I just picked up a donor car to do a tranny swap. The synchronizer is bad in mine now... 3 gear grind is really starting to get to me.

It's a 93 Sunbird w/3.1L 5-Speed. Mine's a 94 Sunbird w/ 3.1L 5-Speed.

So far my buddies & I spent 1 evening at it so what we did was pulled the motor and all, then unbolted the tranny from the motor when it was out.

My concerns:

1) Please tell me that this transmission is the same and will blot back to my engine perfectly fine??? I never check it out because I assumed it was but I would like to make sure!

2) Did we do it the long/hard way by removing the motor and all? Do you suggest that we do it the same way going in or do it from underneath? I'm thinking up through would be alot better after what we went though tonight... but maybe it isn't!?

3) How does one go about bleeding the clutch again after the new tranny is in?

4) Do I need to know any torque specs when putting the new tranny back on?

5) Any tips, suggestions, information, anything! Come on with it! I need all the feedback I can get on this... after all it is my first ever engine removal/tranny swap that I've ever done. Although so far so good

OK
#1 3.1V6 5 speed to 3.1 V6 5 speed, no problem
#2 I've always pulled the trans out through the bottom driver side, that is how they suggest it be done.
#3 There is a hex head bleed screw in the slave cylinder attached to the trans. follow the hose from the clutch master cylinder (bolted to firewall) to slave cylinder attached to trans, look and you will find it. loosen screw until fluid starts to drain, when there are no more air bubbles, and fluid flows constantly. close bleed screw DONE!
#4 Same engine, no worries
#5 Be sure to reattach grounding strap, and make sure everything is the same as it was, or rather the way it is supposed to be.

This great Chris, thanks for the info. Another question tho:

What grade gear oil should I use?

And how about torqueing the bolts? Do I need to know anything with regards to that?

Thats it for now but I'm sure I'll be back! Were starting it tonight so here goes!

Synchromesh is the recommended fluid for the HM282/NVGT550 (MG2) trans. Yes it may be expensive, but its guaranteed to work, and well worth it. The torque specs (if there are any, I can't remember off the top of my head) can be found in any service manual, Chiltons, Haynes, factory, etc. Read the How-To for a trans swap on V6Z24, it may be in there.

Okay. Here is where I currently stand:

The new tranny is in. We've bled & bled & bled the clutch and then bled it some more. Got the car back down on the ground again and running fine. Now here is my new problem:

1) Reverse GRINDS pretty bad... every single time

2) All other gears a very very hard to go in. Especially first. So hard its almost impossible sometimes. BUT no grinding with any of them.

3) Same thing when I drove the car, none of the gears grind at all (except reverse), they just do not want to go in.

4) Even though 3rd always grinded, I have always found all the gears hard going in. Even compared to the parts car.

5) I dont think this has anything to do with it, maybe it does, what do I know.. but anyway, When we went to fill the gear oil in the transmission after it was done, It was to late to buy syncromesh, so I used a full bottle of 80W90 that I had, and that wasent enough, so I strained the old fluid (that we drained out of it in the first place) to bring it up to the ok mark at least. So because of this I was planning to flush the fluids to replace it with syncromesh as soon as possible but I did think that it would be okay for now.


This is the good news:

1) Well first of all gears 1 through 5 dont grind (like 3rd used to) so thats a good thing.

2) The clutch grabs immediately after letting it up, like a brand new clutch should. (the guy I bought the parts car from told me it was recently changed)

3) I drove the parts car before scraping it and it shifted like a dream compared to mine. Therefore I know it was a good tranny that I got

Any ideas? I'm going to try a transmission shop as soon as I can in the next couple of days or so but maybe you guys can tell me something, who knows!

My only thought are that the shift linkages dont line up correctly or something but I'm not a trans man

80W90
that is your problem!! Thats gear oil for a rear end. Not transmission oil.
you would have been better to put in 5w30 motor oil!! That oil is MUCH too thick for that transmission. Drain it and get the proper oil!

were does the clutch start grabbing??? right off the floor (within an inch) or about 1/3 of the travel??? if its within an inch, you srill have air in the hydralics and your clutch isnt releasing.

pezed wrote:80W90
that is your problem!! Thats gear oil for a rear end. Not transmission oil.
you would have been better to put in 5w30 motor oil!! That oil is MUCH too thick for that transmission. Drain it and get the proper oil!

Correction. "that is A problem" It was not THE problem. Fluid was drained right away and in goes the pure GM Synchromesh.

sharkey wrote:were does the clutch start grabbing??? right off the floor (within an inch) or about 1/3 of the travel??? if its within an inch, you srill have air in the hydralics and your clutch isnt releasing.

I think your absolutly right. The clutch feels like it is always in gear even with the peddle to the floor... which explains why it grabs easily within an inch and thats not right. Also, this would be a good explaination as to why reverse grinds so bad.. it's as if you had the car in drive and then rammed it in reverse, same thing! If that clutch needs to be bleed any better then it already is, then I dont know what to do!!