Hey guys,

Got a question and I'm wondering if someone can help out. My car is an 83TA w/48k miles. It's the 305 (not HO ) with the 5spd stick. It upshifts fine, however when I go to downshift, if feels like something (like a gear chain or something) is pushing back on me. I don't force it into place, and when I slow down more it lets me downshift.

My question is, is this a normal "safety precaution" or is this something that isn't a usual occurance?

Thanks in advance for your help guys!

Kyle

PS - if anyone has a more accurate dash tach, let me know please.

 

When you shift up, the act of shifting slows down the clutch disk and all the front part of the trans. When you shift down, the opposite happens: the synchros have to speed up the countergear and clutch gear and above all the clutch disc, to match whatever the engine RPMs would be if the clutch was out in that gear. So if you try (as an extreme example) to shift down into 1st while doing 90 down the freeway, the synchros will be trying to speed that disc up to about 10,000 RPM.

The reason it's easier to shift down when the car is going slower is because it isn't trying to speed up that huge heavy disc so much.

In other words, it's normal for it to be a little more difficult to downshift.

It helps if you bring the engine RPMs up to the speed that matches the clutch disc, because that makes the pilot bushing's friction help the action of shifting, rather than applying even more load to the synchro.