Sorry for the long post I find it easier to be very specific on the initial post than having to explain myself further later on. I've done a lot of reading on this board and haven't found an answer to the problem I am having. First of all I have a '91 camaro rs (3.1L) with a manual 5 speed transmission. When I am accelerating from a stop in first gear and then try shifting to second I get a lot of chattering before the gear actually engages. I am pretty new to working on cars and I am not sure if my transmission may need rebuilding. I've owned the car for a little over a year now. The car has 84,000 miles on it.

When I first got the car it seemed fine until it start getting colder out then shifting from 1st to 2nd was hard. I didn't get as much chattering as just difficulty in engaging the gear. So this past summer I had a shop change my transmission fluid with some synthetic stuff. After this the shifting seemed much easier, but then the chattering became more and more common.

Shifting, for example, while i am parked just going through the gears is easy, nice smooth shifting. Except shifting into reverse can be a pain sometimes as well. I usually go into 5th for a few seconds and then try reverse again.

The reason I am posting is because I live in Wisconsin and the weather is starting to get especially cold and I will most likely have to drive my car this winter.

Since the rough shifting is not sonsistent and especially since shifting while at a stop is smooth, I am thinking it is not my transmission going bad. Could my fluid be a little low causing 2nd gear to be rough? Is the likelihood of my tranni going this winter high?
Thanks for any help
p.s. downshifting to second is also very hard going in.

 

It might be the 2nd gear syncro is wearing out. What this does is provides the transition from gear to gear so that it engaguges smoothly without grinding. They are made of a clutch type material in the World Class transmissions and do wear over time. The other possibility on the gear itself there are pointed splines that the synctonizer sleeve aligns with and if these points become wore to the point of rounding shifting becomes difficult.
The last posibility that I can think of is that there might be damage to the shift fork in the transmission.

Just my best educated guess, however, it sounds like a rebuild might be in your future.

 

thanks a lot novass, I appreciate the detailed response. I will look further into a transmission rebuild. From what I have already read a rebuild kit isn't all that expensive, somewhere around $170. The closest time I could even attempt this would be the end of December I'll be on winter break from school when I don't absolutely need my car. In the mean time is there any type of additive or specific fluid that could help prolong the life of my transmission?

It's still drivable, I guess i could start bypassing 2nd every once in a while.

 

If its only hard to shift with first and second gears its defintely your 1st-2nd gear synchronizer. The tranny has to be completely disassembled to replace these. Will most likely cost u a lot.