98 ws6 m6 - question for a friend

[jims69camaro]

my friend, who owns a 98 ws6 m6 (he just got it) says he is having the following issue:
normal driving, the car shifts fine. however, upon spirited driving, around 5000 rpm, the car is very hard to shift, especially the 1-2 shift. he says he really has to lean on the shifter (short throw) in order to get in gear. i thought his syncros for the 1-2 shift were showing signs of wear, but he says it's throughout the gears, all 6 of them. the dealership said that he probably needs a heavier weight gear lube, so they are going to try that. in the meantime, what do you guys with manual cars think it is? has anyone ever had this issue with an m6 car?

as always, any help is greatly appreciated. especially if you help out my friend. thanks in advance.

[V]

the T56 takes ATF fluid, not gear oil. so the thicker it is, harder to shift i believe. make sure it has trans fluid in it. and i read the T56 doesnt like synthetic fluid.

[Batman]

Yeah don't use synthetic (found that out the hard way) Sounds like a synchro if ti is only the 1-2 shift. Only other thing I can think of the stock master cylinder (clutch not brakes) has a flow restrictor in it and sometimes that can foul up shifting. You can go here (http://www.installuniversity.com/install_university/index.htm) for instructions on how to do the drill mod. It is free so it may be worth a shot. Without actually driving the car I can't tell you more on what the problem is.

[jims69camaro]

when i said gear lube, i thought he meant the rear, though i wonder what that would have to do with the trans. dunno.

the situation is simple (no driving required): normal driving the car is fine. when he leans on the throttle, it won't shift without maximum effort being applied to the shifter. this is with the clutch engaged, but it sounds to me like the clutch is not fully engaged - ever forget to push the clutch in and try to pull it out of gear? it's extremely difficult. that sounds like what he's going through with his car.

bitch of it is, he just got it, and he's having problems like this with it already...

[jims69camaro]

a little more info: he says that once the RPMs drop below 5000, he can slide it into gear no problm. also, the dealership tech said it might be the shifter solenoid (the thing that forces the shift from 1st to 4th if you aren't getting on it.

they changed the fluid at the dealership (the trans fluid, not the gear lube) and no difference, sounds like the tech is following some troubleshooting checklist or something. this guy's not made of money and if it's going to cost more than like $500, he will sell the car immediately.

[WildBillyT]

Jim,

Have a look at this:

http://shbox.com/1/t56_service_manual.pdf

[98tadriver]

how many miles on it? what mods? if its easy to shift at low rpms and tough to shift at high rpm,, id say do the drill mod and see where that gets you.

try not to force it into gear at high rpm, it will just cause premature wear!

[jims69camaro]

not my car, so i'm gonna have to ask him about those questions. i don't think there are too many miles on it - i think i remember him saying it was decent amount.

of course he is babying it for now. he wants to get on it, but with things the way they are, he knows he will only be doing damage if he continues to drive it like he stole it. i'll get the link to him (thanks bill) and ask him about those other things.

[WildBillyT]

not my car, so i'm gonna have to ask him about those questions. i don't think there are too many miles on it - i think i remember him saying it was decent amount.

of course he is babying it for now. he wants to get on it, but with things the way they are, he knows he will only be doing damage if he continues to drive it like he stole it. i'll get the link to him (thanks bill) and ask him about those other things.

No problem Jim. The only thing I can think of for him to check (if he hasn't already) is the CAGS solenoid. Sounds like it may be malfunctioning.

[jims69camaro]

the dealership mentioned that solenoid. he's going to have another mechanic look at it, so i can stop worrying about diagnosing his problem over the interwebnetthingy. thanks for the pointers guys - i might have to use them in the near future if i buy one.