've tried to change it into second manually with my hands as well as with the stick but no go so I doubt its the cables, even tore out the console to make sure nothing was jamming inside there too. This will be the 4th time this transmission job has be done with no success and I just wish I had enough money to get it to a garage and say fix it but ever since I broke my back cash has been somewhat sparse. Also I just wanted to thank everyone a lot for taking the time to offer up some suggestions so far everyone.

Wow man. Sorry to hear that you keep having so many issues. I'm wondering if the car the tranny came from was junked because of the transmission.

Take the tranny out and go back to the yard... most salvage yards have a 30 day warranty on things like that.



Buildin' n' Boostin for 08' - Alex Richards

yea it turns out they have a 90 day warranty, Im just getting totally sick of taking out these trannys and slaves lol, sunday I managed to change it out twice and that was the day I finally had luck and got it working, that tranny lasted until weds and now Im heading back to the junkyard.

Isuzu's are garbage...... 95-99, you look at the shifter wrong, and the sucker will fail. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's the sad truth. Its a bit more work, but totally worth it, to swap over to the F23 Getrag found in 00+ J and N bodies (Cobalts also use them, but with a different case).


SPD RCR Z - '02 Z24 420whp
SLO GOAT - '04 GTO 305whp
W41 BOI - '78 Buick Opel Isuzu W41 Swap

LOL. I will still argue that the Isuzu is not garbage. I've had two 95 J's with them, and I beat the sh!t out of them for over 100K miles, no failures. And those weren't even modded with the older Isuzu parts. Swap out the original parts from Isuzu, and you've got a damn good tranny.

well I've had this one in now for a week or so and so far no problems, I just had a run of bad luck really. I wouldn't say that the isuzu's are no good, maybe theres been a few problems with them but I can't argue because my first one had over 238k on it, clutch and all before I had to do the change out, but everything is fine now. If theres anything I don't like about them is that the clutches are a bit jerky if you ask me but anyhow thanks for all the help guys.

Just did mine too, bad side gears... Weird though cause I did sooooo many smokey burnouts, yet one day I just turned a corner normally and BAM, I was stuck with POSI.. lol.

Nathan Blanchard wrote:Just did mine too, bad side gears... Weird though cause I did sooooo many smokey burnouts....

I don't understand how this is to be considered weird after doing a ton of one wheel smokey burnouts.





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

Do you even read before flaming someone? I said its weird that it happened while driving normally instead of during rash driving.

Nathan Blanchard wrote:Do you even read before flaming someone? I said its weird that it happened while driving normally instead of during rash driving.

No, it happened during one of those smoky burnouts... it just happened to let go during normal driving... you probably stress fractured a few teeth and they managed to hold on for awhile longer before giving up the ghost.



Buildin' n' Boostin for 08' - Alex Richards

Nathan Blanchard wrote:Do you even read before flaming someone? I said its weird that it happened while driving normally instead of during rash driving.

As mentioned... that did not happen during normal driving. It might have started to skip teeth during normal driving, most likely while turning, but the damage was not caused by that. It was caused by doing tons of burnouts, and it's not surprising that the teeth look like that from doing said burnouts. umad much?





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

I had t&e isuzu trans but !fter 127k the spider gears let go on it. I was hard on it but the getrag swap is worth it and honestly not very expensive in my opinion its a better shifting trans all together