GETRAG worries...

[JGrefenstette]

i recently noticed that shifting into 3rd from 2nd, i can feel it hesitate more than usual. like i can feel the gear hanging just a touch. and going into 4th from 3rd i can feel it a bit too. this doesnt happen everytime, but it is pretty often.



is this the sycroniser going bad?



how common is this symptom?

 

[dpuckett]

It is farily common, to one degree or another. When was the oil last changed? When the oil gets older, it can cause that.



Remember the 3 "S's" for Getrag shifting- Slow, Square, and Smooth.



Daniel

 

[JGrefenstette]

i just changed the oil in it 2 weeks ago.



ive never heard bout the 3 "S's" for the getrag, but ill give it a try

 

[JGrefenstette]

if this is the syncro going bad, how long will it take for it to really get bad and start grinding?



also, is there a chance its the clutch wearing out? and not disengaging fully, and keeping the gears slightly turning?



thanks for the help.

 

[dpuckett]

That is another possibility. You can check out the distance the slave cylinder rod travels as someone pushes the clutch pedal.



DP

 

[JGrefenstette]

how far should it be traveling, and if its not travelling the correct distace, does that mean its low on fluid?, the clutch is wearing out?

 

[Niki]

If your clutch is wearing out and engaging farther towards the top, most likely its completely disengaging. Change the fluid, it may help. I've had a few getrag trucks and they've all liked to be shifted like DPuckett says, slow, square and smooth. I've never had a problem with one either.

 

[IRoss]

I have the same symptoms occurring in my 5 spd... . As well, these days I need to push the clutch all the way to the floor pretty much to shift gears smoothly, and to start it, which I haven't had to do before... . would this indicate a mechanism problem to anyone?

 

[JGrefenstette]

ive never tried shifting with out putting the pedal all the way to the floor. so ive never felt it shift with out being all the way down.

 

[NIsaacs]

Reach down by hand and pull the clutch pedal up. How much slack do you have? The first gen clutch linkage wears bad where the master cylinder rod attaches to the clutch pedal pin. If this is the case, you might not be getting the full throw and not releasing the clutch plate completely.





"NICK"

 

[IRoss]

I have already tried to bush out that particular pin connection, I still have about 1. 5"-2"" of freeplay coming from the cylinder rod itself... . is this an easy fix? It appears to me getting at the clutch linkage is most of the ordeal... .

ross

 

[JGrefenstette]

i lifted the pedal up and found some where near 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches of play. what is normal? could this be where my problem is coming from? how easy is it to fix?

 

[PToombs]

Somebody posted their fix, remove pedal and link. Weld up worn spots, reinstall. He had good pics too.

 

[NIsaacs]

Pulling the main clutch pedal pivot pin is easier then it looks. It has tab with a small bolt on the Throttle pedal side of the pin. Remove the bolt and you can pull the pin out. The little clip on the pin that holds the Clutch rod to the pedal is kinda tough, not much room to work at it.



After you remove the pedal you can see the wear to the pin, it will be half worn through and the rod will have the bushing gone with a slot worn in the rod hole.



I took a small hand grinder and cut the pin off flush with the bracket it is attached to. Then you can punch it out. It will be larger where it comes through the pedal bracket. I just reassembled the pivot pin with a 1/2 inch bolt and lock nut. Make sure you use a bolt long enough so the threads are not part of the pivot and cut the excess off. This will give you a larger pivot point then the little 3/8 inch of the original. The clutch rod will still have the wear spot of the 3/8 inch original pin, however the 1/2 inch bolt will overcome this to some extent. At some point down the road ya might have to replace it, however it will be easy to replace the bolt with a new one if it becomes necessary. Tighten the lock nut just snug so the pivot can still move freely.





"NICK"