Ive got an 03 5 speed eco and i was just wondering if the rough "feel" to it is normal.
To explain. I drive 4,5 and 6 speed vehicles frequently at work. The shifters never seem to have trouble when i throw them into gears. My cav often makes me muscle my way into lower gears. PLus, my clutch catches really high (which i sure is normal)
Am i making my way into troublesome times with my shifter/cables/tranny? Or am i just driving a j-body =P
Im new to the standard transmission world. So bare with me.
Thanks Org
I would change the tranny fluid. The getrag is really a smooth tranny. Try either B&M trick shift, or Hurst synthic fluid.
FU Tuning
Quick question.
Auto trans fluid is okay?
And are synthetics okay even if it wasnt used in the previous 80k miles?
John Higgins wrote:I would change the tranny fluid. The getrag is really a smooth tranny. Try either B&M trick shift, or Hurst synthic fluid.
I've switched mine to B&M trick shift non synthetic fluid and mine still feels like poop so its a waste of time. I think the getrag is junk imo.
Mine didn't shift hard till i put b&m synthetic fluid in.Fluid i had in last was Mobil 1 synthetic auto tranny fluid and it worked great.It got worse putting on a short shifter,so here after awhile I'll go back to Mobil 1.
I perfer Hurst synthic over the B&M, but B&M over stock.
FU Tuning
I had one Getrag that shifted smooth. the other 6 or 7 were all kind of notchy or just rough in general.
how do you know if you have the Getrag or not?
my car shifts like poop...
it doesnt want to GET into like 2nd alot...or back to first i have to pull it all the way over to the left and push it up into first...
it sucks...
Same here. I guess going with hurst is worth a try.
Also, my cav suffers from the low rpm lugging mount sound everyone talks about. Any known fixes?
Oh and one more thing. What are the exact steps to go about changing the fluid?
I hear that just about 2 quarts of fluid is usually just about right. Ive also read that there are two possible filling intakes on the top of the tranny. Where does my current fluid drain from?
And i remember hearing about a plug on a side of the egtrag or someting that allows you to check the level.
Thanks again guys.
Gm says 1.8 qt, but I always do 2 qts. Red cap at the top to fill. Drain is on the side at the bottem.
FU Tuning
If you use the red cap, your gonna be there for awhile,that's just a vent.Theirs a Allen head plug not to far from the red cap, just look you'll find it,that's how you fill it.Drain is on the bottom facing the drivers side.And also i put 3 qts in mine,trying to get rid of the growl,helped a Lil but still there on hot days.
A key symptom the OP mentions is his clutch pedal. A worn clutch could be dragging and not releasing cleanly enough to "unload" the tension in the transmission; this can cause hard shifting.
The Getrag is a fine piece in its own right. We've pounded 750 HP through them with no failures. Don't fool yourself into thinking its a crappy trans just because it comes in an economy car!
Bill Hahn Jr.
Hahn RaceCraft
World's Quickest and Fastest Street J-Bodies
Turbocharging GM FWD's since 1988
www.turbosystem.com
Bill Hahn Jr. wrote:A key symptom the OP mentions is his clutch pedal. A worn clutch could be dragging and not releasing cleanly enough to "unload" the tension in the transmission; this can cause hard shifting.
The Getrag is a fine piece in its own right. We've pounded 750 HP through them with no failures. Don't fool yourself into thinking its a crappy trans just because it comes in an economy car!
Its still crap to me. I don't care if someone pushed over 1k hp. My stock one kept popping out of 2nd gear once power was applyed you couldn't even hold it in gear that was with only 150k miles on the clock. My 2nd one I have a feeling is going out its made noises all the time like the getrag tranny noise post. My friends mom her Saturn vue has a getrag and she has been through 3 of em. To me there junk. I'll never have one again.
I love my economy car, dont get me wrong. But the bottom line is the tranny/clutch sound and feels like poop.
Ill be changing the fluid and seeing if that helps at all.
The clutch itself feels springy. I can also feel the rotation in it though. which is when i hear that annoying sound. sigh
agreed.
economy cars are nice...but usually you do get what you pay for. and i have had my tranny rebuilt, fluid changed and it still feels like shifting a turd. i have to force it into gears, its never smooth always grabby and lose and im sure it doesnt help the matter than i would drive my friends Jetta once in a while and that thing shifts like a DREAM.
Anything else on the market shifts like a dream lol.
Had i know, i may have left the J scene =(
Anyone know how the cobalts feel?
The cobalts use a getrag but not the same one. I think they shift considerably better than the F23 which is what the 2000+ jbodys have.
I used ATF 4 in mine and it seems to work well. The only problem I ever had with shifter feel was due to a clutch that was not fully releasing. My trans has taken a beating and is still going strong.
FORGET GIRLS GONE WILD WE HAVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING GONE WILD!
SLO CAV (the autoxing one) wrote:Bill Hahn Jr. wrote:A key symptom the OP mentions is his clutch pedal. A worn clutch could be dragging and not releasing cleanly enough to "unload" the tension in the transmission; this can cause hard shifting.
The Getrag is a fine piece in its own right. We've pounded 750 HP through them with no failures. Don't fool yourself into thinking its a crappy trans just because it comes in an economy car!
Its still crap to me. I don't care if someone pushed over 1k hp. My stock one kept popping out of 2nd gear once power was applyed you couldn't even hold it in gear that was with only 150k miles on the clock. My 2nd one I have a feeling is going out its made noises all the time like the getrag tranny noise post. My friends mom her Saturn vue has a getrag and she has been through 3 of em. To me there junk. I'll never have one again.
Hmm..well, I don't see a trans developing a problem at 150K miles (and I'm guessing at least some hard shifting over those miles) as an indictment of its entire breed...did you really expect more?
Also...Did you purchase the car used or new?
Nonetheless, despite how many others you've found who would agree...it's not crap. As an expert who's been in many of the transmissions in this segment, I can tell you it rates as one of the best in terms of quality and upgraded power not fazing it. Sure, the synchros will wear over time, especially with hard shifting, but that's not exclusive to these. We just toss another cherry used one in our high HP car every time starts missing shifts...and that usually takes about 75 HARD 1/4 mile floggings (including rugged burnouts) at 700 HP.
They're not worth fixing internally, folks...not when you can purchase good used ones for $300-$400. If you've worn out the synchros, and you know your clutch isn't a problem, just pop another one in. Cheap and easy! Thankfully, they're plentiful too, and mostly from cars that were driven sedately by commuters, not thrashed by hot-rodders
Bill Hahn Jr.
Hahn RaceCraft
World's Quickest and Fastest Street J-Bodies
Turbocharging GM FWD's since 1988
www.turbosystem.com
Fox-02 Ecotec- wrote:agreed.
economy cars are nice...but usually you do get what you pay for. and i have had my tranny rebuilt, fluid changed and it still feels like shifting a turd. i have to force it into gears, its never smooth always grabby and lose and im sure it doesnt help the matter than i would drive my friends Jetta once in a while and that thing shifts like a DREAM.
Something's still wrong somewhere then...by process of elimination, it really points at the clutch.
Bill Hahn Jr.
Hahn RaceCraft
World's Quickest and Fastest Street J-Bodies
Turbocharging GM FWD's since 1988
www.turbosystem.com
Wade Jarvis wrote:The cobalts use a getrag but not the same one. I think they shift considerably better than the F23 which is what the 2000+ jbodys have.
I used ATF 4 in mine and it seems to work well. The only problem I ever had with shifter feel was due to a clutch that was not fully releasing. My trans has taken a beating and is still going strong.
Cobalts use F23 also in 2.2 and 2.4 cars. The super- and turbo-charged ones get the F35, which has a higher torque rating. These will not interchange with J-body...different cases due to different mount systems.
Ah yes, the clutch...so often the trans is wrongfully accused. Glad you found your real problem!
Bill Hahn Jr.
Hahn RaceCraft
World's Quickest and Fastest Street J-Bodies
Turbocharging GM FWD's since 1988
www.turbosystem.com
Im on #7 or 8 in my 02. The last dealer I worked at replaced several and I know a few people that have gone through a few F23s. Its not as great of a trans as its made out to be. My moms SSlowbalt @!#$s feel just as loose as my car always has. My Isuzu on the other hand has always had a very positive shift feel to it.
Wade Jarvis wrote:The cobalts use a getrag but not the same one. I think they shift considerably better than the F23 which is what the 2000+ jbodys have.
I used ATF 4 in mine and it seems to work well. The only problem I ever had with shifter feel was due to a clutch that was not fully releasing. My trans has taken a beating and is still going strong.
How did you determine the clutch wasn't releasing fully? I am starting to think my spec clutch is doing that espically when the car is on a slight incline from side to side if the driver side is lower than the passenger side my clutch feels like it grabs as soon as I let the clutch pedal go all the way to the top.
mitdr774 wrote:Im on #7 or 8 in my 02. The last dealer I worked at replaced several and I know a few people that have gone through a few F23s. Its not as great of a trans as its made out to be. My moms SSlowbalt @!#$s feel just as loose as my car always has. My Isuzu on the other hand has always had a very positive shift feel to it.
You may have some bad shifting habits?
I talk to customers daily with these units who, even with 230-400 WHP, experience none of these issues. They granny shift them and don't court disaster. How do you shift yours to go through eight transmissions?
Bill Hahn Jr.
Hahn RaceCraft
World's Quickest and Fastest Street J-Bodies
Turbocharging GM FWD's since 1988
www.turbosystem.com
