Hey all

I had a manual convertion done a few months ago. Everything was fine then. However the last few weeks, i noticed that when the gearbox/engine is cold, the gears are really difficult to get into. Specially reverse. Took me like 8 tries to get it in. (that sounds suss. hehehe)

I wanted to check for oil in the gearbox, but i couldn't find the damn dipstick. :redface:

I have the quickshifter installed also.

Has anyone had this problem before? And if so, what was the problem? Once the car is warmed up, gear changes are easy.

With reverse, put it in neutral and take the clutch out, then put clutch back in, 1st gear, then reverse.

Mine does it for the first few changes when it's cold, just double clutch (change into neutral, clutch out, clutch in, into gear, clutch out - as if it was two seperate gears). Short shifter wont help the feeling either.

it is to do with the viscosity of the oil as well as condition of the gears.

manual gearboxes don't have a dipstick so stop looking. and a short shifter will make gears notchier than the stock shifter.

as PIV said, try going into first or second then reverse. but an oil change may help the problem. try using redline shock proof oil. it's not cheap, but its good stuff.

i have issues going from 2nd to first when VERY cold (only time i find it an issue is leaving the work carpark, after 500m-1Km its fine, yes work has a massive carpark!)

the short shifter will make it a bit harder as mentioned before, but i never drove mine with the stock shifter!

I had my input drive shaft bearings replaced, and now 1st thing on cold mornings its VERY hard to get into 2nd... no idea why as it wasn't before. Had the oil changed and made no difference so not sure what the problem is.

Hey mate. I had the same problem with reverse. What i automatically did once i figured it out was to put it into 3rd then 4th while the clutch was in then reverse and it would go in perfect. Don't know WHY it was like that. But it worked!:D

I take it you put in brand new mitsu oil when u did the conversion? If not, go to that.

When cold mine's a bit notchy going into reverse, my old TH did it to, i thought it was the norm.

Redline synthetic transmission oil definitely worth the extra $$$.
Another similar one is Castrol SynTrans.

The reason you can have difficulty selecting reverse is because when you try to select reverse, unlike your forward gears, you are actually trying to mesh 2 gears together. With the forward gears, the are constantly meshed, you are just locking them to the shaft with the synchro.
When it wont go into reverse, imagine that one of the teeth on each gear has lined up, so they are touching each other, hence the reason it wont fully go into reverse.
As the other boys have said, put the car into neutral, let you foot off the clutch and try re-engaging reverse. It will be harder when the oil is cold as you will have a multigrade oil in your transmission, ie, thicker when it is cold!
Hope this has helped,
Chris

Redline synthetic transmission oil definitely worth the extra $$$.
Another similar one is Castrol SynTrans.




i agree with the syn trax. but i would not use redline coz they're a bit pricey for only 20k mileage or even less...if not castrol, motul would be the go:think:

Ok, thanks everyone. Some good pointers here. Really appreciate it. Will try some things out.

Thanks for letting me know that manual trannys have no dipstick. I find that strange. But oh well. I would have kept looking. hahaahha

I am not sure what oil the workshop put into the tranny. But i might have a look into new oil and just replace it myself... if that is possible

Thanks for letting me know that manual trannys have no dipstick. I find that strange.
the oil in a manual gearbox is only there as lubrication. in an auto box it is also used by the stall converter.

the oil in a manual gearbox is only there as lubrication. in an auto box it is also used by the stall converter.


Ooooookkkkkkkayyyyy, and is that because the manual gearbox doesn't have a torque convertor?


If anybody has gear change/shift concerns in a manual box, one quick way to know whether it's an oil issue is to fill the box with auto trans oil.. If the shift improves, then thats it, needs a better grade of oil... If not, then a mechanical fault is evident, synchros etc.

i agree with the syn trax. but i would not use redline coz they're a bit pricey for only 20k mileage or even less...if not castrol, motul would be the go:think:

Are we talking about manual or auto here?
In either case, why would you change transmission oil/fluid after 20000 Km or less :confused: .
Again for both, manual/auto as per Mitsubishi service & warranty book drain and refill will be conducted every 105000 Km .
Under severe or abnormal operating conditions on manual it will be 30000 Km , and on auto 45000 Km.

manual gearboxes don't have a dipstick so stop looking.


Aparently 1995 Subary Impreza GX, five speed manual had dipstick which I found quite unusual.

Pretty sure my book says to change gearbox oil @ 90k, then again at 105k. No way would I leave gearbox oil in my car for 105k kms!

Pretty sure my book says to change gearbox oil @ 90k, then again at 105k. No way would I leave gearbox oil in my car for 105k kms!


That just doesn't make sense.

I'm pretty sure the 105k Transmission oil Interval is for FWD Auto's, and AWD Auto's are serviced at 45k, 2WD Auto being optional

Info is from service & warranty book I got with a car 1999 TH FWD.
If Ralliart and AWD Magnas have different book please disregard what I wrote.

e, if your havin trouble wit reverse chuck it into 1st move forward a bit and then try into reverse again. every manual car i have ever driven has done this..

and the short shifer makes this worse.. i have trouble with second which is what is holding me back from going the short shifter.

Had the same problem with my old TF. Was incredibly difficult to get the bastard into 2nd when it was cold. Problem went away after a couple of minutes of driving.

From my research I was led to believe changing the box oil would help or fix it, but didn't have the chance to try it.

I'll tell you what man, after getting this Motul FF LSD oil put in the other day my gearbox has literally transformed. It used to be notchy and crunch into second (even after a fresh oil change) under a real hard, fast change into second. Now, it's smooth and no crunching at all. I find myself revving first out to redline and flatshifting full pelt to try to get it to crunch but it just won't. Highly recommended!

I'll tell you what man, after getting this Motul FF LSD oil put in the other day my gearbox has literally transformed. It used to be notchy and crunch into second (even after a fresh oil change) under a real hard, fast change into second. Now, it's smooth and no crunching at all. I find myself revving first out to redline and flatshifting full pelt to try to get it to crunch but it just won't. Highly recommended!

Is it still notchy into 2nd when cold? Mine is a bit temperamental when cold but dead perfect once it's properly warm, I don't think I've ever managed to crunch second even when racing.

Is it still notchy into 2nd when cold? Mine is a bit temperamental when cold but dead perfect once it's properly warm, I don't think I've ever managed to crunch second even when racing.
No notchyness at all now.

Are we talking about manual or auto here?

Under severe or abnormal operating conditions on manual it will be 30000 Km , and on auto 45000 Km.



yes we're talkin bout manual and not my car. and redline does go off within 6months or bout 20k or less under severe condition so not worth it :think:

Okay, here is my story..

I can now claim to be the TJ Gearbox Expert..:P Today im halfway through fitting my 5th gearbox as i have ****ed another one.. Yes thats right, smashd my second Cusco
LSD on friday..:(

Its at the point now where it took us under 2 hours to remove the box from the car in the driveway..

Ive used lots of oils over this time and id firstly check what grade of oil you are using..

You need to make sure you are using a 75w-85. anything thicker than that and its no good when box is cold.. these silly fagna boxes are very oil sensitive..

Last time on standard box i had this issue when cold, i went and got me some Valvoline Duragear synthetic blend oil. sal 75w- 85 API-4. it worked a treat and i picked it up from repco for about 30ish dollars.. Car was like new.. Actually felt like a new gearbox.. Most cars dont need a oil that thin when cold so most mechanics dont keep it.. hense why they put something else in they have in a big drum and the fagna dont like it..

Hope this helps a few of you guys..

Im feeling Nice today.. If there is anyone in Sydney that has cold gear issues go get you some of this oil and give me a hoy, you can pop round to my place one arvo this week and ill help ya change it.. its easier that changing the engine oil..:P

Some people are scared to do it themselves as they havent done it before..:)

No Bull its a 15min job with the right gear..:)

Gooduck guys

Okay, here is my story..

I can now claim to be the TJ Gearbox Expert..:P Today im halfway through fitting my 5th gearbox as i have ****ed another one.. Yes thats right, smashd my second Cusco
LSD on friday..:(

You need to make sure you are using a 75w-85. anything thicker than that and its no good when box is cold.. these silly fagna boxes are very oil sensitive..

Last time on standard box i had this issue when cold, i went and got me some Valvoline Duragear synthetic blend oil. sal 75w- 85 API-4.
Maybe that's your problem mate? You're using the wrong oil. You should be using 75W-90. I don't see how you can have so much trouble with gearboxes and diffs. Dave's car is putting out a lot more power than yours and hasn't stuffed his box or Cusco LSD. Jasons car is putting down good power now too on a standard Ralliart LSD and he's thrashing it around a track and it's fine too. Wtf are you doing to your car?? :nuts:

Maybe that's your problem mate? You're using the wrong oil. You should be using 75W-90. I don't see how you can have so much trouble with gearboxes and diffs. Dave's car is putting out a lot more power than yours and hasn't stuffed his box or Cusco LSD. Jasons car is putting down good power now too on a standard Ralliart LSD and he's thrashing it around a track and it's fine too. Wtf are you doing to your car?? :nuts:

It's the rolling diameter of his wheels, if you drop clutch around a corner the extra strain on the diff be it aftermarket lsd or stock open diff is more than enough to make stuff go bang.

It's the rolling diameter of his wheels, if you drop clutch around a corner the extra strain on the diff be it aftermarket lsd or stock open diff is more than enough to make stuff go bang.
You mean having 20" rims and your car lowered 4" or more with illegal tyres is bad for your car and may put strain on certain things? WTF?! lol

I can now claim to be the TJ Gearbox Expert..:P Today im halfway through fitting my 5th gearbox as i have ****ed another one.. Yes thats right, smashd my second Cusco
LSD on friday..:(


Didn't you get your Cusco rebuilt after last time you broke it??

You mean having 20" rims and your car lowered 4" or more with illegal tyres is bad for your car and may put strain on certain things? WTF?! lol

Vanity is a sin hey :P

I'll still take Jasons car off his hands given the chance.

You mean having 20" rims and your car lowered 4" or more with illegal tyres is bad for your car and may put strain on certain things? WTF?! lol

Hey mins legal.. remember im the ones with the 245s front and rear and has the engineers Certs as 225s are illegal..:)

Problem is i drive it to hard..

Cusco LSD is very aggressive as a few people that have will know and a few things can happen that dont sound nice. they are the things that cause damage.. I just got to learn to be nice instead of drive it like its stolen..:P

No LSD for a while for me.. Open ender for now..:(

No oil isnt an issue..

You still should use the correct grade oil which is 75W-90. Why not try a Ralliart LSD?

Why not try a Ralliart LSD?
That is on the cards..:)

My magna is stiff to change into 2nd when cold and crunches some times so I change from 1st to 3rd 1st thing in the morning. the magna has enought torque to pull 3rd gear from very low speed.

and as for changin into reverse I find it goes in easier if the handbrake is off. it lets the car move a little bit (not sure if thats technically right but it seems to work for me) can some tell me is this is accurate? if its not im sure i will be told

How do you all treat your cars???? lol

My gearbox is still smooth as!!! I find it smoother than mi dads car and it was rebuilt 2 years ago!

I have the problem with reverse only sometimes, but thats just normal for a gearbox.

come on fess up who flat changes?(meaning without clutch)

come on fess up who flat changes?(meaning without clutch)

Flat changing doesn't mean without clutch, means without lifting off accelerator.

I can change up and down all gears without clutch and without grinding gears since I've been heel toe down shifting for 18 months in the same car now. It's not something you do every day since it's pointless and hard to do at high rpm.

My magna is stiff to change into 2nd when cold and crunches some times so I change from 1st to 3rd 1st thing in the morning. the magna has enought torque to pull 3rd gear from very low speed.

and as for changin into reverse I find it goes in easier if the handbrake is off. it lets the car move a little bit (not sure if thats technically right but it seems to work for me) can some tell me is this is accurate? if its not im sure i will be told
I'd suggest changing your gearbox oil with some decent stuff, that doesn't sound normal.

Flat changing doesn't mean without clutch, means without lifting off accelerator.
Maybe thats whats doing it..:P ill be nice to this box..


Oil is 80% of changing problems..:P

hmmm check my service sheet.... the mechanic used W75/80 grade oil...
Think this would be a problem? He said to bring it round and he would drain some of it and put a small amount of thinner oil in and see how it goes. Is this a good idea?

mm cold mornings huh
are you sure your holding the right gear knob :bowrofl: :bowrofl: