I have a 92 formula its all stock including 5 speed tranny i just got the car a few days ago the issue is even with the clutch completely disengaged first gear and second gear grind when shifted into third fourth and fifth and reverse do not grind any idea what may be wrong i love the car and it seems to have power but the grinding makes me look like i cant drive a 5 speed

 

Sounds like worn syncros.

 

Yeah 1st and 2nd syncros tend to take a pounding and are usually first to go. If it ground in all gears you would be looking at the clutch but not in this case. BUT it can't hurt to verify and make sure the clutch is functioning properly. As clutch issues are bit easier to deal with than pulling the trans.

 

It's not "synchros".

They virtually NEVER wear out unless the car has been speed-shifted ALOT. Above all, they don't ALL "go" at the same time.

Especially not 1st, which gets about 1/10 the use of the others. 2nd & 3rd, yeah; not so much 4th & 5th; and CERTAINLY not 1st.

You have a clutch problem, not a transmission problem. It's not fully disengaging. One possible cause is not the clutch itself, but rather, the pilot bearing; if it doesn't allow the clutch gear (the shaft that sticks out the front of the trans) to turn freely inside hte back ofthe crank, it acts just like the clutch failing to disengage.

 

Syncros do wear out as the friction surface diminishes with time thus not allowing the syncro to slow the gear down before the cogs come into contact. Plus with a WCT5 in a 92 formula someone could have put gear oil in at some point in its life thus ruining the syncro clutch material.

Not saying there couldn't be something wrong with the clutch but the last T5 that was in my car before the T56 would not go into 1st or 2nd without some finagling. There was nothing wrong with my clutch as it fully disengaged properly in every other gear and you could feel it release fully with the pedal only half way to the floor. Plus it worked perfect on the trans before it until the case cracked on that T5. When I took that second T5 apart the syncros were smoked. Barely any teeth left and just about zero friction surface left.

 

If the input shaft was binding on the pilot bearing as sofa suggests, then you would probably be grinding in all gears. If you try a 1 - 2 shift really slow and don't pull too hard on the shifter I bet it doesn't grind. In reality it doesn't matter weather or not it is the synchros or the pilot bearing since you will have to pull the trans out to repair either one of those items. The only thing you could check before pulling the trans is to have a helper get a ruler and measure how far the clutch fork travels while you depress the clutch pedal. You are looking for about half inch of movement.

 

thanks for all the help guys to better explain the issue sometimes it shifts smooth 90 percent of the time it doesnt when i let the rpms down sometimes it shifts smooth too also if it helps reverse does the grinding too